Iowa Old Press

THE FREMONT COUNTY HERALD
April 11, 1905

DEATH OF SOL DARST
Sol Darst died at his home on the Joel Estes farm in the Militia Hollow neighborhood, at 10 o'clock a.m. Saturday, April 8, Last Wednesday Mr. Darst and his oldest son, Charley, who is about fifteen years of age, went to the Missouri bottom after a load of hay. While on the way he was seized with a violent fit of coughing which was followed by terrible pains in his abdomen. After pitching part of a load of hay, he was obliged to give up and start for home. After going some distance the boy unhitched from the hay wagon and borrowed a spring wagon to convey his father home. He grew steadily worse until Saturday, when death ended his sufferings. The cause of death was rupture produced by violent coughing. Mr. Darst was an old resident of this neighborhood. He formerly lived in Sidney and afterwards for many years near Anderson. He was a good, honest hard-working man. He carried a $2000 insurance policy in a fraternal organization. He was 49 years of age, and leaves a wife and five children, three sons and two daughters
to mourn his death. The funeral services were held yesterday afternoon at 2 o'clock, at Mt. Zion church, northwest of Sidney, conducted by Rev. Geo. Weavers and Taylor McCracken, of Tabor Faith Home, and the remains laid to rest in Mt. Zion cemetery. To the family is extended the sympathy of their many friends.

Mrs. D. W. Arbuckle
Mrs. D. W. Arbuckle died of consumption at her home in Madison township on Sunday, April 2, 1905, at 8 o'clock p.m., aged 35 years 4 months and 14 days. Iantha A. Rossean was born in Madison township, Fremont County, Iowa, Nov. 18, 1869, within sixty rods of her burial spot, and with the exception of about three months spent in the southwest in search of health lived her entire life there. She was a daughter of S. T. Rossean and wife. On Feb. 28, 1889 she was married to D. W. Arbuckle. For many months she has been a patient sufferer. Last December she went with her husband to Santa Rosa, New Mexico, in the hope that the climate there might prove beneficial to her health, but as this hope was not realized she returned
and lived only seventeen days after getting home. Her husband was absent from her room but little during those weary days, and the night before her death they spent alone. She strongly desired that her husband care for her without asking help. She was conscious to the end, and just before breathing her last opened her eyes, looked at her husband, placed both her hands in his and passed away.She was a good woman, whose life speaks for itself. By her kindness she made friends of everyone she met. The funeral services were held Tuesday at the Mt. Olive church, 3 1/2 miles east of Hamburg. Services were conducted by Rev. Chas. H. Highfield, of Hamburg, after which the body was laid to rest in the Mt. Olive cemetery. The bereaved husband and sorrowing relatives have the sympathy of their many friends in their hour of affliction.

Fremont County Sun
Sidney,Fremont co. Iowa
April 13, 1905

Chapman - Kuhns. Yesterday, at 11 o'clock A.M., Quintine U. Chapman and Mary E. Kuhns were united in marriage by Rev. E. Hill at the home of Mr. Chapman's brother, George W. Chapman, who lives south west of town. These two young people are well known and highly respected, and have many friends who wish them success and happiness. They left soon after the wedding for central Nebraska, where Mr. Chapman has employment at the carpenter's trade.

Good Roads Train to Go Far. Special of Burlington and Northern Pacific Lines Will Travel to the Pacific Coast".--Highway building will be taught in cities and villages from Lake Michigan to the Pacific coast by the Burlington - Northern Pacific - Lewis & Clark good roads special which will leave Chicago May 3. The special will be under charge of the two railroads and the National Good Roads association. Stops will be made at thirty cities, and lectures will be given on the need of better highways and the way to secure them. The first part of the special's trip will be over the lines of the Burlington Railroad. The train will enter on the Northern Pacific lines at Billings, Mont., continuing by this road to Portland, Ore., where the final meeting will be held at the Lewis & Clark exposition in June.--Chicago Tribune, April 5.
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It was quite a shock to the friends and neighbors of Sol Darst to hear of his death, Saturday, April 8, at 10 o'clock A.M. The cause of his death is supposed to have been a rupture. About the middle of the week, he and his son had gone for a load of hay and on the way he took quite a coughing spell, but became better and undertook to pitch a load of hay. He soon became so sick that they were compelled to return home as quickly as possible. He was then in a very critical condition, but told his family that he thought he would get well. Mr. Darst had recently moved from near Anderson to Militia Hollow. He leaves a wife and four children, one daughter being married. He was buried Monday, at Mt. Zion, Rev. Taylor McCracken conducting the funeral.

THE FREMONT COUNTY SUN
April 20, 1905

Mrs. Brewer's Death
Mrs. John Brewer, of Prairie twp, Fremont county, passed away Friday evening about 10 o'clock after a lingering illness of fifteen weeks. The deceased was about thirty five years old and the mother of nine children. The funeral was held at the home Sunday at 10 a.m.conducted by the pastor of the M. E. church at Riverton. The deceased was the daughter of L. E. Sanderson and wife of that vicinity and was born and rasied in that twp. A husband and nine children and many firiends and relatives are left to mourn. The interment was at the Riverton cemetery.--Sentinel Post.

Mrs. Hugh Brown Dies
This morning at 3 o'clock Mrs. Hugh Brown died at her home southwest of Riverton. Her condition was known to be very serious and yesterday evening an operation was performed with the hope of giving her relief, but it was found that she could not be relieved by surgery. Dr. McCrae was called from Council Bluffs to assist in the operation, which was performed by Doctors Lovelady, Barton, Wannamaker, Hatton and Miss Vesta Wilson. Mrs. Brown was 33 years of age and leaves a husband and a little daughter, five years of age. She has always lived in this county and has many friends who sympathize with the bereaved family.
Funeral services will be conducted from the home, Friday, April 21, at 11 o'clock A. M. by Rev. Spencer and interment will be made in the Riverton cemetery.

COUNTY SCHOOL TEACHERS. Teachers of the Fremont County Schools Who are Now Teaching the Spring Terms:

PROFESSOR L. H. MITCHELL. A Letter from C. L. Kinney of Essex. Written for the Shenandoah World
--Essex, April 10.--Your article in last Tuesday's paper about L. H. Mitchell's recital, recalled to my mind when he first went to Chicago in ' 95, to study music. I was attending college in the city at that time and having an acquaintance with his family, he was turned over to my gentle ministration. When I met him at the Union Station, in addition to the usual luggage of a traveler he had , and I believe still carries, "the smile that won't come off." After the preliminaries usual to an introduction to city life we went to rent a piano. We stopped at a large piano house on Wabash avenue and all the salesman being at the rear of the room in converation did not pay much attention to two lads, so we just walked around, looking at the pianos. "My, oh, my," says Mitchell, "isn't that a beauty--oh how I wish I could play on that piano," pointing to one. "Sit down and go at it," said I, "that's what they are for". "Perhaps they would not like it, " said he. "Well let them fire us then," said I. Seating himself he ran his fingers up and down the keyboard a moment turned to me and said. "The action is just perfect," and drifted off into Gottschalk's "Last Hope." After the introduction he had taken up the melody and it seemed you had but "to fold your arms, close your eyes and drift but a step to some sweet paradise." I noticed the men stopped the conversation of the clerks, who came tip-toeing up to where we were and listened. When the piece was finished they clapped their hands and made several complimentary remarks. They kept him playing for over half an hour, when he seemed all at once to come out of his trance and arose blushing like a school girl. I informed them we wanted to rent a piano but they were not in the business, but "Mitchell was welcome to return and use their instruments whever he wanted." Another funny thing was looking for a room where he could have a piano and practice six to ten hours with no girls in the family. I could write two columns on that alone, but we found the place, an ideal one, and his landlady used to tell me she would rather hear him practice excercises than hear some folks play. But then I never did pretend to play. I took him with me just once to the dissecting room at the college. I had an ear and my room mate a finger we were going to put into his pocket, but in strolling around he "got next", kept his hat pulled down over his ear, his overcoat buttoned tight, and his hands in his pockets and said when he got out "I would rather go to jail than go back." The ear was tacked to a square card and sent to a lady friend in north Chicago with this inscription, "Compliments of the year." I was refused admittance next time I called. The finger was given to a negro waiter in our restaurant. He gave a screech that made every one jump, took off his apron and informed the proprietor he was through associating with cannibals. During the winter two young ladies rented the room in the flat over Mitchell's practice room. When they used to get tired I suppose they would pound on the steam pipe. One day he came in looking like he had stolen some one's purse and said, "Say when those girls pounded on the steam pipe today I answered them", and he lived the winter in dread that they would think he wanted to flirt.
--C. L. KINNEY.

THE FREMONT COUNTY HERALD
April 21, 1905

Nishna Valley News
Mrs. John Brewer died at her home Saturday morning at 1 o'clock. Funeral was held Sunday at ten and she was buried at Riverton. The funeral was conducted by Rev. Matheny, of Riverton. She leaves a husband and nine children to mourn her loss.

THE FREMONT COUNTY HERALD
April 25, 1905

THE HELLO BUSINESS
One of the places in town where they are always busy is the city telephone office. They are now connected with two hundred and twenty phones, thirty five new ones having been put in since Mr. and Mrs. M. N. Anthony took charge of the central office here. How many calls do they have in a day? Some days about 700, which means a call for each minute and half of the entire day of 18 hours. One morning while court was in session they had one hundred calls in an hour by actual count. The busiest time is after supper. Men are then at home from business or work and have many affairs to attend to over the phone; for this reason it would be better for ladies to do their phone visiting at some other time of the day. It will be readily seen that all calls cannot be answered immediately. Sometimes a person must of necessity await his turn, and they shouldn't be too quick to conclude the central is at fault because of this. As stated above the days of a "hello girl" are eighteen hours long, and very few nights pass without from one to four calls. These of course ar mostly calls for a doctor. One morning court was adjourned and word was sent out to the jurors that they need not appear and sixty dollars was saved to the county by means of the phone. Saturday is usually the most quiet day at the central. On that day people come to town and don't do so much talking over the wires.
It is dangerous to be around a phone during a thunder storm and business is shut down at such a time. Sometimes there is a storm in one town and none at the adjoining towns; in that case the place where the storm is raging notifies the other places when they shut down business. It is but a short time since the telephone came into general use, but people have become so accustomed to it that they seldom stop to consider what an exceedingly valuable and useful thing it is and how much physical and mental wear and tear, time, labor and money it saves every day. It is one of the hand maids of civilization, and one of the greatest of inventions.

SOLOMON DARST
Solomon Darst was born April 15, 1856 in Fairfield county, Ohio. Twenty eight years ago he came to the county and worked on the Sidney railroad, and afterwards worked for Silas Burt, of Sidney township.
He was united in marriage with Alice Hiatt, July 31, 1879. Six children were born to this union, two girls and four boys. The baby boy was taken from this home Dec. 10, 1903; just sixteen months before the death of his father. The rest of the family were present at the bedside of their father when he died, with the exception of the oldest daughter, Mrs. George Miller, of Omaha, Neb., who did not arrive until after he had passed away.
He was a loving husband and a loving father and a good Christian. He united with the U. B. church at Cherry Grove, about 11 years ago and left a bright testimony to those around. In his last moments he called his family to his bedside and told them how they must live to meet him in heaven.

AT REST
Dearest father thou has been called from our family altar now.
O! it is so sad and lonely without you, but our Heavenly Father knows what's best.
O! how sad when we look around and wonder why that God should call you home to leave us.
But he has called you to our baby in the land beyond.
Good bye, good bye, the hour is come, when our Father has called you home.
God knows best, his will was done when he took you home to rest.

[submitted by W.F., August & Sept. 2003]

Iowa Old Press
Fremont County