Iowa
Old Press
The Winterset News
Winterset, Madison co. Iowa
Thursday, November 1, 1934
LONG TIME RESIDENT CELEBRATES BIRTH
Sixty years ago A. D. Fletcher came from Iowa City and bought a
farm near Brownıs bridge‹Ballentine Bridge, some called
it‹and made his home there. The tract of land has grown from
a fair sized farm to over 1,000 acres of fertile land. Last
Sunday Mr. Fletcher, who lived with is son, W.D. Fletcher, on the
old home place, celebrated his eighty-fourth birthday. He is
still strong and well and takes an active part in every day life.
The members of the family were entertained at the home at dinner
and about fifty called during the day to extend congratulations.
The children who were present were Mr. and Mrs. J.E. Goar, Des
Moines; Mrs. J.S. Burnett, Seattle, Washington; Mr. and Mrs. R.
Jennings and family of Van Meter. Taylor Jennings of DeSoto who
is 88 was among the guests.
HOLIDAY
The Winterset schools will be closed Thursday and Friday to allow
instructors to attend State Teachers association meeting in Des
Moines. Attendance at the meeting is compulsory for all Winterset
teachers, most of whom went to Des Moines Thursday morning. The
sessions close Saturday.
CUMMINGS RITES ARE HELD SUNDAY
Howard Cummings, 33, died October 25, at the Broadlawns hospital
in Des Moines. Mr. Cummings, returning from Perry with his
father, Fred Cummings, about six weeks ago, was seriously injured
in an automobile accident near the airport. He was taken to the
hospital where gangrene developed necessitating several
operations. The Rev. H.L. Olmstead conducted services Sunday
afternoon at the Ramey-Richards funeral home. Burial was in the
McDonald cemetery. Those who survive are his wife and two sons,
his father, a sister and three brothers.
ENTERTAIN FOR MRS. EASTER
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Kuntz entertained at a surprise pot luck
dinner Thursday noon with Mrs. Josiah Easter as the guest of
honor. Forty-two neighbors and friends attended. Mrs. Easter and
her daughter, Mrs. Grace Fraizure, arrived Thursday from Chicago,
left early Friday morning for Washington, D.C., where Mrs. Easter
will make an indefinite visit with her daughters, Mrs. Lenna
Easter, Mrs. Earl Dodson and Mr. Dodson. Mrs. Fraizure will
return to her home after a two weeks stay in Washington. Stopping
in Chicago en route to Washington, Mrs. Easter and Mrs. Fraisure
attended the Worldıs Fair.
PAGE 3 [entire page devoted to the Democrat Presidential race
ads. There is a photograph with candidates name on this page]
HOLD ON TO THE NEW DEAL! THE ONLY SQUARE DEAL YOU EVER
HAD VOTE FOR THESE CANDIDATES AND SUPPORT THE PRESIDENT
Iowaıs New Deal Senator, Louis Murphy, of Dubuque
Governor, Clyude L. Herring
VOTE FOR THE ROOSEVELT TICKET, November 6TH
Lieut. Governor, Nelson G. Kraschel
Iowaıs New Deal Cabinet Member, Henry Wallace, Secretary of
Agriculture
Our President, Franklin D. Roosevelt
VOTE FOR THESE CANDIDATES AND SUPPORT THE PRESIDENT
If Iowa Renounces Such a Record as This, What Can the Future Hold
- What Have
We to Go Back To?
LUNCH ELECTION DAY
Catholic ladies will serve lunch in court house corridors
afternoon and evening of the election.
[transcribed by L.Z., November 2009]
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The Winterset News
Winterset, Madison co. Iowa
Thursday, November 8, 1934
OLD BRIDGES THAT SPANNED OUR RIVERS - COVERED BRIDGE
BUILT 1868
HUNTING ESCAPED PRISONERS
BOY NEARLY KILLED BY GUARDS
MADISONıS OLD COUNTY JAIL
By Arthur Goshorn
The News has several letters from its subscribers urging
this paper to repeat its request to the supervisor to save the
old covered bridge over North river near Fletcherıs and
Walkerıs. The old bridge will not be used when the new county
highway steel bridge is built near it. Not that only that old
bridge should be saved but every other old covered bridge in the
county should be preserved. They are genuine covered bridges and
they should be left there so all the state may see them and learn
how southern Iowa bridged her streams in the last century.
That old bridge was built in 1868. I suppose Eli Cox, father of
ex-supervisor Alf Cox, built it, for he built most of the covered
bridges of the county. But Bent (Bridge) Jones built the later
ones. A.D. Flectcher who lives near the bridge and who celebrated
his eighty-fourth birthday a week or two ago, says he is certain
of the date because he bought his present homestead that year and
the bridge was being built then. It was called the Brown Bridge
from a family that lived close to it. Also it was sometimes
called the Ballantine bridge after another family that lived near
it. In late years, the bridge has been referred to as Fletcherıs
or Walker's bridge.
The bridge has been refloored several times. It needs reflooring
again for the nails are loose and in dry weather stick up out of
the boards. That is hard on auto tires. The bridge was the scene
of an almost fatal shooting in 1897. Davies, the absconding Peru
banker who ran off with all the bank money, had been in arrested
in New York state and was in the Madison county jail. In the jail
was an ex-coal miner named Streeter, who had been arrested for
stealing harness. It was believed by many Streeter had stolen
harness and had purposely allowed himself to be arrested and get
in jail to help Davies escape.
The county jail was then under the west porch of the court house.
It was from it that Hamner, a murderer, was dragged by a mob on
the night of June 4, 1883, and hung from a soft maple tree in the
court house yard. The jail was damp and dark, an unfit place to
confine a human being and was afterward condemned and abandoned.
When Streeter got into that jail he put his mining knowledge to
use by tunneling under the south foundation wall and upward to
the air. When Sheriff Silliman counted his prisoners tow or three
mornings after Streeter went into the jail, he found Streeter
gone. So was Davies.
Learning from the other prisoners that they had not been gone
long enough to make their way out of the county on foot, Sheriff
Silliman placed guards at every bridge on North and Middle
rivers. Frank Villiers, who had been working for Fletcher, and
another man were guarding the Fletcher bridge the next night when
somebody riding a horse approached the bridge. Villiers ordered
him to halt but instead of stopping he tried to run his horse
through the bridge. Villiers shot at him, the duck load knocking
the rider off his horse and severely wounding him in the head.
The supposed criminal turned out to be a Donahue boy who lived in
the neighborhood and was going home. Frightened by Villiers
demand to halt, he had put his horse into a run and tried to get
away. He recovered. His parents sued Villiers and A.D. Fletcher
for damages. It was proved at the trial that Villiers was not
working for Fletcher and that Fletcher had nothing to do with it.
If the jury gave a verdict against Villiers it was worth nothing
for Villiers was not worth a dime.
Sheriff Silliman, getting a tip that Davies and Streeter were
hidden in the brush near North river and would attempt to make
their get away that next night, lay in wait along a roadside.
Streeter and Davies came up the road but when ordered to halt,
both ran, Davies returning the Sheriffıs shots. They escaped in
the dark. Streeter was captured the next morning when he came up
to Ruel Palmerıs home on North Branch for something to eat.
Davies was never found.
They filled the tunnel that Streeter dug with stones and dirt.
Three or four years after Silliman went out of office, Sheriff
Doug Roy found the tunnel opened again and two prisoners he had
in jail were gone. The jail was condemned by the state board of
health and Madison County had to build a new jail.
There were once more covered bridges in Madison county than there
are now across its streams. I believe there was one across Middle
river at Otho Davis' where Dr. Ramsey now lives. There was a
covered bridge at the Backbone but it burned down. One on the
Afton road, south of town. I think there was one at Wilkin's mill
east of town. There was one over North Branch on the old Farnham
road. In the eighties there were so many covered bridges that
they excited no comment.
SERVICES ARE HELD FOR ALBERT FARLOW
Last rites for Albert R. Farlow, 76, who died Friday morning at
his home here, were held Saturday afternoon at Tidrickıs funeral
home conducted by the Rev. H.L. Olmstead, pastor of the Church of
Christ; burial was in the Winterset cemetery.
Mr. Farlow was the son of Absalom and Sarah Farlow and was born
near Clarksville, Iowa, February 23, 1858. He was the youngest of
ten children, all of whom are deceased. When a small boy he moved
with his parents to Kirksville, Missouri, living there until he
was twenty years old, when he came to Madison county which had
since been his home.
He was married to Mary Teays April 29, 1880. Seven children were
born to them; five sons and two daughters, a daughter, Juanita,
dying in 1914. He is survived by his wife and six children: Welba
C., Fred A., Ralph E., Earl A., and Mrs. Greenwood, all of
Winterset; and Glenn M. of Tacoma, Washington; fourteen
grandchildren and one great grandchild.
Mr. Farlow and I. E. T. Wilson were in the meat market business
about twenty years, selling their shop which was located then in
the building now occupied by the Eyerly produce house, to J. O.
Doop in 1915. Mr. Farlow retired from business about that time on
account of failing health.
IMPORTANCE OF BIRTH RECORDS REVEALED
Hundreds of persons who have visited the Iowa old age pension
bureau recently, furnish concrete examples of the importance of
baby birth registration. Unfortunately, there were no 'register
your baby' campaigns sixty-five years ago and many persons who
undoubtedly are eligible for old age pensions are having
difficulty proving that they are entitled to the benefits of this
law. Other examples are furnished frequently by parents from Iowa
who have moved to other states where a birth certificate is
required before a child is permitted to enter school. These
parents write to the Iowa state department of health, requesting
copies of their childrenıs birth certificates. Often the births
have not been registered, in which case the parents are put to
the trouble and expense of locating the doctor who delivered the
child. It is to avoid such difficulties that the bureau of the
census is making an effort to register every baby born in the
state in the past twelve months and to check up on those already
registered.
STUARTıS NEW ROAD.
The contract for graveling the road from Stuart to Highway No. 2,
12.6 miles was let to C.A. Emery of Coon Rapids, Iowa, for
$18,700. The same farm will also gravel 11.8 miles north and
south of Fontanelle.
--
Lloyd Hall and Edwin Schief of the Oregon City, Oregon, police
department spent several days trying to bag a deer apiece but got
only one between them. On their way home their automobile crashed
into one.
[transcribed by L.Z., November 2009]
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The Winterset News
Winterset, Iowa
Thursday, November 29, 1934
WEDDING GOWN PAGEANT
Methodist Episcopal Church, 8:00 p.m.
Winterset, Iowa
Monday and Tuesday December 3 and 4
PROGRAM
PROLOGUE:
Grandmother Mrs. J. M. Robbins
Son Mr. Henry Davis
Beulah Mrs. Thornton Duff
Eleanor Miss Margaret Christensen
KIDDIE REVUE:
Bride Patricia Ann Alexander
Groom Charles Haywood
Minister Charles Tucker
Maid of Honor Martha Adams
Best Man Jack Gamble
Father of the Bride Jean McDonald
Ring Bearers Richard Lamb, Geo. Nichols
Train Bearers Shirley DeVault, Lawrence Gardner
Flower Girls Betty Hays, Betty Lou Barrus, Nellie Ella Warren,
Ann
Silliman, Kathleen Veltman, Katherine Anway, Jane Butterfield
Brides Maids Barbara Sawyer, Shirley Stacy, Marcia Wilson,
Genevieve
Gifford
OWNERS OF GOWNS TO BE MODELED:
Mrs. John Gates
Mrs. Wm. Johnson
Mrs. Chas. Beeler
Mrs. P. J. Cunningham
Mrs. Ed M. Smith
Mrs. Herman Lewis
Mrs. Mike Breen
Mrs. Eugene McNamara
Mrs. Ida Leech Alexander
Mrs. Carleton Peters
Mrs. Roger Morrissey
Mrs. Geo. Black
Mrs. Mary Moore
Mrs. Jim Williams
Mrs. Chas. Guilliams, St. Charles, Iowa
Mrs. Alf Danforth
Mrs. Chas. Leggett, St. Charles, Iowa
Mrs. Chas. Spurgin
Mrs. Warren Smith
Mrs. J. A. Kitchell
Forty Gowns Dating From 1828 to 1934 Being Modeled.
MODELS:
Florence Breen
Dorothy Cunningham
Madge Morrissey
Willa Baker
Miriam Benge
Mildred Beeler
Marjorie Pomeroy, St. Charles
Phyllis Johnson, St. Charles
Henrietta Spurgin
Mary Kitchell
[transcribed by L.Z., November 2009]