 |
|
Iowa News from across the
Country
- 1887-
The Hollister Free
Lance
San Benito Co., CA
January 14, 1887
Lone Tree
Mr. Lewis SNIBLEY and son, Frank, of Iowa, are visiting the
family of Mr. Dan SNIBLEY, of this place, and John and Jake
SNIBLEY, of Fairview. They are very much pleased with San Benito
county. Mr. SNIBLEY intends to move his family here to reside
permanently.
[transcribed by D.S., August 2005]
-----
Atchison Daily
Globe
Atchison, Kansas
January 15, 1887
The Town of Le Mars.
An Iowa Colony of Englishmen Described by Kernan.
Striking Individuality of the Place. Teaching Aristocrats FArming
at $600 a Year -- Days of Anarchy and Bloodshed -- Some
Reminiscences
[Special Correspondence] New York, Jan 3 -
I have lived in many communities in my time, but in none that
possessed a more striking individuality than Le Mars, the English
colony located in northwestern Iowa, twenty-five miles east of
Sioux City. Picturesquely situated on the banks of the Floyd
river, and surrounded by a seemingly limitless prairie, its
spires and housetops can be seen for a distance of thirty miles
on any of the bright, clear, wonderful days that make the climate
of imperial Iowa the most pleasant in the world.
The Duke of Sutherland, traveling through the west when le Mars
was a nameless shanty settlement, saw the potentialities of the
place, and bought 67,000 acres of land in the vicinity. A little
later a London syndicate of fabulous wealth purchased great
tracts of territory in the county, and advertised its advantages
throughout England. The present colony was the result, a colony
consisting of several full-fledged lords, a whole raft of the
younger sons of British noblemen, and many representatives of the
middle classes, with a small sprinkling of what is known as the
peasantry.
The more substantial members of the colony bought farms of the
syndicate, built handsome farm houses and undertook the
cultivation of the soil. They certainly introduced new methods in
that direction -- methods that made the average American look on
with a curious smile. To illustrate: Captain the Honorable
So-and-So advertised in the English papers that he would teach
thirty young men the science of farming for the sum of £120
($600) each a year. The result was that the farm of Captain the
Honorable was soon supplied with aristocratic laborers. Wealthy
young men from the middle classes also flocked over to take
advantage of similar offers, until Le Mars had at least 800
agriculturists in its vicinity who couldn't tell a plow from a
pumpkin.
Then the fun began. The boys would do little drills of work, and
make up for it by coming to town and painting it a ripe, staring
red. Many of them were spendthrifts; money flowed like water, and
Le Mars began to boom. Fine business blocks sprung up as if by
magic; immigration poured in , and the town became the center of
commerce for a vast area of country.
But it had its dark days, with which to contend when the lawless
element gamed the upper hand. It was during this period of
anarchy that thirty-one attempts were made, inside of a year, to
lay the town in ashes. Who, was the firebug? Suspicion finally
centered upon a member of one of the oldest families of the
aristocracy -- a young man whose father at that time held a
position second to that of no judge in England. The young man was
arrested, tried, acquitted, and then distinguished himself by
marrying a woman of the pave and becoming a well digger by
profession.
Le Mars is ceelebrated for its horse races and other outdoor
sports. It has its regular Derby week, when the english take
complete possession of the town. Hundreds of men can be seen in
jocky caps, flaming scarlet shirts and black knickerbockers, on
high mettled horses. English ladies drive trough its streets in
queer little carts, or, if on foot, they invariably carry canes,
and are followed by a parcel of dogs, generally greyhounds. The
English flag loats everywhere, English airs are tooted and
drummed in all directions and the English accent is heard on
every hand.
Will Hubbard Kernan.
[transcribed by S.F., May 2006]
-----
The Hollister Free
Lance
San Benito Co., CA
January 21, 1887
Personals
Wes. INGELS is perfectly happy, and has a good opportunity to
illustrate his hospitality. At present he is entertaining
relatives from the East, viz: F.W. McCALL and wife, of Oskaloosa,
Iowa; Joseph BURGESS and daughter, of Streeter, Ill.; his
daughter, Annie INGELS, of Oakland and his sister-in-law, Mrs.
HOLDRIGE, of San Francisco.
[transcribed by D.S., August 2005]
-----
The Hollister Free
Lance
San Benito Co., CA
January 28, 1887
Mr. Frank McCALL, who, with his wife, is visiting the various,
many and hospitable branches of the INGLES family, in this
valley, dropped into our office the other day and gave us some
pointers. Mr. McCALL is here from Oskaloosa, Iowa, and on the way
stopped at Los Angeles.
[transcribed by D.S., August 2005]
-----
The Hollister Free
Lance
San Benito Co., CA
March 4, 1887
Personals.
-J. SHADE, of Rock Rapids, Iowa, is visiting his brother, G.W.
SHADE, of Sargents. The brothers had not seen one another for 30
years. Mr. SHADE is much pleased with the outlook and will
probably settle here.
-Mr.& Mrs. Wesley INGLES, and Mr.& Mrs. Frank McCALL, of
Oskaloosa, Iowa, went to San Jose on Thursday. From that place
they will visit San Francisco and Fresno.
[transcribed by D.S., August 2005]
-----
Steven's Point
Journal
Stevens Point, Wisconsin
May 21, 1887
Many Buildings Burned.
DUBUQUE, Ia., May 13- Almost the entire business part of
Earlville, a town of 1,000 inhabitants, thirty-seven miles west
of Dubuque, was wiped out by fire Wednesday night. The fire
spread so rapidly that almost nothing could be saved. Twenty
business houses, four dwellings, one church and several barns
were
burned. Only two elevators, a hardware store, a bank and a
Masonic building were saved in the business part of the town.
Loss, $150,000; insurance, $53,475.
[transcribed by C.J.L., Sept. 2003]
-----
New York Times
New York, New York
June 5, 1887
Des Moines, Iowa, June 4 - Fountain George, the murderer of Dr.
Epps 12 years ago, died in the penitentiary yesterday. He was
sentenced by a jury to be hanged, but appealed to the Supreme
court, which affirmed the verdict of the jury. the day fixed for
the execution having passed, it devolved upon Gov. Sherman to fix
a day, which he refused to do.
[transcribed by S.F., December 2007]
-----
Dallas Morning News
Dallas, Dallas co., Texas
June 8, 1887
Five Boys Drown Attempting to Save One.
Maquoketa, Io. June 7. Three sons of John Beck and two sons of
Paul Hindel, whose ages ranged from 9 to 16 years, were drowned
in the Maquoketa River yesterday. Three of whom plunged off the
sandbar into the water beyond their depth. When another boy saw
they were drowning he attempted to rescue them. His brother
noticed the first boys distress tried to assist him and all were
drowned together, while a sixth boy failed in a gallant effort to
rescue them.
[transcribed by M.J.M., April 2009]
-----
Freeborn County
Standard
Albert Lea, Minnesota
August 24, 1887
Iowa News
- A cyclone played its zephyrs upon St. Paul, Iowa, Saturday
evening and much damage was done including the destruction of the
Catholic church.
- At Storm Lake, Tuesday, the steam flouring mill and contents,
Skell's blacksmith shop and Cuilford's outbuildings were
destroyed by fire. Loss, $17,000; insurance, $11,000.
- A special from Strawberry Point says a house and barn, Snyder's
barber ship, R. Hanson's dwelling, Kleinlem's two-story dwelling
and Porter's blacksmith shop were destroyed by fire early Sunday
morning. Only by strenuous efforts was the business portion of
the town saved.
- John Nicols, a brakeman on the Minnesota & Northwestern
railroad, died at Elma, Iowa, Friday morning, from injuries
received two days before. His leg had been crushed by a car
running over it. Amputation followed, with the above result. His
parents reside at Austin, Minn.
- Valuable discoveries of iron ore have been made near Waukon,
Allamakee county, and a company has been formed with a capital of
$4,000,000 to operate and develp the same. The incorporators are
Henry W. Price, George D. Roper and John H. Sine. Large tracts of
valuable ore are already located with flattering prospects of
almost unlimited resources.
- At Walnut, in Pottawattamie county, Tuesday, fire destroyed 13
buildings. The toiwn has no fire appliance, but one hand engine
and in two and a half hours the Rock Island depot, three large
grain elevators, a large barn, and a number of shops and
dwellings were destroyed. The value of the property destroyed was
$60,000. Clayton & Schofield's and Sprangler's elevators were
among the buildings burned.
- Constable Potts, at Des Moines, found a keg of beer in the barn
of Thos Hardy, and though it was not claimed it was for sale but
held for consumption by Hardy and others who had bought it, a
warrant was issued for Hardy's arrest. Potts met his man on the
street in conversation with a friend, read the warrant, and
commenced firing, hitting Hardy twice, whose wounds may prove
fatal, and seriously wounding a passerby. The constable is in
jail.
[transcribed by S.F., July 2005]
-----
The Alexandria Post
Alexandria, Douglas Co. Minnesota
Friday, November 25, 1887
page 1, col. 3.
Mrs. Dr. Boyd started for Postville, Iowa, Monday night in
response to a telegram announcing the fatal illness of her uncle,
Hon. S. S. Powers. We used to know Mr. Powers in Iowa and
sincerely regret this sad news.
[transcribed by J.W., March 2004]
-----
The Alexandria Post
Alexandria, Douglas Co. Minnesota
Friday, December 2, 1887
page 6, col. 1.
Hon. S. S. Powers, Mrs. Dr. Boyd’s uncle, of Postville,
Iowa, died last Tuesday age 51 years. The local paper, the
Postville Review, speaks in high praise of Mr. Powers as a
leading lawyer, public spirited citizen and warm-hearted and true
man.
[transcribed by J.W., March 2004]