Iowa News from across the Country
- 1907 -

Los Angeles Herald
Los Angeles, California
February 17, 1907

Pioneer Who Came Over the Trail Expires Age of 94
The last of the brave men who blazed the cross-continental trail with Fremont passed away yesterday in Los Angeles in the death of Nathaniel Beebe, age 94 years, at his home 4438 Crocker street. Mr. Beebe first came to California with Fremont in 1842 and had resided in Los Angeles fourteen years.

A native of New York, in his youth Mr. Beebe moved with his parents to Waterloo, Iowa. He was a boyhood friend of Fremont and after accompanying the little band across the continent he remained a year in San Francisco, when he returned to Waukon, Iowa, remaining fourteen years, thence removing again to Waterloo, where his magic number of fourteen kept him that number of years. Then again to California the pioneer came and settled just across the border in Tia Juana, Mexico. Fourteen years ago he came to Los Angeles.

Mr. Beebe leaves one daughter, Mrs. Cora Thomas, of 543 Wall street. The body will be taken to San Diego Monday for interment. The Maccabees will hold a service tomorrow afternoon at the chapel of Sharp & Son.

[transcribed by S.F., September 2016]

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Chillicothe Constitution
Chillicothe, Missouri
March 2, 1907

Mrs. A.J. Wolfscale of Bedford made the CONSTITUTION an appreciated visit, Saturday, renewing her subscription and subscribing for her sister, Mrs. Thomas Prawl of Keosauqua, Ia. All her votes were cast for Nora Gates.

[transcribed by C.J.L., Sept. 2003]

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Daily Huronite
Huron, South Dakota
May 16, 1907

Death Claims a Pioneer of Miller and Hand County.
At the Carroll home, West Second street, Tuesday night the Death Angel entered and carried away the spirit of Mrs. Alice Carroll, wife of Judge G.H. Carroll, at the age of 50 years. Her death calls for general expressions of sorrow from all older citizens, among whom she was held in high esteem. Mrs. Carroll was devoted to her home and family, and her life was one of Christian simplicity. Alice Milburn was born in Webster county, Iowa, April 3, 1857, where she was educated and grew to womanhood. In May of 1880 she was married to George H. Carroll, and in August, 1882, they came with the early tide of immigration to make their home in Miller, where they have taken active part in the growth and development of town and county. To them were born six children, two daughters and four sons, all living. The husband and children have the communities sympathy in this greatest loss of their lives. Funeral services will be held at the home Friday, conducted by Rev. O.W. Butterfield, pastor of the Methodist church, of which deceased was a member. The remains will be laid to rest in the G.A.R. cemetery. -- Miller Press

[transcribed by S.F., January 2009]

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Washington Post
Washington, D.C.
May 16, 1907

GIRLS IN SUICIDE PACT
Two are Dead and Two Others are Dying in Iowa -- Agreed to End Their Lives at Same Time-
Six Other Girls Said to Belong to the Club

Special to the Washington Post.
Des Moines, Iowa, May 15 - What has proven to be a suicide club was revealed to-day by attempts of four girls to commit suicide, resulting in two deaths, with two dying. All took carbolic acid. The victims are:
Dead:
Miss PHOEBE BROELL, aged twenty-two, Elkader.
Miss KATE FARRELL, aged thirty, Keosauqua.
Dying:
Miss Elizabeth Fletcher, aged eighteen, Bonaparte.
Miss Lilly Milburn, eighteen, Centerville.
The tragedies occurred early this morning, and the pact was revealed in a note left by Miss Broell, in which she said she attended State Normal Summer School last fall, where she met the other girls. Since then they
corresponded with one another and an agreement was made that if any became dissatisfied with life she must tell her trouble to the others. It is said there are ten girls in the pact, all daughters of prominent farmers.
Miss Broell had become despondent over the death of her youngest sister some time ago. She was discovered dead in her room by her father, who is wealthy. Miss Farrell had been stricken blind a few months ago. How she secured the poison is a mystery, but it is thought that some other girl sent it to her, as she received a package a day or two ago. Mrs. Milburn swallowed acid because she was forced to marry, it is said by her parents, Mr .and Mrs. George Glass. She refused to live with her husband. Her little brother saw her take poison and gave the alarm. Doctors have been working ever since to save her life. Miss Fletcher, after she revived, said she was sorry that the effort failed.

[transcribed by C.J.L., January 2006]

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Summit County Journal
Breckenridge, Summit co. Colorado
July 6, 1907

Mrs. O'Rourk, sister of Mrs. Sanger, and children, who came out here to spend the summer, have returned to Waterloo, Iowa.

[transcribed by S.F., May 2006]

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Summit County Journal
Breckenridge, Summit co. Colorado
August 17, 1907

F.W. Medlar, of Spencer, Iowa has been elected president of the National Photographers' association.

[transcribed by S.F., May 2006]

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Dakota Huronite
Huron, S.D.
August 29, 1907

Des Moines, Aug 16 - William Reynolds, a railway telegrapher at Mapleton, refused to take a telegram from a nonunion operator at Ceder Rapids. Later he was called by long distance telephone and told that his mother was dead at Cedar Rapids, it being the message he had refused to receive by telegraph.

Huronitems
-Mrs. Anna Ferris and daughter, of Manchester, Iowa, are visiting at the home of her uncle, Mr. A.F. Kenyon.
-Robert Reid and wife are expected in from Iowa tonight to make an extended visit with Mrs. Reid's parents, Mr. and Mrs. R.L. Walker.
-Mrs. T.R. Williams who has been visiting for the past few days with her sister, Mrs. M.D. Sterling, returned to her home in Cedar Rapids, Ia., Wednesday morning.
-Mrs. H.S. Mouser and daughter Ethel returned home Monday evening from Sioux City where they have been to secure treatment for Miss Ethel's eyes.
-Mr. W.A. Thompson went to Cedar Rapids, Ia., Thursday morning where he goes to attend the reunion of Company D, 8th Iowa volunteers.
-Mrs. Clarence Phillips came up from Clear Lake, Iowa, Friday evening to visit relatives in this city.

[transcribed by S.F., April 2012]

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Summit County Journal
Breckenridge, Summit co. Colorado
September 14, 1907

Twelve Lives Crushed Out - Rock Island Passenger Train Jumps Track and Carries Death With It.
Waterloo, Iowa. -- Twelve persons were killed and twelve others injured when a northbound Rock Island passenger train left the rails at Norris, Iowa, and crashed into a southbound freight train standing on a siding. The known dead:
P.B. Oliver, Will Goodman and John Watson, all of Waterloo.
C.L. Lamphere, Shell Rock, Iowa
W.R. Johnson, Dike, Iowa.
B.R. Christy, Minneapolis.
Lepovan Toja, Hammond, Indiana.
Laborer, name unknown, Hammond, Ind.
W.H. Meyers, baggage-man, Thurlington [?Burlington], Iowa died on the way to hospital.
Three Unknown men.
The injured:
J.H. Douglas, Waterloo.
Thomas Evanson.
E.H. Martin, mail clerk, West Liberty, Iowa
Edward Stepplere, Minneapolis
Troccinin Crisden, St. Paul.
Albert Mason, engineer, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
H. McMahon, fireman, Cedar Rapids.
A.L. Welliver, lineman, Cedar Rapids.
F. Kinch, engineer, Cedar Rapids.
J.A. Newell, Illinois Central conductor, Waterloo.
John Shaw, Waterloo.
Dr. C.J. O'Keefe, Marble Rock, Iowa.
The injured were brought to Waterloo and placed in the Presbyterian hospital.

Deaths in Smoking Car.
All of the dead an dinjured were in the smoking car, which was immediately behind the baggage and mail cars. The smoking car was completely demolished. The dead and injured were strewn about among the wreckage. The northbound express was ten minutes lae at Norris Siding, a small station three miles north of Cedar Falls, Iowa, and there the freight train was awaiting the express, which came along at a terrific speed in an effort to make up time. Just as the engine of the passenger was about to pass the freight engine the trucks of the train jumped the track and the engine crashed into the engine of the freight, wrecking both engines and telescoping the baggage and mail cars and demolishing the smoking car. The passengers in the two day coaches following the smoker escaped with only a violent shaking up. Rescuers were immediately at hand to care for the injured and to take the dead from among the wrckage. Sitting in the midst of the wreckage was Dr. Charles J. O'Keefe, who, although badly injured, little realized how seriously he was hurt.

[transcribed by S.F., April 2006]

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Summit County Journal
Breckenridge, Summit co. Colorado
September 21, 1907

Longevity in Iowa - Centenarians to Be Found in Many of the Hamlets.
Eldora, Ia. -- It is becoming the fashion nowadays in Iowa to live to be 100 years old. Every day new names are being added to the list of centenarians in the Hawkeye state. Probably the oldest man in Iowa is William Ox of De Witt, who is 103. At Des Moines recently Mrs. Ruth McPherson Morris celebrated her one hundred and first birthday. At Ottumwa, George M. Lentner celebrated his one hundredth birthday, and at Wall Lake lives a woman who remembers George Washington, and claims to be about 110. At Davenport is a negro who says he is 127 years old, and there is scarcely a town in Iowa but can claim inhabitants who are from 95 to 98 years.

[transcribed by S.F., May 2006]

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Lafayette Ledger
Lafayette, Minnesota
October 5, 1907

Find Corpse in River
Elkader, Iowa, Oct. 3 -- Mrs. Bertha Miller Hackelman of Appleton, Wis. arrived Saturday with her baby to visit her mother, Mrs. Fanny Miller, at McGregor. Yesterday afternoon her continued absence alarmed her mother and she having been seen near the banks of the Mississippi river about noon, a systematic search was made, resulting in finding her corpse a short distance from where she had been seen last. Whether her death was accidental or suicidal has not been determined.

[transcribed by S.F., August 2008]

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Breckenridge Bulletin
Breckenridge, Summit co. Colorado
October 12, 1907

Remarkable Escape.
G.W. Fair received bad news from his home at Red Oak, Iowa, Wednesday, to the effect that his son, Drury, aged 25, was seriously hurt the 4th inst. at Racine, Wisconsin. The young man is a civil engineer and was at a Racine rock quarry making a survey for the C.& N.W. Ry., when by some misstep he fell forty feet from the ladder-way of a derick. He was at once sent to Red Oak, where he lies helpless and bruised, awaiting developments as to internal injuries. No bones were broken.

[transcribed by S.F., May 2006]

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Daily Huronite
Huron, South Dakota
October 14, 1907

Breakman Killed.
Harry Brant, a Chicago & North-Western brakeman, while making a flying switch in the Huron yards Friday morning, was caught between the bumpers, crushing his left leg and side. He was taken to his boarding house and surgeons were immediately summoned. Amputation was found to be necessary and the operation was performed. The shock proved too great for the unfortunate man's system and he failed to regain consciousness, passing away at 11:30 Friday morning. Young Brant was a new man here, having been on this division only about three months, coming here from Belle Plaine, Iowa, where his family, consisting of a wife and infant child, reside. The remains were taken to Tams' undertaking department where they were prepared for burial. They will be sent to Bell Plaine on the next train.

[transcribed by S.F., January 2009]

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Centralia Chronicle
Centralia, Washington
October 31, 1907

Died - C.U. Hawley died last Tuesday ata bout 12 o'clock at the Hawley house, after a lingering illness of tuberculosis. Clarence Udell Hawley was born at Strawberry Point, Iowa, Aug. 1, 1854, where he resided until 11 years of age, when his parents moved to Bismark, N.D., where Mr. Hawley made his home until 1889, when he removed with his family to this city, where he has since made his home. During his residence in Bismark he was married to Mrs. Emily R. Corw, who survives him. Besides his wife, he leaves two daughters, Mrs. Walter Conrad, of Cosmopolis and Miss Glady Hawley of this city, and a step son, Fred Crow, also a resident of this city. The funeral was held from the Methodist church this afternoon at 2 o'clock, Rev. A.J. Joslyn officiating, the services being under the auspices of Centralia Aerie, No. 512, F.O.E. The remains were laid to rest in the Washington Lawn Cemetery.

Midland Lyceum Bureau - Charles A. Caster, of Des Moines, Iowa, representing the Midland Lyceum Bureau of that city, was in town last week making arrangements with the choir of the M.E. Church of this city for three entertainments: Nov. 27 - The Garber-Howe Entertainers; Dec 16 - The Midland Jubilee Singers; Jan 21 - J. Lorenzo Zwidkey, Crayon Artist

[transcribed by S.F., April 2012]

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Prospector Daily Bulletin
Valdez, Alaska
November 14, 1907

Waterloo, Iowa, Sept. 7 -- A Rock Island passenger train collided with a freight train here last night, and as a result 12 of the passengers were killed. Ghouls got in their fiendish work and looted the dead and dying with the result that the express company guards shot one.

[Note: see also Butler co. Iowa - 9/11/1907 for a detailed accounting of this accident. - Transcribed by S.F., Oct. 2003]

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Grand Rapids Press
Grand Rapids, Kent County, Michigan
November 28, 1907

DIES IN NEW YORK - Frank Godfrey once conducted the Old Democrat. Former assistant postmaster and state printer passes away.
Information has been received in this city of the death of Frank Godfrey, Sr. which occurred in New York. Mr. Godfrey was a former resident of this city and an old newspaperman. He was at one time proprietor of the Old Democrat and was afterward associated with the Daily Eagle.
He was also for a time the State Printer in Lansing. He was the assistant postmaster when he late father-in-law Aaron B. Turner was the Postmaster in this city. Later he went to Detroit where he went into business. He leaves one son, Frank Turner Godfrey, a successful architect in Chicago, formerly of this city, who is just recovering from an appendicitis in a Chicago hospital; also a sister-in-law Mrs. Ellen Turner Wilson of this city and a sister, Mrs. Newbury of Petoskey, Michigan. The funeral took place in New York.

[Transcribers note: This article failed to acknowledge that Frank Godfrey was survived by his wife, Mary Elizabeth Trout and their two children, Charles Preston Trout Godfrey and Donna Marie Godfrey, of Maquoketa, Jackson, Iowa. - Transcribed by M.J.M., April 2009]



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