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THERE CAME A TERRIBLE STORM WHILE WE WERE
THERE AND WAMEGO IS ON THE BANK OF THE MISSOURI RIVER AND BLUFFS
ON BOTH SIDES OF THE RIVER. OUR CELLAR WAS SOON FULL OF WATER.
WE WERE FRIGHTENED ALMOST TO DEATH. A LUMBER YARD AND ONE HOUSE
FLOATED AWAY AND QUITE A LOT OF DAMAGE WAS DONE. WE CAME BACK
TO IOWA.
I HAD A BEAU WHILE AT WAMEGO. HE TOOK ME TO
THE CHRISTMAS TREE. I THOT AS MUCH OF HIM AS A 12 YR OLD GIRL
CAN THINK OF HER SWEET HEART. HE WENT OVER ACROSS THE RIVER TO
WORK AND THE DAY WE LEFT KAN. I THOT I WOULD NEVER SEE HIM
AGAIN. BUT JUST BEFORE THE TRAIN STARTED HE CAME TO THE CAR
WINDOW AND GAVE ME A LOCKET AND CHAIN AND BID ME GOODBYE.
WE MOVED TO MOBERLY, RANDOLPH CO, MO. NEXT.
THE PLACE (32) WAS FULL OF DEMOCRATS AND DARKIES. MOTHER WAS A
STRONG REPUBLICAN. OF COURSE IT WAS SO SOON AFTER THE WAR THAT
THE SOUTH COULD HARDLY BEAR THE SIGHT OF THE REPUBLICANS AND
THEY STILL TREATED THE "NIGGERS" AS THEY CALLED THEM AS ROUGH
AND MEAN AS THEY COULD.
ON THE 4TH OF JULY OUT CAME THE MOBERLY
DARKIES ALL DRESSED IN WHITE WITH GAY RED & BLUE TRIMMINGS. AND
A GREAT BIG FINE LOOKING DARKEY DRESSED FIT TO KILL RIDING ON A
LARGE IRON GREY HORSE WITH WHITE MANE & TAIL. THE COLORED
GENTLEMAN WORE A HIGH SHINEY HAT AND WORE A LONG SCARF OF RED
WHITE & BLUE. ANY THEY PARADED THRU THE STREETS WITH MORE STYLE
THAN WISDOM. FOR BEFORE NIGHT THE TOWN WAS IN AN UPROAR AND
FIGHTS AND SHOOTING GOING ON AND DARKIES THROWN INTO JAIL AND
LOCKED IN.
IT WAS ALMOST EQUAL TO SOME OF THE HALF
BREED INDIANS AND TOUGH SCRAPS IN KANSAS. WHERE THEY HAD A
DRUNKEN (33) CROWD AT A DANCE ONE NITE AND THEY STARTED A ROW
AND THEY HAD A LARGE KITTLE OF BOILING SOUP OVER THE FIREPLACE
AND THE SQUAWS HELPED OUT ON THEIR SIDE BY THROWING BOILING HOT
SOUP ON THEIR ENEMIES. THE DANCE BROKE UP.
AT MOBERLY THE WOMAN ACROSS THE STREET FROM
US SHOOK HER FIST AT THE DARKIES AS THEY PASSED BY AND TOLD THEM
"WE WILL HAVE YOU BACK INTO SLAVERY BEFORE LONG." SHE FOUND OUT
THAT MOTHER WAS A REPUBLICAN AND SHE REFUSED TO LET US HAVE
WATER FROM HER WELL. WE HAD ONLY CISTERN WATER AND IT CAUSED US
TO GET SICK WITH THE AGUE OR CHILLS & FIVER.
OUR BOYS WERE RAIL ROAD MEN ONE A BRAKEMAN
ANOTHER AN ENGINEER. THE ENGINEER WILL LOWELL MADE HIS HOME
WITH US BEFORE THE WAR AWHILE AND STILL MADE IT HIS HOME WHEN HE
CAME BACK.
OLIVER MARRIED ANNA GRAHAM THE DAUGHTER OF A
PENNSYLVANIS DUTCHMAN (34) WHILE WE LIVED AT MOBERLY. I CRIED,
I DID NOT WANT HIM TO GET MARRIED. ANN WAS MY SCHOOL TEACHER
WHEN I WAS LIVING WHERE I HAD THOSE PETS I MENTIONED. BUT HE
MARRIED ANNA AND THEY MOVED TO RED OAK, IOWA.
MOTHER AND I WENT THERE WITH THEM. MOTHER
HAD SOLD OUT FIRST ONE PIECE OF PROPERTY & THEN ANOTHER AND
HELPED OLIVER AND KEPT ME TOO. ALL OF THIS TIME UNTIL SHE DID
NOT HAVE MUCH READY MONEY AND HAD NO HOME EXCEPT WITH HER SON
OLIVER OR HER DAUGHTER MATTIE.
WE STAYED AT RED OAK A LITTLE WHILE AND CAME
TO NEWTON, JASPER CO WHERE MY SISTER MATTIED & HER HUSBAND AND
TWO GIRLS LIVED. I WAS 15 YEARS OLD THEN. I WENT TO SCHOOL, TO
CHURCH, AND TO SUNDAY SCHOOL. I ENJOYED MY SELF PRETTY WELL
THERE. I MADE A GREAT MANY FRIENDS AND ACQUAINTENCES. WHILE
THERE MY FOLKS ALL WENT TO PLAYS, WENT TO PICNICS, AND TO
PARTIES SOCIABLES BELONGED TO A CLUB DANCE THERE. (35) ONLY
MOTHER OF COURSE DID NOT GO TO THE DANCES. I WAS ALLOWED TO GO
TO A PARTY NOW & THEN WITH MY FRIENDS & SCHOOLMATES. BUT NEVER
TO BE OUT OF NIGHTS RUNNING WITH A TOUGH CROWD.
I WAS HAPPY AND CONTENTED HAD PLENTY OF GOOD
CLOTHES, PLENTY TO EAT. AND THE PEOPLE WHO RAISED ME WERE GOOD
TO ME UNTIL I MET A FELLOW AT A 4TH OF JULY CELEBRATION. WE
KNEW THE MOMENT WE SAW EACH OTHER THAT WE COULD NEVER FIND ANY
ONE ELSE THAT WE WOULD CARE SO MUCH FOR AS WE DID FOR EACH
OTHER.
WELL MY FOLKS, THAT IS MY BROTHER-IN-LAW AND
MY SISTER-IN-LAW BUT MOSTLY HER HUSBAND, SET THEMSELVES TO SEE
TO IT THAT WE SHOULD NEVER BE ANYTHING TO EACH OTHER BUT
STRANGERS, AS FAR AS THEY COULD GO WITH IT.
HE WAS A GOOD RESPECTABLE WELL EDUCATED
YOUNG MAN GRADUATED AT THE NEWTON HIGH SCHOOL. WORKED IN THE
PRINTING OFFICE AWHILE, THEN IN HIS STEP FATHERS DRUG STORE AND
(36) HE HAD NO BAD HABITS AND HE BELONGED TO THE YOUNG MENS
CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION. USED TO WRITE AND READ TO THEM AT THEIR
MEETINGS AND WAS AN ALL AROUND GOOD YOUNG MAN. BUT THEY RUINED
OUR HAPPINESS.
HE WAS RATHER TALL AND BROAD SHOULDERED BUT
NOT FLESHY, HAD BLACK HAIR AND DARK EYES. NOT REAL DARK
COMPLEXIONED BUT NOT FAIR. NOT MUCH COLOR IN HIS FACE. RATHER
QUIET AND DID MORE LISTENING THAN TALKING.
I THINK IT IS WICKED TO MAKE OR BREAK UP
YOUNG COUPLES PLANS. LET PEOPLE NATURALLY CHOOSE THEIR OWN
LIFES PARDNER. THEY KNOW BETTER THAN ANY ONE ELSE DOES WHO THEY
CHOOSE TO LIVE WITH. IT MEANS SO MUCH TO THEM.
WE MOVED TO DES MOINES FROM NEWTON AND I
NEVER SAW OR HEARD OF HIM AGAIN. I ASKED MY SISTER MATTIE WHAT
EVER BECAME OF HIM AND SHE SAID O I DON'T KNOW. GUSS (37) NEVER
LIKED HIM. I SAID NO MORE BUT I SURE HAD AN ACHING HEART TO
THINK HOW THEY RUINED MY HAPPINESS. IT JUST MEANT A LOVELESS
LIFE FOR ME.
Contributed by Pam Duimstra
(duimstra@earthlink.net) |
