ing it), and up to one o'clock on election day nearly half of the votes were polled of which I had a large majority. About that time a man known as " Whisky Jim B——" arrived with a half barrel of whisky, and there was a general time of imbibing, and at the close of the election I was counted out by one majority against me. So much for the " whisky argument." About this time, 1857, Samuel Bates was appointed postmaster of Sheffield postoffice, which was located then in what is now Howard Township. This office was vacated in 1866.
" Of the early settlers buried in the cemetery at the Sheffield School House are Robert Bracken, died 1874, aged 67 ; Jonah Griffith, died 1877, aged 67; N. N. Sheffield, died 1871, aged 70; M. R. BALLARD, died 1878, aged 76 ; D. L. Stultz, died 1881. aged 49 ; Mathew Bates, died 1885, aged 58; Hiram Ferguson, died aged 54. Mr. Ferguson was a millwright. He built the saw-mill for J. Miller at or near Bloomington, the first good mill run by water in Story county. R. W. BALLARD."
A SAD HISTORY OF A PRAIRIE FIRE.
In the autumn of 1860, a Mr. Swearingen, his wife and four children, were moving to some point north or northwest of here and traveling on the road then leading from Nevada to Story City, and as they were strangers in this county, they knew but little as to the danger of prairie fires in a country like this was twenty-six or thirty years ago. The day was dry, windy and smokey; and as they had just passed Indian Hill in the se¼ section 4, township 84, range 23, (Milford township), they first discovered fire was on them when it caught in the wagon cover and then their clothing. It seems Mrs. Swearingen was driving the team, (two horses,) while Swearingen was asleep, and as they were traveling at the time, nearly north, the fire caught ahem as it came, at rapid speed, from the southwest in the rear of their covered wagon—caught them on flat land where the dry grass heavily coated the ground. It seems also the horses tried to run and Mrs. S. fell out of the wagon against the horses and probably was seriously injured, while at the same time burning to death. There is but little or no wonder under such circumstances that this sad affair occurred as it did. It took place in the afternoon. Messrs. Hoxie and F. D. Thompson, of Nevada, were the first, or among the first, to find this family, wagon, horses and dog burnt to death. Messrs. Hoxie and Thompson hurried back to Nevada for help and to tell of the horror discovered. They did not then see what had become of Mr. Swearingen. To return to Messrs. Hoxie and Thompson's narrow escape of the same sad fate before they found the burnt family, I will say, after they left Nevada for Story City, and after they had about passed the Dieffenbacher farm, they saw a covered wagon in the distance before them. It was but a few minutes after when they