1870

Ossian attempted, without success, to compete with Decorah for location of the bcunty Agricultural Society. The town offered to donate grounds for this exposition and along with other villages, to raise $890 for premiums.

The C. M. St. P. railroad completed their branch line to Decorah this year. The editor of the Republican brags that after only three months of operation, wheat shipments are already exceeding those from the Ossian station—63,666 bu. to 46,333. However station shipments listed by the railroad in 1871 still had Ossian as first station with totals of 245,751 bu. of wheat, 562 barrels of flour, 757,350 lbs. of pork and as the third station in carloads of eggs.

D. H. Brooks writes in the Republican: "Not long since, I made arrangements with parties in Wisconsin to exchange seed wheat. On Friday I took to the Ossian depot 1365 lbs., or 22 bu. and 45 lbs. of wheat, for shipment to Madison, a distance of 135 miles. The agent informed me that charges would be 76¢ per hundred lbs., for a total of $10.28. I, consequently, took my wheat to the nearest warehouse and sold it for 82¢ a bushel, rather than have the railroad extort money in such a way. Is there no way to remedy this (outrage)?"

INDIGNATION MEETING

On Monday, a freight train of the Mil. & St. Paul RR, going east, struck a team and wagon, at or near a crossing in the Village of Ossian, mutilating one of the horses so severely that it was destroyed, and injuring the other and the wagon so as to be of no material value. The team and wagon were the property of Issac Allen, who along with his boy, were passengers in this vehicle. Mr. Allen is badly bruised uni injured externally, while his internal injuries are not as yet diagnosed. He is lying in a critical condition. His boy received a severe wound on his head.

On the 27th day of July, the following notice was posted in divers places through the town: "Indignation Meeting." The citizens of Ossian and area are requested to meet at the store of Henry Ahrns, corner of Mechanic and Lydia streets, this evening, for the purpose of perfecting means to have the Mil. & St. P. RR Co. regulate the better management of their trains while running through this town.

Pursuant to said notice, the people met and elected John Fisher as chairman, and F. M. Rowley, secretary of the meeting. On motion, a committee of three, made up of F. M. Rowley, A. H. Daniels and James Henry, were appointed to draw up a resolution in expression of the sentiment and feeling of the community in the above matter.

The committee reported the following, which was unanimously adopted: Whereas an nnprecedented number of accidents have happened in and about the Village of Ossian, which, in a large measure, seem to be attributed to the gross negligence of the employees of the Milwaukee & St. Paul railroad, and whereas the lives of ourselves, children and property are in constant jeopardy and imminent danger from such negligence, therefore be it RESOLVED--That we do hereby remonstrate against a repetition of such outrage, and do respectfully request of the officers of said road that said employees be required to observe a better discretion in the management of their