detailed, to serve them. Soon the whole gang were in the custody of the law officers, and the Mayor of Calmar was a prisoner before his honor the Mayor of Ossian.

We have not space to go into all the details. The attempt to secure possession was frustrated. G. P. Brown came up on the morning train from the east, and remained with the Ossianites until Saturday afternoon, as their legal counsel. Judge Noble was sent up from McGregor by special train to act as counsel for the Milwaukee forces. Friday afternoon the town council met and passed an ordinance giving the C. D. & M. company right-of-way over the disputed territory. Henceforth it will be a legal contest. Notice was served on Saturday that an injunction would be sought from Judge Hatch, restraining the Milwaukee company from occupying the ground.

The Milwaukee company claims to own fifty feet from the center of the track and that they were at work on their own grounds. This is certainly a question of fact to be proved by the records of title. If true, there was no need to go at this business in such a hasty, surreptitious method of taking possession of what was their own.

The above account is recorded verbatim from the files of the Decorah Republican. Ordinance 33 was passed on May 30, 1884. It authorized the Chicago, Decorah & Minnesota railroad company to lay tracks upon Mechanic St., Nall St., and across intersecting streets. Ordinance 34 repealed 33 and authorized in more detail the railroad's right to lay tracks on these Ossian streets.

By the next year, 1885, this railroad was know as the Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Northern. They built a grain warehouse in Ossian with a capacity of 6000 bu.. This same year an alert engineer avoided running down the small child of Joe Milbert by quickly reversing the wheels of his engine.

THE GREAT RAILROAD WAR (Carter's account)

Early in the morning of a June day in 1884, the residents of Ossian were aroused from their slumber by the violent ringing of the schoolhouse bell. Criers ranged both    sides of the town's    streets shouting that    a force    of 1000 men were

demolishing    preparatory work on    the Burlington's new rail bed    and laying Milwaukee track upon Mechanic Street.

Actually the crew numbered under 400, this being all available section hands on the McGregor, Mason City and    Austin branch. About    sunup, Attorney Carter was called into    conference with the    town authorities. He    advised    Mayor Malloy that citizen's arrests could be ordered, when an outrage was being committed against the community in their presence. The Mayor-ordered the Milwaukee crew to cease and desist under penalty of arrest. Tim Ahern, a giant of a man in charge of the workers, instructed section foreman Collins to continue work and to stop only upon further orders.

Mayor Malloy then ordered the Ossian citizens present to arrest the invaders.

W. W. Jack arrested one; John Collins made foreman Collins his prisoner; and attorney Carter took Ahern in custody. Jack's prisoner convinced the hastily convened court that he was a newcomer and had not realized the significance of what was being done. He was released. Ahern ordered the work stopped until further notice. He and foreman Collins were released without bond pending the convening of a higher court.

The crew carried their own lunch which sufficed for that day, but by nightfall they were becoming hungry and belligerent. The disgruntled men were refused food by Ossian's restaurants and hotels. Mayor Malloy ordered all eight of the town's saloons to close—most had already locked their doors. Foreman Collins invaded the Collins Hotel demanding that they feed his men. In the ensuing argument, he was felled by a blow from proprietor Collins. It looked like a donny-brook for certain, until cooler heads prevailed in the persons of Barney Finnegan and Bill McFarland.