Evidently Ben's letter brought an appropriate response form editor Garter. We do not find Bee files prior to 1888. However we find a rebuttal from the Castalia resident in the next week's Republican. It follows as written: "Last week's Bee contains another display of the assinine qualities of its editor. His abuse of the people here is this time wide-spread. Mr. Carter ought to come down and look over our city directory and give them all a twist; perhaps he might get the right gender. But trying to work up a personal quarrel by assailing innocent persons will not work to the benefit of the assailant. Carter tries to draw Ben into such a quarrel by having him hunt up all the little tricks played here, getting him into trouble, and then cursing him for doing it; just his style, but Ben don't draw.

Ben can evade the question at issue and make this a little too personal for the benefit of Ossian's Mayor. Facts can be given that would convince Carter that Ben had 'ben' there; facts that would make him turn blue and slink away into an oblir-ious non compos mentus: a sort of 'innocuous dessuetude.' Should judge by the way things were mixed in the Bee last week that the writer's bloated abdominal cavity was filled with ..., you all know what. If Mr. Carter can find a man outside of Ossian, who has 'ben' there, that is willing to make the statement that there is another town in this county that contains a set of more bold and lawless whiskey men than Ossian, Ben will throw off his nom de plume and apologise to Carter.

Now isn't that fair?" 'Irrepressible Ben.'

The markets of 1887 list hogs at $5.20, corn—40¢, butter—25¢ and hay —$7.

The Bee feels that farmers are doing very well with such high prices.

The Ossian House, owned by the Kennedy family, was destroyed by fire. It was insured for $1600; its contents for $600.

Pat Collins reports the following sale to E. Schoonmaker: 71 hogs for $89^;

17 steers for $329; and 2 colts for $230. This adds up to $1453—a nice sum for a one day sale of livestock from a 200 acre farm during a dry season and under a Democratic administration.

Cooper Sullivan reports a large demand for butter tubs. His shop manufactured 300 last week by working overtime.

The Ossian assessor lists the following values: town lots—$33,098; personal property—$29,311; 57 cattle—$827; 53 horses—$1,334; 56 vehicles—$536; merchandise—$17,731; moneys & credits—$8,491; and furnishings—$455.

The assessments on the railroads were: C.M. & St. P.—$3367; B. Cr. & N.—$1350.

Attorney Carter reports that the taxes, voted by the townships for the benefit of the B. Cr. & Northern RR, have been declared illegal by the Iowa Supreme Court.

REPUBLICAN RALLY AT OSSIAN

A MAGNIFICENT DEMONSTRATION IN THE STRONGHOLD OF DEMOCRACY WITH 300 TORCHES, THREE BANDS AND NEARLY 500 MARCHERS IN THE PROCESSION.

What will prove the opening gun of the campaign was fired at Ossian last Saturday evening. It was a spontaneous uprising of the Republican hosts, significant of the greater uprisings yet to come, and to especially make a demonstration on November 6th.

The event was not advertised anywhere. No one here knew of it till Saturday morning when the Ossian Republicans telephoned over the Macedonian cry, "Come over and help us." Mr. L. M. Enger then set to work to see if there were any sufficient number willing to go that would justify engaging a special train on the Burlington Road. This met with such ready response, that a contract was made for the train, and the word passed around from person to person. Had bills been issued, two hundred instead of one hundred, would have responded. The Drum Corps was pressed into service, and contributed its share to the demonstration.

When we arrived at Ossian the entire yards of both RR companies were illuminated by a waiting crowd accompanied by the Ossian band with fully one hundred and fifty torches. The Decorah people, not yet being equipped with uniforms, were partially supplied with extra torches, a line was formed and the procession marched