CHAPTER XXIX _________ A CHAPTER OF MISCELLANIES ________ FOUNDING OF THE FIRST NEWSPAPER
One of the historically important events in a pioneer community is the foundation of its first newspaper. In the case of Montgomery County the man who founded and edited its first journal is still living and the author was able to secure Mr. Eaton's own account of the founding of The Red Oak Express. It is so well told and so full of interesting early incidents that it is included in this book practically as it was written. Mr. Eaton says: "As I recollect it now—I have no definite record—the first number of The Express was issued March 21, 1868. A few of the first numbers of the paper were issued from the office of the Adams County Gazette, then located at Quincy, the county seat of Adams County. The first press and type arrived in April of the same year. It was an old-fashioned Foster hand press—a regular "man-killer," one grade better than a cheese press, but with energy and hard work, good results could be obtained. I purchased this press from Hon. Mat Waldon, Editor of the Centerville Citizen, afterwards Lieutenant Governor and Member of Congress. With the press, I purchased the entire old dress of the Citizen, and the entire outfit was brought overland in a wagon from Centerville, Appanoose County, to Red Oak. "The first compositors to set type on The Express were William and Timothy Wilkins; the last named was familiarly called Page 264 "Doc" and will be remembered by old residents. The first "devil" was Roy Burris, and, like Mark Tapley, he was always jolly. He did not have much to do, however, those days; his work was to ink all forms with a roller, distribute the "pi," take care of the fires, open and sweep the office, carry the paper and do little things like that, and occasionally set the reprint. Sometimes, during the first year of the existence of The Express, Aaron Burr Marshall took charge of the mechanical department of the office, and at his request, his name was put in the paper as publisher and my name was carried as editor and proprietor. At that time I was also editor and proprietor of the Adams County Gazette. "I had a pair of ponies which I drove across the country, a distance of about twenty-five miles, once or twice a week. I did not move to Red Oak until the spring of 1869. Mr. Marshall continued with the paper several months, till his death. He died suddenly at the old Exchange Hotel, located a little east and south of the then new schoolhouse. At that time the Exchange Hotel was on the very outskirts of the city. Mr. Marshall kept his own secrets, and at the time of his death, no one in town knew that he had a relative in the world. I had learned that he had at one time worked on the Ottumwa Courier and telegraphed that paper, and after poor Marshall had been buried in the graveyard south of town, word was received from his married sister living somewhere in Wapello County, and her husband came up and settled up his matters and erected a stone over his grave. Rev. Patterson, a Baptist clergyman, conducted the funeral services, and while not a relative or an acquaintance of more than a year was present, the mourners were not few. "When the press and type arrived from Centerville, it was difficult to find room suitable for an office, and the only building that could be had was a frame dwelling house, situated just across Red Oak creek on the south side of town, belonging
Page 265 to B. E. A. Simons, Esq. (the residence of the late John Welpton) and he very kindly allowed us to occupy it until more central quarter could be had. From that house, the office was moved in a few weeks into the second story of a frame store building at the northeast corner of the square. The building at that time belonged to W. H. Kerrihard (Uncle Billy) who also owned a mill just west of town. The same building was afterwards purchased by Mr. Loomis of Ottumwa. "Within a year from the first issue of the Express, the paper was in a home of its own on the west side of the square, a two-story brick, the second story being occupied as its quarters, while the first floor was used as a drug store by Anderson & Martin. The building was the first brick business house erected in Red Oak, but it has long since been torn down to make room for a more substantial structure. I think it was about the end of the first year that the name of the paper was changed from Montgomery County Express to The Red Oak Express, and it was during the second year of its life that the old hand press was taken out to make room for a Campbell cylinder press. The old Foster subsequently found a home in the town of Harlan, Iowa, in the office of the Shelby County Record. The Campbell press was purchased of B. F. Montgomery of Council Bluffs and had been used in printing the Daily Democrat, a short lived paper that had departed this life several months before, the same press being the one originally used by "Brick" Pomeroy in printing the La Crosse Democrat, and was removed to give place to a more rapid machine. "The brick building was sold about the year 1870, and The Express then found a home in a two story frame building just south of the southwest corner of the square near Red Oak Creek, and there it continued to do business till I sold out to Simons & Fisher in 1872. "The first job press brought into Montgomery County was an eighth medium Gordon. It was purchased of Marder, Page 266 Luse & Co., of Chicago, and was shipped to Villisca, coming in on about the first train that arrived at that place, and from there it was brought by wagon to Red Oak. It cost $250 and to say that we were proud of that machine does not express it. We advertised loud and long that we were prepared, with all the latest kinds of machines, to do first-class job work, and if we failed to make our word good, it must have been because we did not know how or because we did not have time, for we were crowded almost night and day for months. "When first issued, The Express was a six column folio, and later on it was published as a nine column folio. When the B. & M. Railroad reached Red Oak Junction, good times came also and the city grew fast. Business of all kinds was good and for more than a year, before the year 1872, The Express was published as a small daily. From the very first, the county and many of the Democrats were among its warmest friends. "The Express was the first paper printed in Montgomery County. It came early and has stayed late. It has seen a county of almost unbroken prairie transferred into one of the best producing sections of the world. It has been in Red Oak ready to welcome nearly all the good people who live there at this time. The few there now who preceded it, can almost be counted on the fingers of your two hands. It saw the first railroad train as it came over the hill from the east; it was young at that time, but it was vigorous. It was there when Red Oak was organized as a city and published the first laws of the municipality. It has published more notices of big ears of corn and big, long, round, sweet water melons, and told the truth, than any other paper of the same age. "Well do I remember the day when, in the summer of 1867, I stepped from the conveyance (a buckboard) that carried all the passengers and mail that was transported between Glen- Page 267 wood and Chariton. Red Oak was very small then—five houses there, such as they were. The first man I saw was J. B. Packard. I think the stage driver pointed him out to me. I introduced myself to him and he introduced me to W. W. Merritt. From them I learned that the delinquent tax list of the county had just been sent to the Glenwood Opinion for publication, that being the principal source of revenue in such counties. "It was out of the question to think of starting a paper in a town of 200 people in a county of not more than 200 or 300 families, so in the morning I again mounted the buckboard of the Western Stage Co., and, after being closely scrutinized by a rough looking individual in buckskin clothes, we were allowed to depart, winding our way over the hill to the east. "We stopped to water our horse at Frankfort and again at Sciola and arrived in Quincy before night. This being a county seat, I again made an investigation and found that the delinquent tax list was still on tap, and in a few weeks the Adams County Gazette was issued, tax list and all, but I still kept watch of Red Oak Junction. P. H. Goode, Esq., was at that time editing a column of Red Oak items in the Glenwood Opinion, but long before the next tax list was due, I had occupied the field. "As I write this article, I can see in my mind's eye the first subscription list as it was written down in the old book that I have handled over so many, many times. I can recall many of the names now. The list was not long at first, but it was made up of the names of good men and women. The very salt of the earth lived in Red Oak when the Express was started, but I am fearful that as I have been absent from the city for a quarter of a century, I would be acquainted with more names in the cemetery than on the streets. I am positive that our subscription list had over 150 names, good cash subscribers, before the end of the first month, and before the end of three months, it had been increased to 250, and we thought Page 268 we had a good list, too, because it included a majority of the families of the county. "W. W. Merritt was Clerk of the District Court at the time and did much to assist in establishing The Express, and, though he wandered from the fold, dating his estrangement from the Greeley Campaign, we must insist that he is all right, nevertheless. Wayne Stennett, Treasurer, was the only Democratic officer in the county, but he was not a bad Democrat by any manner of means. C. H. Lane was the solid man of the town and county and while he did not say much, what he did say went with all, I remember. Thomas Weidman was one of the early subscribers and a staunch friend of the Express. He was a member of the Board of Supervisors at the time. The paper was well established when Smith McPherson, a young briefless lawyer, fresh from the Iowa University, arrived in town, and was among the first to welcome him. Hon. Alfred Hebard, although with Gen. Remick, was one of the founders of the town, did not take up his resident there until some time after The Express was established. "I presume I might go on in this way and write pages, but almost any old settler could do the same. And while I may not be entitled to much credit, I am proud to have it to say that I am the man who founded the Red Oak Express." THE OLD SETTLERS' ORGANIZATION The Old Settlers' Association of Montgomery, Taylor, Page and Adams Counties, Iowa, may be styled the most important social organization in these counties. It was organized in Page County in 1883, its object being to preserve the historical incidents that occurred during the early settlement of the county and to keep a record of the development and progress of the schools, churches and social organizations as well as the biographies of the pioneer settlers. A reunion of the members was held each year at Hawleyville until 1890, when the headquarters of the association was moved to Villisca, where they Page 269 have continued to remain and where the reunions have since been held. William Jackson was elected President when first organized and J. S. Boise Jr., was its first Secretary on coming to Villisca, but no records of the Association were kept until 1895. At the annual election of officers in that year, A. P. West was elected President and J. S. Boise, Secretary. Since that time, full records have been kept, and at that time articles of incorporation, a constitution and by-laws were draw up and adopted. The members of the Association now number several hundred. Many of the prominent men of the state are among them, and the annual reunions have become a prominent feature,many thousands attending regularly, when governors, congressmen and judges mingle in social converse with the old pioneers and the early days are again lived over amid many interesting scenes. The Association was voted a membership in the State Historical Society, and has since received all the publications of that institute. It takes a deep interest in all important events that occur within it's territory and earnestly requests the co-operation of all the people in the furtherance of the objects for which it was organized. It really is a Montgomery County institution, for while it was organized in Page County, it has been for twelve years wholly maintained by Montgomery County citizens, all its business being done and all its reunions held in Montgomery County. It is a charitable institution, all its funds being donated by its members. During the almost twenty-five years of its existence, it has come to be regarded, particularly by the pioneer members, with much solicitude and affection, the annual reunions being looked forward to with pleasant anticipations, when the old fashioned, homelike joys of boyhood days again return, when old friendships are renewed and life's pathway made brighter. The present officers of the Association are: A. P. West, President; J.M. Patten, Vice President; J. S. Boise, Secre- Page 270 tary; F. F. Jones, Treasurer. Trustees: J. M. Patton, M. Cowgill, F. M. Divine, Montgomery County; Adam Starr, Adams County; G. L. Dunn, Page County; J. T. Andrews, Taylor County; PRESIDENT McKINLEY'S VISIT TO RED OAK President William McKinley, Jr., and several members of his cabinet were greeted in Red Oak by three thousand enthusiastic citizens on Oct. 13, 1898. The special train conveying the President and his party arrived about noon. The crowd wh[i]ch spread over the car tracks and in the railroad yards, occupying points of vantage on the platform of the freight depot, was all expectancy and good nature. Then the train came to a standstill, Secretary of Agriculture James Wilson, the Iowa member of the Cabinet, stepped out on the rear platform and, introducing Mr. McKinley, said, "This is the President." Everyone recognized him and he was heartily cheered. The President acknowledged the greeting and commenced speaking, so clearly and distinctly that nearly all of the large audience could hear and understand. His reference to the late Darwin R. Merritt localized his speech as nothing else could have done. He said: "It gives me great pleasure to look into your faces as I journey through your state. What nation of the world has more to be thankful for than ours? We have material wealth; we have rich and fertile lands; we have great shops and great factories that make everything; we have skilled workmen; we have genius for invention, and, in the last thirty years, we have achieved commercial triumphs that have been the wonder of the world. We have much to be thankful for that we have come out of the events of the last five months, glorious victories and more glorious in the results which are to follow them. You rejoice, I know, in the pride of our people and in the valor of our soldiers. We have been through a crisis in our history. Page 271 We were never more patriotic than from April 1898 down to the present hour, but our patriotism must be continued. We must not permit it to abate, but must stand together until every settlement of the recent contest shall be written in enduring form and shall triumph for civilization and humanity. I am glad to be at the home of the gallant young hero who went down in the harbor of Havana. I am glad to pay tribute to him who gave up his life for his country in the performance of his duty. His memory will be sacredly guarded by his neighbors and fellow citizens and will always be held in remembrance by a grateful people. Now, fellow citizens, it gives me great pleasure to introduce the Secretary of our Treasury, Lyman P. Gage, whom, I am sure, you will be glad to hear for a few moments." Mr. Gage said that the proudest title anyone could have was that of an American citizen and only second in importance was to be a citizen of this might growing west. He then spoke of the President whom his hearers had come to meet, of his responsibilities during the most trying time since the Civil War, and the confidence wh[i]ch the people have had and continue to have in him. Mr. Gage in turn introduced Charles Emory Smith, Postmaster General, who spoke eloquently along a similar line and, while he was speaking, the train moved slowly on. President McKinley again stepped upon the platform and bowed a smiling farewell, followed by hearty cheers. The President's train stopped at Villisca and at other towns along the C., B. & Q. Railroad, where addresses were made. SOME LONG LIVED PEOPLE OF THE COUNTY The first settlement of Montgomery County was composed almost entirely of young people and now nearly all of them who are with us are on the down-hill side of life. The soldier who entered the Union army at the age of thirty years is now seventy-six years old. Many young men enlisted who were Page 272 between the ages of eighteen and thirty years. Soldiers and civilians of that period are beginning to be bowed down by the weight of years. Mention is here made of a group of aged people now living and of those who have recently died. Of the living, Mr. Joseph Junkin, the father of J. M. Junkin, was born in Pennsylvania in 1815 and is now in his ninety-second year. He cast his first vote for President in 1836. Mrs. Pamela Worsley, mother of O. P. Worsley, was born in Massachusetts Oct. 21, 1809, and will be ninety-seven years old on the 21st of October, 1906. Her father was not old enough to enter the army of the Revolution, but his older brother was with Washington at Valley Forge. Mrs. Anna Hebard, the widow of the late Col. Alfred Hebard, is in the ninety-second year of her age—a remarkably well preserved woman. Mrs. Lucy M. Johnson was born in 1818 and is now in her eighty-ninth year. She is blind and practically deaf, but has full possession of her mental faculties and, though not the oldest of the group, has been a resident of the county since 1854, emigrating at that time from Ohio. Of those who have died recently, may be named: Mrs. Sarah Whitcombe, who was born in Massachusetts, October, 1814, and who died in the eighty-eighty year of her age. Her mother was Ruth Pierce, an aunt of Ex-President Franklin Pierce. She died peacefully in the home of her daughter, Mrs. Helen Merritt. Samuel B. Dunn of Jackson Township was born in 1822 and died March 6, 1905. He was one of the first white men in Montgomery County, coming here in 1851 in the employ of the government with his brother William as a surveyor. He survived all the others who came that early period. S. V. Kelley, father of Mrs. Holmes Taylor of Red Oak died at her home, at the age of ninety-six. Page 273 Mrs. Harriet Murphy was born near New London, Conn., Feb. 6, 1809, and died in Red Oak, aged ninety-seven years and seven months. She lived in New York State until 1887, when she came to live with her son, E. M. Murphy. She was one of a family of fourteen children. Her mother lived to the age of ninety-three years. For one so advanced in years, she had a remarkable mind. Her death came as peacefully as sleep to a tired child. Several years ago, an event of more than ordinary interest occurred at the home of Merritt Wheeler of Washington Township. It was the celebration of the one hundredth birthday of his mother, Mrs. Thomas Wheeler, who was born in Watertown, Conn., July 24, 1800. She had the unique distinction of having lived in the 18th, 19th, 20th Centuries, and of having lived under every national administration except that of Washington. She was born seven months after the death of the first President of the United States and was twelve years old at the time of the Battle of New Orleans. She was seven years old when Robert Fulton propelled the first steamer up the Hudson and nine years old when Abraham Lincoln was born. Her father was a soldier of the Revolutionary War from 1776 to 1783; two of her brothers were soldiers in the War of 1812. Of her ten children, two of her sons were Union soldiers in the War of the Rebellion. One son was a member of Co. D., Twenty-ninth Wisconsin Regiment and was killed at the Siege of Vicksburg in 1863. The other is now living in the State of Washington. Mrs. Wheeler was married in 1820 and moved to Trumbull County, Ohio. In 1843 they removed to Wisconsin and in 1870 to this county. Her husband died in this county in 1878, aged eight-two years. Her hearing was slightly defective and she had lost the sight of one eye. Although slightly built, weighing only seventy pounds, her power of endurance was remarkable. She was an expert at the loom and, besides caring for the household, she in ten Page 274 months' time wove 980 yards of cloth. It is said that at the age of ninety she was at the loom early and late. She was vivacious and an interesting conversationalist. Upon the entertainment of her one hundredth birthday, eight hundred people of the surrounding country assembled and spent the day in social enjoyment, with a program of speeches and music. Mrs. Wheeler entered heartily into the spirit of the occasion.
GENERAL GRANT'S VISIT TO RED OAK. General Grant, in company with Gov. Gear of Iowa, arrived in Red Oak on Nov. 5, 1879. An informal greeting was given him at the station, some four or five thousand people being present. A formal welcome was extended to him on behalf of Red Oak by Col. Hebard, who made a very short address, as follows: "General Grant, a common motive and a strong one has called together this crowd today in order to extend a welcome and greeting. I will not reflect upon the intelligence of this community by a formal introduction of a man whose name is already familiar in every hamlet in the nation. "I do not wish to impose on the General or this people by any lengthy words. The would be out of place and distasteful to him and to you, but I should fail in duty if I did not express to you the known high regard to him whose name is identified with the most brilliant career in the history of this county. I will not offend good taste by prophetic utterance, but I desire to express the belief, shared by thousands, that his fame is not finished and his usefulness not yet ended. And now, good people, three cheers for General Grant." When the applause and confusion had subsided, General Grant bowed his acknowledgements, and his reply is as follows: "I am very glad to see you all and would be pleased to take you all by the hand, but to make a speech is something you cannot expect of me. I am always glad to see the people of Iowa and to take them by the hand." Page 275 Mrs. Grant, who accompanied the party, was loudly called for and finally made her appearance, gracefully waving her handkerchief to the crowd as the train moved off. The party also made a short stop at Villisca, where the General shook hands with as many as he possibly could in the limited time. DEER IN THE EARLY DAYS One Dick Chamberlain, living in what is now Grant Township, killed seventy-eight deer in the winter o f1856 and 1857. The snow covered the ground to the depth of three feet and a crust was formed sufficiently strong to hold up a dog but not strong enough to hold up a deer, their sharp hoofs breaking through it. Large numbers of them were easily captured and slain in their vain efforts to escape. Wm. Cozad, when a lad of thirteen years, imprudently attacked and killed a buck with spike horns. Watching his opportunity, he struck it with a club across its neck while a dog had a hold of its nose. The same winter a herd of elk was exterminated, none having been seen since in the county. At a former period there must have been numerous herds roaming at will over the prairies of Iowa, as the antlers of deer and elk were often found by the pioneers. Mr. Cozad, now one of our county commissioners, came in 1854, when a boy, from Ohio with the late Stephen Davis of Mills County. He was eager to go to Iowa with Mr. Davis, his uncle, and was told that he could do so if he would walk all of the way. This he did, taking forty-seven days for the trip. WORTHY OF NOTE In all the history of Montgomery County, there has never been a defalcation on the part of a county officer and never even a scandal of any kind. In one case there was a shortage caused by a mistake which was promptly made good, so so far as is known, there never was a loss to the people of the county through one of its officials. The County Board, which really Page 276 constitutes the legislative power of the county, for the last thirty-three years, with only three exceptions, has been made up of farmers. It is a credit to the good business sense and honest of Montgomery County farmers that their representatives on the Board have such a clean, honorable and economical record. RULING PRICES FORTY-NINE YEARS AGO A public sale of a small stock of goods at Frankfort, Dec. 15, 1857, gives prices at that period as gleaned from an old account book. The auctioneer was Joe Zuber. I. Bolt bought a pair of stitched boots for $1.25. Isaac Hunt gave 15 cents for a snuff box and 35 cents for a Bible; D. Terry, 30 cents for fiddle strings. A. Milner gave 7 1/2 cents per lb. for nails and R. W. Rogers 9 1/2 cents per lb. for No. 6 nails; Mrs. West, 10 cents for three tucking combs. There was no newspaper in the county in which to make known the fact of a sale and to record results. 
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