Litchfield enquirer., 1877-06-28
LYONS. Iowa. June 18th. 1877

ED. ENoUIRER.-Like one of our de- parted Statesmen, the chopper and potato bugs still ive." though in diminished numbers. The war of extermination goes bravely on. The latest and most success ful invention seems to be huge shovel made of tin or sheet iron, smeared with tar and propelled by horsepower. One man claims to have bagged over ten buSh- els in g day with the machine. As yet we hear of but little damage having been done by them. A man writes to Chica- go paper from one of the infested districts of Nebraska, ''It would do your soul good to see our crops. Farmers are at work whistllng andihappy. Rye, wheat, oats and potatoes are all o. K."
 The potato bug is still troublesome, but not as in former years; stiIl, sufficiently so to deter farmers from entering largely in- to their culture, and the potato, for year or two, has ruled high. I sallied out re. gently in quest of some and was told I would not find any in Lyons or Clinton, but Idid. The man only asked $4 a bushsl. I told him "I wouldn't take any Tn mine."
 New potatoes. are in sight, but rather small" Strawberries, Gegetables, ~Rnd garden :'sass" plenty and cheap. the former 8 to 10 cents per qt,; all small fruits very promising, but the apple and cherry crop non est. Peaches through the great producing sections of Michigan are also cut of, and much of the corn has had to be replanted, but grain reports from nearly all points in the West are so far encouraging. There is some complaint in this section of the chintz bug, in wheat and harlav Thov n-~ ~I---~-A 3~-L--. tive in fields as the choppers.
 The "Dosier-Harmony rape case" end- ed as most people expected, by clearing the darkey.
 A most extraordinary case of barn burn- ing has created considerable excitement. A well-to-do farmer, 2. miles out, was awakened in the night by his neighbors to find his large barn, containing nearly all his farming implements, horses, COWS, harnesses &c, burned up. On examining the ruins, it was discovered that the re- mains of all except 2 horses and harness es could be accounted for, and it was im- mediately divined that they had been stolen and set fire to the premises to cov- CT the theft son the supposition that all would be burned up and no trace left. Energetic measures were at once taken to ferret out the thief and it was not long before they got on track and caught him with the team. It turned out to be a hoy about IS years old, not over-stocked with brains, from Lyons, who had worked for the farmer and others in the neighborhood. The whole country round was up in arms about it, and after it was found the man was caught, and before they knew who it was, crowds gathered in knots and threats of clinching were freely indulged in, and very few expected the I0Hu WUuIu Os~~r--~----- when they found how insignificant their game was, they wisely concluded to let the law take It's course. He was soon tried and sentenced to ten years in State Pris- on. The farmers loss was about $3OO0, and the team taken not worth over $150. Forty teams turned out and helped draw the material for new barn and soon af- ter there. were plenty of hands to help raise it.
 I see by your paper that the Miss Mitchells of Washington are picking up ''plumb" in Iowa. I know very little about the legal aspect to the case, but if I mistake not, they will find some snags, in ''tax titles" and "rights by possession" before coming into full possession of the property. Five years undisputed posses sion by tax title. will give man deed that cuts of all former claimants. Wash- ington with $1OO. .OOO. 900 could improve their ''Green" handsomely.
 Excursions and Base Ball are the rage. Some juveniles lately played match game the tally standing 96 to 10; there's room for improvement. Yesterday (Sunday) the Roman Catholic Church excursed to 'Dubuque(6Wmiles by rail using ten coach- es and carrying about thousand passen- gers. It was a decided success as they viewed it, clearing between four and five hundred dollars. and the Protestants thought they were successful in breaking the Sabbath. At the same time an excur- sion party came up from Davenport, on a steamboat under the auspices of the Dax- enport Fireman, about 400 participating. Two more are advertised for the 4th of July, by our churches. One up the river, and one down.
 The river has not been so low for many years, as this season. In conso- quence the mill men have not been able to float their logs, and most of mills are obliged to shut down, which is particu. ly hard on the laboring men, after long winter of discontent and hardship affec- ting all classes of business interests.
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