Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1884-02-08
AN IOWA GIRL.
The Story of Belle Clinton, the Brave
Dakota Homesteader.
A Little sunny Haired Lass Suc-
cessful solution of One OF the
Serious Problems CT
Life.
Nevada da.) Representative

Nevada Qa.) Representatives.
Belle Clinton's fame has touched two
oceans. To the people of Nevada she is
known as Salllc Iiambleton-the grave, gem
tie maiden who, since she came here n little
sunnyhaired lass in the parental ark. has
glided quietly among us from the door of her
fathers pretty cottage in Linn street The
catechism she learned in the Methodist Sun
day school, the three Rs i'll the old school
house, and the ologies were pursued at the
Agricultural college till broken health called
halt. One long winter she studied this
problem of her own. Given physl-
cal unftness for the avocations by
which Iowa young women ordinarily earn
livelihood, how is independence to he Sc
cured! and i'll the following summer, 1880
she set about its practical solution. An expe-
dition, inspired by her zeal, AMI consisting of
herself, her mother rs chaperon AMI commits
sary of the party. her sister May, AMI two
young friends of the finale persuasion" set
out in prairie schooner for the great north
west Two weeks of journeying over cir
cuitous route, brought them to the home OF
her college classmatr. near station which
was ringing for the first time with the shrek
| of the locomotive. This was the nucleus OF
the now booming city of Mitchell, the mart
OF southeastern Dakota.
Near the resid nee of her frien Miss Ham
bleton selected her homestead and timber
| lot and in the land Office of Davidson county
entered her claim Aftcr weeks stay the
pioneer party returned |, brown, vigorous,
and enthusiastic. The spring took oar home
steader again to Mitchell, and SIC up'rvised
the building of her shauty. the breaking
stipulated by law, and the planting of her
timber Her cabin was supplied with such
comforts as circumstances allowed, AMI the
| place became known 10 lr'Sersby as ''the
school ma'aIn's claim, where the flowers
grow"
Just before Thanksgiving Of that year she
rolled the stone against the door of her cot
and turned for winter shelter toward the old
roOf-tree. At Boone, chance then e the senior
editor of The Representative, then pencil
pusher of The Boone Republican, to seat
beside her in the railway car, and the two
friends discussed her experience as home
steader until the train reached Nevada. The
main points of her experience were cmbod-
led in an editorial for the next issue of The
Republican. Eli Perkins was, ut that time,
on tour which included several towns on
the line of the Northw estern. Whether he
caught Miss Sallie's story from her own lips
or others, found it in The Republican para
graphs, or i'm his own fertile imagination,
deponent sayeth not; but true it is that in
his next published letter to The Chicago
Daily Tribune was incorporated, with slight
embellishments. the outline of the pioneer
girls doinGs. 1t was given as a railway con-
versation between himself and Miss Belle
Clinton, of Nevada, the smartest girl l met
in Iowa" In those days younr, laly home
steaders were rare, AM the rca lers of The
Tribune in this vicinity Immediately referred
tie alias to Miss Hambleton. E.i Perkins
letter was copied by the press in the east as
we'll as in the far west.
In December letters began to arrive ad-
dressed to Belle Clinton, and they were I'M
hesitatingly assigned to Miss IIanbletOn.
They hailed from all points from Maine to
California, single mail often bringing half
a dozen. Before winter was over the num-
her received had swelled to several hundred.
They were from old men, young NEE, wild
ows and maids, and with rare exceptions,
were honest inquiries for information by
persons desiring to become homcsteaders.
OF course, they were honestly and faithfully
answered, and with the opening of the spring
tons correspondents became Dakota settlers;
and the influence on emigration exertei by
the press report of her enterprise is indi-
Gated by the fact that, on the strength of it,
one Greene county old German alone started
of sixty young men; "For," said he, "what
a girl can do. of course they can" In rec
ognition of her service the officers of the
Milwaukee railroad readily passed her over
| THAR limo. auI tho cnsouI civ months
ened by a long visit from her mother was
spent on the claim.
In April last the third half year of occupa-
ton was begun. The right of brave, gentle
woman to strive honorably for independence
had made her cabin a castle impregnablc to
either open invader or secret foe; but destiny
no moat or fortress walls can stay In an
editorial room in San Francisco a native OF
the city Of brotherly love, whose Kindred
were still beside the Schuylkill, prepared
"copy" for The Journal of Commerce. His
home, the fireside Of friend. was one day
broken up by death. Belle Clinton, the Iowa
maiden, pursuing a worthy purpose in n path
unbeaten by her sex, had been named in
numberless exchanges; and, in an hour Of
loneliness. he sent her word of encourage
ment The kindly message drew q courte-
GUS response, and-it is the old, old story
thus started, the moving shuttle was unhin-
dered until it had woven fast two lives. In
June, after Mrs Hambeton had joined her
daughter in Belle Clinton's rustic shanty, the
prince first beheld his princess face to face ."
His visit to Mitchell was followed by one to
her parental home; the engagement ring
glittered on her finger, the Dakota claim was
proved up, and in the George Hambcton
cottage, in Nevada. rejoic d reunite house
hold. A few weeks of busy preparation fol-
lowed, and then, September 4, the nuptials
were celebrated.
Belle Clintons romance is complete, AMI
from the marrige sacrament 80 forth Mr..
snd Mrs. Robert Jarden