Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1885-09-10


dams hrd formed, and for long dis
tanees on either side, sand and gravel,
brought down by the swift, strong cur
rent was being deposited upon the tilla-
BILE lands in large quantities.
Evidently something must be done,
and the messenger who brought notice
of the meeting urged strongly that Mr..
Parsons be present and advise regard
ing the action to be taken.
.''Tain't no use," he said to his wife
when the neighbor was gone. ''Tain't
no use, but I'll 90 eff you want / should.
You d better send Rastus, though, and
let me stay home with Johnny"
The mans spirit was sadly broken.
He felt that it was useless to contend
with the company; that everything was
virtually lost already, and had dropped
into the habit of leaving everything to
his wife and Erastus, doing without
questioning whatever they suggested,
but appearing unwilling even to advise
with them; as if he felt himself I'M
worthy. having failed so utterly, to give
advice upon which depended the well
fare of others.
II think you had better go yourself,
father" replied Mrs. Parsons to the
suggestion of her husband that Erastus
should attend the meeting in his stead.
"You are the head of the family, and
you will have more influence than
Younger man. EraStus can 90, too, il
YOU and he wish. | think everybody
ought to go and see if some means can
not be devised to prevent our homes
from being destroyed"
The meeting of the settlers was held
the following afternoon, and John Par
sons went. So did Erastus. So did
everybody else in the neghborhood.
Somebody nominated Mr.. Parsons fol
chairman, but he declined, and Mr..
Richie was elected to preside, and
Erastus Hemingway was made secre-
tary- Then the meeting was declared
opened and expression of opinion as
to the course to be pursued asked for.
The result was a variety of sugges-
tons and motions. Some favored ap-
plying to the courts for an injunction to
stop the operations at the mines, but
others pointed out that such efforts had
been made in similar cases in other
parts of the country and had failed, or
been delayed until too late to save the
property of those applying,
Others proposed petitioning the Leg
islature for the passage of a bill for
bidding hydraulic mining; but as such
law could not be obtained for year,
if at all, this proposition was not favor
ably received, and finally the meeting
adjourned without having decided upon
anything, but with the understanding
that they were to meet again the next
afternoon and consider the matter still
further.
When they reassembled the next day
the whole question was again gone
over, and yet nothing could be agreed
upon.
To bring suit in court for damages
would be to become involved in endless
litigation; since they would be contend
ing against those whose resources We're
virtually limitless, and whose wealth
would enable them to protract the suits
indefinitely; so that if in the end the
settlers should be successful in obtain
ing Judgment against the companies it
would be quite as disastrous as to
quietly submit to the outrage.
If they sued at all, they must make
every company, the debris from whose
mines emptied into the gulch above
them, parties to the complaint, and
would thus find arrayed against them
men worth millions of dollars, organized
in the form of a corporation, proverbially
soulless, and certainly without mercy,
or sense of justice, or honor, to prevent
them from taking advantage of every
bubble of the law. made, too, in many
instances, to delay justice, and admin
istered by officers who owed their cleo
ton to the men who controlled the
corporate capital of the state.
Threats of personal violence were not
lacking.
There were those who recalled the
fact that more than once in the history
of the State, thieves, blacklegs and bal
lot-box suffers, even those who as
sumed to have been elected to high
offices, had been hung upon hastily
erected gallows by men whose only
authority for doing so was their natural
right to protect themselves and families
from being robbed and insulted by Or
ganized bands of plunderers. A large
majority, however, favored only legal
means for the protection OF their
homes, and it was finally agreed to
build dam across the gorge through
which the debris from the mines
flowed, at a point above the agricult-
ural settlement, and by cutting
through the hill, turn the MACS of slick.
ings into another gorge, which would
cause them to enter the river at
point below, and where no damage
would be done to occupied lands.
During the discussions at these meet
ings John Parsons had said little, and
that little only when appealed to for
his opinion; but when the building OF
the dam and the cutting of a new way
for the overlooking debris had been
decided upon, he called Erastus aside,
and after comforting with him a mo-
ment. returned and subscribed five
hundred dollars toward the work tc
be done.
The announcement of his subscription
was greeted with cheers by the i.tle
body of men there assembled.
1T amt all my own subscription.
men," he said, when the cheering had
ceased. Il don't know if any of it
rightfully is mine. It's part of the
money we was savin' up fer to buy
ranch fer Erastus with, and it honestly
belongs to him. He's earned every
cent of it and more, too; but you see
if the work goes on an our homes is
saved, there's got to be lots of money
comm from somewhere, an doctors
bills and SIGH has tuck bout everything
we made last year, an bein' as Rastus
is willin', we'll plank up the five hun
drnd es soon es the committee that is to
have charge of the work is ready to be,
GIN"
Others now came forward and sub
scribed, few putting down five hun
dred each, and many Others. smaller
sums; the understanding being that
such as could not pay money should be