Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1902-05-29
RIVALRY over A GRAVE.
Iowa Towns Contend for Body
of an Old Soldier.
CELEBRATION is SPOILED
Brayton Steals II March on Extra. Corpse
Transferred from one Cemetery to
Another by Stealth.

from the Sunday, MAY 25j Chicago
Chronicle:
Extra and Brayton, two little towns
in Audubon county, Iowa, situated on
the Chicago and Rock Island railway
in the western part of the state, are
great rivals. From the time the first
red elevator pushed its way upward
on the level prairie at Extra and
like structure was erected at Bray
ton, the rivalry has been keen and
and often bitter. There was even a
race to see which elevator would be
completed first in those early days
and there has been a race between
every building and every enterprise
since.
In population the towns are very
nearly twins, but each one claims a
larger number of people than the de-
bates on this question are fierce and
long. Rival newspapers keep up the
war and never a week goes by with
out an editorial encounter more or
less acrimonious. Neither town has
more than $50 people all told, men,
women and children, and one stray
CLING street with a few general stores,
a blacksmith shop or two and sa-
trains a day rattle through the town
saunter down to the little red station
and eject large quantities of tobacco
juice about the platform.
GRAvEYARDS ENTER INTO IT.
Several years ago even the grave
Yards entered into the emulation.
1t happened in this wise:
One spring just as the grass was
beginning to show green across the
prairies prominent citizen of Extra,
who had been sitting on a barrel in
front of the general store for an hour
or so without moving, slapped his leg
a resounding thwaCk, slowly edged
from the barrel and, after knocking
the ashes from his pipe, remarked to
himself:
"By gum, Wen do it,"
He sauntered down the street where
he met other prominent citizens, and
he revealed his brilliant idea. 1t
took like vaccination on a fat man.
ITS the greatest idea that has
ever been thought up in this hull dern
country. It'll put tn spots all over
Brayton, won't it,"
"Yew bet!" was the chorus and be-
fore night fell every man, woman and
child in the village knew that Extra
was to have a Decoration day Cele-
bratiOn.
"The fust one in tn hist'ry of tn
town" said the oldest citizen.
And great was the preparations
made. Everyone set to work. 1t was
decided there should be a Goddess of
Liberty with little girls representing
states grouped about her. They were
all to ride on big hay rack decked
with bunting and the stars and stripes.
There was to be speech by Timothy
Todhunter, a noted legal light, who
had been to college and had also been
down to Des Moines several times in
his life and knew the governor of the
state.
Besides that they would have a long
parade, in which every human being
in the whole town was to take part,
as well as all the horses and many of
the dogs. The whole thing was to be
on an elaborate and costly scale.
PAPER ANNOUNCES TT TO THE WORLD.
That week, when the Extra Exuda-
tion came out, Brayton was seized
with panic. That paper announced
great and glorious celebration at Ex-
ira May 30. a goddess of liberty on
hayrack, speeches, fireworks, pro-
cessions and what not. Consterna-
ton took hold on the inhabitants of
the rival town and deep, dark gloom
settled down over the village.
How could they get even?
Finally one of the prominent citi.
zens arose from dry goods box down
at the corner grocery and, sticking
his thumbs in the armholes of his vest
and with a wise shake of his head
said:
"Feller citizens, what is thar to
hinder us from gittin' up a Decora-
ton day celebration of our OWN"
There was deep silence following
and then each one in the little audi
ence Strengthened up a little and as
| one voice remarked:
"Thet's right, we kin do it Jest as
well as those fellers over to Exiry,
/ and, what's more we kin git onto
| their plans an go 'em one better"
But jest hold yer horses minnit, .
| remarked an old fellow who had up to
this time taken no part in the meet.
ing. "Yew air starting out to dc
something We can't do. Thar amt a
durn old soldier berried out in our
| graveyard. How kin We expect to
hev a Decoration day an no dead
| soldiers"
This was poser. Despair once more
settled down and the people of Bray
ton for once acknowledged that Extra
had bested them.
LIGHT DAwNS FOR BRAYToN.
In the meantime the Extra people
advertised their celebration far and
wide. Big posters were placed along
| the country roads printed in red and
blue and the Extra Emulation each
week printed glowing accounts of the
great time that was to be. Three
weeks only interviewed before the
great and only celebration when the
Braytonites made discovery.
One of the citizens of that town
who had walked over to the Extra
graveyard one day to spy upon the
preparations and look lOngingly at
the graves of the old soldiers made a
great discovery. He FASTENED home
and broke the news to his neighbors
and the light began to dawn. He had
found that Extra was making all its
fuss over one grave, for that was the
only old soldier buried in the little
graveyard.
"An' it's Hank Hider's brother
too" said the man who made the dis
covery, IAN Hank lives in Brayton."
Then there was much Cachination
and sly winking among the prominent
citizens, and there were mysterious
conferences and much secret plan
ming.
When the BraytOn Bray came out
that week in flaming headlines il was
announced that there would be a
Monster Decoration Day Celebra-
ton" The announcement read that
nthe town of BraYtOn. at enormous