davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-07-14

the echo blocks and the Whispering
gallery, and then they want to see
Senator Tillman, Senator Bailey and
Senator Beyeridge. The house of rep
resentatives, the United States su-
preme court and the dome of the CAPT.
troll are after thoughts. You see, they
may not know who the senators from
their own states are, but they have
read about the Tillman- McLaurin fight
and about Bailey choking Beveridge
and they want to see what those stat:
esmen look like. l point out the SEN
ators who are conspicuous in legisla-
ton, Hanna, Aldrich, Lodge, and the
rest. and also the speaker and the
leading lights of the house, Payne,
Cannon and the others whose names
are in the newspapers, including Rep
resentative Sulloway. who used to beat
the bass drum at the Salvation Army
meetings. I have learned that many
of our statesmen are not nearly so well
known throughout the country as they
think they are. ,iys
"The echo blocks are the greatest
attraction. If the statues of natriots
and statesmen in statuarv hall could
talk, what love stories they could tell
The whispering gallery has been car
rying honeyed words of brides and
grooms for generations. and its work
is no lighter now than when the
echoes were discovered, wears ago.
No one knows who discovered them
Perhans it was a bride and groom
Nearly all of the newlv married
couples take a trim on the "Seeine
49,, 1-o
tour of the CITY Their routes are
arranged so that they will pass by
or near the princiral roints of inter
est. Beside the motorman stands .
guide with a megaDhone. who bellows
q deserintion of everything of inter.
est. historically or otherwise. He
tolls the rassenoers chiefly the story
Of John Sr,itheor whose generosity
founded the Smithsonian institute.
calls attention to the department
buildings. names the statues and
marks. and points ont the residencef
OF we'll known nnhlin men and the
foreign embassies and locations. At
Connecticut and Rhode Island avenues
''the nations Gift to Dewey" is an
nounced. and at Pennsylvania avenue
and Fourteenth stree, the nasseneers
are reminded that thew have heard
Snrsa's "Washineton Poet" march
end are requested to behold the home
of the newsnaper in whose honor that
celebrated niece was eomnosed. The
eriae with the megaphone is very
Instructive person.
The brides and grooms do well to
come to washington for their honey.
moon. II is a beautiful CITY and in II
are associations which emnhasize the
events that make the ehanters of the
renuhlic's history, There is something
wrong with the man or woman who
does not leave it prouder and bet
ter citizen.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-07-14

Around the bend of still slough comes
a mallard with a brood of six or eight
young ones trailing behind her, and even
as she comes there Is swirl OH the water
and one of The Gucklings goes under, taken
down by the jaws of big turtle. Or n
yellow finch; swinging upon the tendril of
a willow six inches from the river, is sing
ing merriiy as to attract attention and
under it rises swiftly lean, long, head, n
great mouth opens and closes again and
there Is no mere finch. 50
The muskaliengc does this trick in much
less than second. so swiftly and silently
that the man has barely time to note 1t.
Here and there along the upper waters of
the Mississippi the government has built
wing dams running out from shore, the OBJ
iect being to defect the current and scour
nut certain bottoms. They are ideal
places from which to cast either the fly
or the bait
The Mississippi, populous with game fish
of fine temper, activity ana favor, Is little
tished by outside anglers because not much
"a ktaWu about il lPeorle from 81 Pau!
aud Minneapolis gostown it for fifty miles
OF so, shut mo farther. The towns along
anglers There are market fishermen, but
not enough Of them to have any effect on
the supply, though they use nets and. seines
freely
The river, in It's great length and breadth,
Offers every variety of feeding and spawn
ing ground and every variety Of fresih wa
ter fishing AS the Years go, by it will
come to be better known and patronZed.
as the woodland lakes and streams are
more deplete by thousands of anglers from
the cities. In these times it is nearly
bare of men of the rod. reel and creel
through all of the beautiful and fisll-fruit
full months between May and November.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-07-14

Ill, for short time before coming
here, and in that capacity she had
taught the younger brothers and sis
tiers Of the woman, who was then
Laura Harvey, and had become some
what well acquainted with the family,
highly reputable one. The dead wo-
mans brother came to Ottumwa for
the body and conveyed ait to the
home which had been saddened by
her death. She was buried at Roches-
ter.
Second Chapter Of Tragedy.
The affair caused much wonderment
among the people who were living in
Wapello county at the time, and many
were the guesses as to how the woman
had met. her death. Theories of sui
eide and others that attached the
blame for her death to first one and
then the other of the two men who
had been seen in her company, were
advanced. but none of them could be
verified for neither of the men could
be found and neither appeared either
at Ottumwa or at Rochester after the
woman's death.
Lawrence's Body Found.
The affair would probably have been
forgotten, or rather classed in a
general way with the other strange oc-
currences of that year, had not the
body of Lawrence been found. His
corpse, badly decomp posed was found
at the, Head ,of Of one. of the many
draws. between ottuinwa and Agency,
the exact location of which, has escap-
ed the memory of Mr.. Kitterman. How
ever. it was in the vicinity of Garrison
Rock that two men, from Ottumwa,
skirmishing the woods for game ran
across the corpse and upon 'investiga-
ton succeeded in identifying it as that
of George Lawrence, who had been
missing since March.
This double murder of man and
his wife was too uncommon a thing
even in those days, for the people to
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-07-14
New Kind of Life Insurance.

For twenty-five cents you can insure
yourself and family against any serious
results from an attack of bowel com
plant during the summer months.
That is the price Of a hottle of Cham.
berlain's Collie, Cholera and Dialrhoea
Remedy, q medicine that can always
be- depended upon. even in the most
severe. and dangerous cases. 1t Il is
equally valuable for children and
adults. When reduced. with water and
sweetened it is pleasant to take. This
remedy has relieved more pain and suf-
fering and saved the lives of more PEG,
pie than any other medicine in the
world, 1t is almost sure to he needed
before the summer is over Buy it
noW. For sale by all druggists.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-07-14

worthy of the dependence he had plac-
ed in them.
So dumbfounded were the wouid-be
lynchers that they hardly moved while
the rescue, which took much less time
than the telling, was in progress, blu.
when the valiant little band, with the
prisoner in their midst, started back to
town, there were many mutterings
among the men whom they had cheat
ed of their prey.
Nerve Wins the Day.
Nerve, pure and simple. though,
won the day, and scarcely any OPPOSE
ton was offered to the rescue party.
With but little trouble they again plac-
ed their man in jail and locke \ the
doors securely. There he stayed anti
the lime came for his trial before
duly authorized court, when he was
convicted of the murder of George and
Laura Lawrence and was hanged ac-
cording to law.
Theory of Murder.
The true story of the crime has new.
er been, and never will be, told, as the
only ones who knew of it in all its de-
tails are dead, but the story that was
generally accepted was that the two
men had quarreled over the affections
OF the woman and McComb had first
killed Lawrence and then his wife, who
probably took her husbands part in
the unequal struggle, for McComb was
"a large and powerful man while Law
renee was small. 1t is supposed that
the murderer had loaded the bodies in
the wagon in the night after commit
ting the murders near Eddyyille, and
had driven from the river on the south
side, throwing the woman's body into
the stream north of town; then cross
ing the river and going on down to-
ward Agency, had deposited the mans
body where it was found several
months later.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-07-14

pass over unnoticed, and it was the
topic Of conversation around many a
family circle for weeks. The finding
of Lawrence's body strengthened the
theory that McComh had murdered
both of his companions and had thrown
their bodies away in separate places
then made his escape to parts I'M
known.
Identification of Body.
In this connection it is of interest to
note the manner in which the body
of Lawrence was identified. 1t was so
badly decomposed when found that 1T
would have been impossible to posi-
lively identify it as that of the man
who had been in Ottumwa few
months before had not tailor of this
city remembered that during the trio's
stay here he had sewed some buttons
on Lawrence's vest. They were OF Pc
culiar shape and color and the man
easily identified them and the vest.
Arrest of Mccomb.
The people of the little town stood
aghast when it was at last agreed that
McComb had perpetrated one of the
awfulest murders in the history of the
community. Many were the threats
made that if he ever showed his face
here he would be dealt with according
to the frontier idea of justice. The
residents of the then young Ottumwa
We're law-abiding citizens. They re-
spected the laws, few though they were
and they regarded it as direct insult
to their ideas OF, justice for such an
awful crime as this to be carried out
almost in their sight.
However, McCtmb had evidently
disappeared as completely as if the
earth had opened and swallowed him
up, and finally when he was brought
back to Ottumwa it was with diff
Guilty that many of the people recog-
nized him.
However, there were some who
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-07-14

were ready to hold their frontier court
and do away with the victim.
A white oak tree was chosen for the
hanging, and a rope was placed around
the mans neck and over one of the
overhanging limbs. All the prepare.
lions had been made and the leaders of
the mob were ready to pull McComh
into the air and into eternity, when
they were surprised by a more deter
mined, though smaller, body Of their
fellow townsmen.
Major Woods Does His Duty.
Not more than half dozen were in
the second party, but at their head
rode a little, wiry, eagle-eyed man
whose nerve" was as well known and
recognized among the people OF the
country as was the fact that there was
war in progress. Behind him came
handful of men who were powers in
the community, men whose words car
ried with them the weight of years and
experience. These are now gone to
their reward, but the little man who
lead them is still alive and is nearly
as active as he was then, though his
hair is snow-white and his voice has
grown weak
Right up to the white oak tree, to
the center of the band of men who
had stopped with their hands on the
rope, at the other END of which stood
McComb, strobe the half dozen new
corners. Major Woods, with but a few
words and little ceremony, grasped the
prisoner, cut the rope, and started
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-07-14
he "a of Pre-
Otunnu AGO

~
A few weeks ago the Courier con-
tanned a history of the early days of
Wapello county, touching upon a time
about forty years ago, when the men
who are now among the Oldest resi-
dents We're young. 1t spoke Of the
first hanging, mentioning the victim
as one McComb, stranger in the city,
who was arrested for and convicted Of
the murder of a woman named Laura
]. Harvey and man named George
Lawrence. George Kitterman, one of
the early settlers of Wapello county,
remembers the occurrence and several
other happenings in that connection,
and to a Courier representative he tells
the story of the whole affair in a very
interesting manner.
A fact that has probably escaped the
memory of the majority of even those
Who knew of the execution and the
crime at the time is part of Mr.. Kit
terman's story and has to do with a
man who is not only we'll known in
Ottumwa but. all through. Iowa, a wiry,
determined little fellow upon whose
shoulder old age has fallen but has
left little mark except the gray hair
a iudA NuO InC Cni ~ 0oyoS W do lOt-
ed for his iron nerve and his ability as
an official. He is nc. other. than Major
John S. Wood, claim agent for the Bur-
lington Railway Co.
Story Of the Crime.
Mr.. Kitterman's story of the crime
and the happenings, that led up to the
arrest Of McComb is very interesting
and it is typical of the wild life that
was led by the hardy pioneers who re-
sided in Wapello county in the days
during and just before the civil war.
McComb, Lawrence and Laura Har-
vey, or as she was known, Laura Law
renee, were in Ottumwa and stopped
for several days at the Ottumwa
house, then the main hosiery of the
city, during March. 1860. They appar-
emily had no special mission in the
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-07-14

city, or rather little town-as Ottumwa
had not then assumed the proportions
of which she now boasts. The three
strangers attracted some attention
from the townspeople, but the latter
were too busy in those exciting days
to pay much attention toe visitors.
They left Ottupwa after a few days
stay and drove in a closed carriage to-
ward the north.
The next day after leaving Ottumwa
the woman and the two men were seen
at Eddyvflle, but no special notice was
attracted to them there as hey seemed
to be in perfect accord with each other
and the people of the little town were
as much surprised as were the Ottum-
wa people when, the next morning ait
er they had been at Eddyville the fer
lyman who carried travellers across
the river just above where the Mar
ket street bridge Is now located dis
covered the dead body of Laura Law
renee floating down the Des Moines.
Woman viIeiy Murdered.
The woman as could be seen by the
marks upon her person had been muir
dered after a struggle in which she had
probably fought as only one will fight
who is intent upon preserving her. own
life. The pretty features which had
made the unfortunate victim SO notice
able wherever she had gone when: liv-
ing, We're distorted with pain of dying,
her garments were torn and her body
was cut and bruised. Tenderly the fer
ryman, lifted. the corpse from the riy-
er and for a time the worries of the
exciting ante-bellum times were for
gotten by the sympathetic citizens
while they wondered over the murder
of one so fair.
Was Known Here.
The case was doubly sad for the
reason that the woman had been
known in Ottumwa. Mrs. Mary e.
Squire, 231 West Fourth street, had
been a school teacher in Rochester,
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-07-14

could not forget the features of the
murderer, and among them was Mr..
kitterman, who had meanwhile enlist.
ed in the United States army and had
taken part in the war of the rebellion
as union soldier. In the spring of
1854, four years after the crime, he
was in Davenport on detached duty,
and while walking along the street he
came face to face with a man whom
he Immediately recognized as McComb.
He realized that he had no right to
place the man under arrest for MUIR
der, but it was not long before he
found that he was accused of bounty
jumping. and taking a small squad Of
soldiers he hunted the man UP and
placed him under arrest.
McComb evidently understood that
he had been recognized and was be-
ing held for the murder of Lawrence
and his wife, and he did not seem sur
prised when he was brought to OF
tumwa by Mr.. Kitterman and confined
in the Wapello county Jail.
Mob Secures Prisoner.
AS soon as McComb had been
brought to the city the news of his cap.
ture spread like wildfire The fury
over the crime was no less for having
slumhered in the peoples breasts for
four years, and no sooner had the key
turned in the lock of the little Gala
boose than a mob was forming to deal
out summary justice to the man, who
in the minds of the people was already
convicted of the crime.
A body of determined men battered
down the doors of the jail and met
with but little opposition in their efforts
to secure the prisoner. They took Nc
Como and started for the place where
Lawrence's body had been found,
deeming that the most fitting place for
the execution. They tired of the long
march, however, and by the time they
had reached the edge of town they
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-07-14

farm for twelve years and found to be-
mighty productive in the climate. IT
ty acres of oats have been seede> /,
"a promising new sort. Four huntA
and fifty acres have been seeded to
a strain OF barley selected for its use
for mailing. Two hundred acres have
been seeded to pedigreed variety Of
spring wheat. The strain of wheaS
used has been bred by the originator
for thirty years. starting with few
selected heads and each year using
breeding plants seeded from heads Sc
lected for large yield, ability to with
stand disease and unfavorable climatic
conditions and for high milling quail
ties.
Forty acres have been seeded to
spelt, a grain imported from Russia.
his will be tested on the farm for its
value as supplementary feed to corn
III fattening hogs and steers.
Three Varieties of Corn.
Three varieties of corn have been
used this year in planting the 1900
acres. The first, variety that has
been bred to fixed type and pure for
has the same powers of reproducing
itself as the long-bred strains of pure
bred animals. The second variety has
been bred in the same manner for 40
years, and the third variety has been
grown on the farm for 20 years,
during which time it has not failed to
mature
In selecting the seed corn model
ears were first selected; then each
ear was carefully gone over and any
defective kernels removed. Each ear
OF the entire amount used for plant.
ing the 1000 acres was shelled separ-
ately and the kernels examined, APP
proved and graded before it was al
lowed to be used as seed.
Two breeding plats have been plant
ed for furnishing special seed for the
farm planting next year. The first,
a plat of SIS acres, planted with espe-
cially good ears, whose breeding is
known for 81 years, Second, a plat
OF five acres from each of the same
breeding, but selected for their high
protein contents. In this plat the
kernels of each ear are planted in a
separate row, after two rows have
been taken off for chemical analysis.
At pollenating time the tassels will
be removed from all rows except
those for the rows showing the high
est per centage of protein, and the
plants In these rows will be used as
sires in breeding for protein Average
corn contains 10 per cent of protein.
Brookmont farm has started to breed
for strain that, when secured, will
show an average Of 16 per cent
protein for the entire yield of the
farm.
Select Seed by Chemistry.
A chemical laboratory will be equip
ped by the farm next fall ami a chem-
list employed thereafter the year
around He will spend half his time
analyzing grains to permit a selection
for seed of grains high in protein. gil
and ash. and the remainder in making
ANALYSIS for digestion experiments in
connection with the feeding operations
OF the farm.
Sixty-fiye acres have been seeded to
alfalfa for the study of the hest meth
DDS Of treating this cron in Iowa, A
previous seeding of alfalfa on the
farm has shown that the roots have
few tubercles. Three acres OF new
seeding have been used as an experi-
ment Mat to determine the hest meth
DDS of ,inoeulating alfalfa fields with
root tubercles forming bacteria.
ID q
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-07-14
RIGHT OF. WAY FIGHT SETTLED.
500 Road and, Great Northern Permit.
ted to Cross Reservation.

Washington, D. c., July Hottie
secretary of the interior has solved the
problem arising out of the controversy
between the 500 road and the Great
Northern over right Of way through
the White Earth Indian reservation
in Minnesota by granting the right to
both companies. The two companies
desire to connect their lines north and
south of the reservation by building
connecting links to keep the other out
on technical grounds. The proposed
roads will parallel each other.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-07-14
Mo False Claims.

che proprietors of Foley's Honey
and Tar do not advertise this as a
"sure cure for consumption" They
do not claim it will cure this dread
complaint in advanced cases, but do
positively assert that it will cure in
the earlier stages and never fails to
give comfort and relief in the worst
cases. Foley's Honey and Tar is with
out doubt the greatest throat and lung
remedy. Refuse substitutes For sale
by W. p, Elliott, Cor. Main and Court
streets.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-07-14
TEERLlNDEN GIVEN SIX YEARS
German Merchant Who Commute,
Frauds is Sentenced.

Berlin, July 10.--The court at Duis-
burg, Rhenish Prussia, has sentenced
former company director Gustave Ter
linden of Oberhausen to six years con-
finment in the penitentiary for over
issuing. stock and other offenses Ter
linden fled to the United States upon
the discovery of his Irregularities in
the summer of 1901 and later was ex-
tradited.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-07-14
The Stockman's Column.
Feeding Floor for Hogs.
\ Grinnell man writes /:

A Grinnell man writes:
Il wish to build permanent feed
ing floor for hogs, and wish to know
what material you would advise me TO
use. / have intended using paving
brick, but some tell me that concrete
would be cheaper and better, and |
know of some using asphalt I want
something that will last and be easy
to keep clean, and do not wish to
make any mistake and be disappoint-
ed, think that it is big mistake
to throw corn in the mud for hogs, as
many of my neighbors do"
would advise your correspondent,
is the reply in Wallaces' Farmer, to
use concrete for making a permanent
feeding floor for hogs 1t can be made
fully as cheap, or cheaper, will be cas-
er kept clean, will be less likely to get
torn up, and in the end will be more
satisfactory.
Paving brick make a very good feed
ing floor, but if the bricks become
broken or the rats work under them
and some of them settle it makes a
place where the hogs can get a hold
on them, and if not noticed and mend
ed at once the floor will soon be in
bad condition.
If a concrete floor is properly made,
using good material and making it
similar to the concrete walks used in
the cities, it will last as long as your
correspondent will have any use for it,
although he may be a young man. For
those who may want to try making
one for themselves the following is an
outline of how it should be done:
Use only Portland cement and good
clean sand and gravel. Where cinders
can be obtained it Is best to make a
bed with them, still the firm, smooth
ground will do very WELL The ground
must be we'll dampened before putting
on the concrete, as the drying will be
from beneath, and without this the
floor would be in danger of cracking,
For the lower coat take six parts OF
coarse gravel and sand to one part of
cement, mix three or four times dry,
then dampen and put en- the bed, and
lamp firmly. For the top coat take
two parts of clean sifted sand to one
part of cement, mix thoroughly while
dry, then put in sufficient water to
soak up thoroughly and let stand for
fifteen minutes; then put on and trow-
ell down like plastering. The two
coats should make thickness of at
least four inches 1t should be mark
ed off in squares of four feet each way
cutting to a depth of two inches.
A very good floor of this kind can be
made at q total cost of 6 cents per
square foot where sand is easily OBJ
tanned and the work is done by the
labor on the farm. Where the work is
done by mason the total cost should
not exceed to 10 cents per square
foot. Would advise employing, if pos
sible, a competent mason who has had
experience in this line of work.