Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1903-12-01
MRS. SHAW TO LEAD
SHE WILL OCCUPY THE SECOND
PLACE IN WASHINGTON so.
GETTY THIS WINTER.
Iowa Woman is Next to Mrs. Roose-
velt-Mrs. Hay Is III and Mrs. Root
is in neutrality-suspicious. Hep
burn in Reminiscent Mood.
tBY H. ]. MAHIN.1

Washington, D. c., Nov. 2S.-Mrs.
Leslie M. Shaw, wife of the secretary
of the treasury will occupy position
second only to the wife of the pres
ident of the United States in official
society in Washington this winter. In
the matter of precedence among the
ladies of the cabinet the wife of the
secretary of state comes first, then the
wife of the secretary of the navy. But
this winter the first two ladies will
take no part in social affairs. Mrs.
Hay is greatly troubled with rheuma-
tism and announced last week at a
small dinner that the occasion was her
last function and that she would re-
tire to private life for the rest Of the
season. Mrs. Root is in mourning
and will not be seen in society at all.
This leaves Mrs. Shaw at the head of
the list. When the ladies of the cab
inent receive at official functions Mrs.
Shaw will stand in line at the right
hand of Mrs. Roosevelt.
Cousins Long Service.
Representative Robert B. Cousins is
one of group of twenty-five men in
congress who began their service in
the Fifty-third congress, who have
served continuously ever since and are
now entering their sixth term. For
ten years they have been associated
with each other and the fact that SO
many beginning their service at that
time should be reelected for five con-
secutive times has started some talk
about the formation of club which
would give an annual dinner or posi-
bly, several during each winter.
These men who were all cubs back
in that congress which met first in
the summer of 1898 to repeal the
silver purchase have quite fondness
for one another. AS new members
they were naturally thrown much into
each others society. In that congress
they had little to do but sit back and
watch the wheels go round. So en-
crossed with themselves and the bust
ness of the house were the older men
that they paid little attention to these
new men who flocked by themselves
to a certain degree. But they are no
longer the men who were merely on
lockers. One of them, Williams of
Mississippi is minority leader. Cous-
ins the acknowledged orator of the
house; Towney of Minnesota is the re-
publican "hip,' and the speakers
right hand man; Babcock of Wiscon-
sin, has been chairman of the republi-
can congressional committee for five
successive campaigns; Cooper of Wis.
consin is chairman of the insular com.
mittee and in fact nearly all of them
nave taken some prominent place in
the house.,
Boyd Visits Capital.
Editor Boyd, of the Cedar Rapids
Republican, was in Washington last
week for what? Every Iowa visitor
to Washington recently has been sus-
pected of being there in some connec-
ton with the judgeship contest, and
Mr.. Boyd was under deep suspicion.
and he happened to be in Senator AL
ison's room when Col Hepburn came
in. Meeting Mr. Boyd started Col.
Hepburn in reminiscent strain. "Mr.
Boyd he said, the first time saw
your town there was not one house on
the site. There were one or two houses
across the river. and the settlement
was further down at place called
Iyanhoe. Never heard of Ivanhoe? No,
guess not. But there was quite a
village there, then, including a brick
store and hotel. The military road
crossed the river there, and a good
bridge had been constructed. Nobody
ever used the bridge, however be.
cause not enough money had been ap.
propriated for approaches to it, and a
wagon could not get onto the struc.
ture.
Hepburn Tells Stories.
Il enlisted in the army at Marshall.
town. / built the nineteenth house ev.
er built in that town. also lived dur.
ing my boyhood near Iowa City. AT
the time of my first remembrance of
Iowa City there was not a brick or
frame house in the place; all habita
tons were log cabins. These cabins
had what was called clap-board roofs,
and want to tell you while these roofs
kept out the cold and wind somewhat
they did not do much else. can re.
member many morning waking ur
and finding four to six inches of snow
on the floor of the cabin. Of course
we had a great fireplace, and the snow
would be melted for distance about
that, but We usually had to hustle out
and sweep out the cabin before we
could dom UGH toward breakfast. The
first three pair of shoes / ever had in
my life were given to me as Christ
mas presents, and you can imagine
that they did not last all year. 1t
was not at all an unusual thing for us
boys to be sent out into the snow
barefoot to pick up some chips for the
fire. We got along pretty we'll, too.
Our feet were tough from hard usage
all summer, and sometimes we had an
old pair of socks on to keep out the
bitterest of the cold
SAT that time Muscatine was our
market. There was a great deal OF
business done on the river in those
days, and Muscatine was a great point
for trade. There were only fifteen
houses on the road between Iowa City
and Muscatine. | know because !
went over that road many a time in a
farm wagon. We used to drive our
products down there, and can re
member of hauling many load OF
corn all that thirty miles to Muscatine
only to sell it when we got there for
ten cents a bushel, to say nothing OF
wagon after wagon Of dressed pork
which sold delivered at Muscatine for
seyEnty-fiys cents q hundred pounds