Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-06-23

felt sympathy to the sorrowing family.
The arrangements for the funeral have
not been made as yet and the an.
flouncement will be made later. Clout.
man Post, G. A. r., OF which the de-
censed was an 'honored member, will
attend the funeral In body.
Sketch of His Life.
Samuel B. Evans was a ma.
tive of Tennessee, his birth occur.
ring in Jefferson county, July 81, 1897.
His ancestors are numbered among the
earliest settlers of eastern Tennessee.
His father, Samuel Anderson Evans,
was soldier in the Seminole war and
was lawyer by profession.
The late Samuel Evans came with
HIS parents to Iowa in 1912, when but
five years Of age, and lived with fam
lily in Davis county until 1S49, when
the family moved to Keokuk county,
At the age Of sixteen he entered a
printing Office and served an appren-
ticeship at that trade. He afterwards
worked as a iourneyman for several
years. In 1855 he entered the univer-
sity of Iowa at Fairfield, remaining
there three years, when he founded
the Democrat at Sigourney. In the
fall of 1861 Mr.. Evans suspended publ
cation and moved to Ottumwa and
with the late Judge E. l.. Burton es-
tablishad the Mercury. In 1852 he left
his paper in charge of Judge Burton
and the late L. B. Hendershott and
enlisted in company B, Thirty-thiri
Volunteer Iowa Infantry. He was ap-
pointed commissary sergeant of the
nof,n ont nd hold hot
| 1864, when he assisted in organizing
| the Fourth regiment of Arkansas Cav
airy and was promoted to the first lieu
tenancy, with which rank he was mus
| tered out in June, 1865. He partici-
| pated in the Yazoo Pass expedition,
| the battle of Helena, and the Little
Rock and Camden expeditions, includ-
| ing the battle of Jenkins Ferry. On
| returning from the army he resumed
| the editorial chair of the Mercury and
| attended to it's duties until 1868, when
! he sold it to Samuel Burton. He next
| founded in connection with others, the
| Ottumwa eDmocrat, which he sold in
1881.
Visited Mexico.
/ Soon after this he took charge of the :
/ archaeological expedition In Mexico in the
/ interest OIL Ile IulC:lpO l11HleS. his re-
i searches took him into several states of
i. Mexico and he succeeded in making some
\ discoveries acknowledged by the Mexican
4 government to be of great Importance. one
/ of these Was the Tezzuco calendar stone.
! found in pyramid at the ancient city OF
I Tezzuco. The original stone is now in the
government museum of Mexico and fac
i SMILES are in the Smithsonian institute
II and ia the Fairfield library.
| A Prominent Democrat.
4 Politically Mr.. Evans has at all times
adhered to the democratic party. In 1872
:. he was n delegate to the nationals conven-
tion held in Baltimore and voted for Hor-
ace Greeley. In 1876 he was an alternate
delegate to the national convention held In
st. Louis and supported Samuel Tilden.
In 1880 he was delegate to the national
!. convention In Cincinnati and was made
one of the vice presidents of that body.
: Mr.. EVANS was appointed postmaster of
Ottumwa by President Cleveland July Ia,
1885, and served tenn of four years.
Declined Foreign Office.
+ In 1898 he was appointed by President
Cleveland as consul of the United States
to Managua, the capital of Nicaragua but
: he declined the Office
In 1874 lie was chosen rs first president
i of the fish commission and served from
3 1891 to 1897 as such commissioner He
+ was later made president of the board of
X cOLiInlSSipuSls VI thc iuNt hooiuieiSl iomc
: at Marshalltown and was chairman of the
committee that built the hospital for that
l institution.
. In 1896 he was delegate-at-large to
t the democratic national convention at Chi
cage and was chairman of the Iowa dele
: cation.
He founded the Ottumwa Sun, the OF
tumwa Democrat and the Independent
J. which paper he edited up to his last sick
t ness.
q He was united In marriage December 10,
1866, to Miss Sarah q. Potter. Five chill
dren were born to this union: They are:
!. Margaret, deceased who was the wife of
> f. L. Briggs: Edith, Lucy, Samuel Mac
= Donald, deceased, and Bertha.