Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-12-29
Some of the Oldest Inhabitants
Tell of Experiences With
Snow Storms
C. E. WILSON'S RURAL LETTER
Inconvenience Of the Present Amounts
to Little When Compared With What
the Pioneers contended With in tn,
Storms Of Early Years-Farmers ans
Trespassers.
Special to Tlrpes-Republican.

Special to TlIpes-Republican.
Ackley, Dec. 20. When one finds
himself shut up in town with 1,50O
other people, by a two days blizzard
which completely paralyzes all traffic
on country road and railway, listening te
occasional reports, as the long day
wears away, Of passenger and stock
trains buried in twenty foot drifts be-
tween stations, snow. banks as high
as trees and other similar happenings
he is apt In an unguarded moment to
make use Of some such expression as
worst storm ! remember having seem"
Ii there happens to be a few elderly
people within reach of his voice the
author of the remark Is sure to hear
something drop" For instance, a
young man said to an older one during
the progress of the recent storm.
when was there another thirty hour
period during which no mail train en-
tered this town?" ooh, this is moth
ing" said the one addressed. Il re-
member a time when 1t was four days
between mail trains here" Another
inexperienced Individual risks the use
Of a few superlatives in describing the
condition of the roads only to be re-
minded Of the winter long ago, when
travellers paid no heed to fences, build
ings, nor even trees over which they
drove their sleds and of whose exist
ence they were not aware.
y
After listening to some Of the stories
Of winter hardships related by early
settlers, and having decided to give
them full credence, the problem is,
how were the people able to endure
them and enjoy subsequent good
health? A middle-aged man of Ger
man extraction was relating some OF
his early winter experiences the other
day. He said his father built house
with eight foot caves of rough boards
with no other tools than a Ratchet and
saw. The narrator and a brother oc-
cupied a bed situated very near the
peak of the roof. During the progress
Of the frequent billiards. Of the times
their bed room sometimes drifted en-
tirely full of snow He said 1t was very
uncomfortable at the beginning of such
storms but became warmer as the room
filled up.
One morning hearing a commotion
below the boy hurriedly descended to
ascertain the cause. A huge bank of
snow had drifted against the door
making egress by that route impos-
sible. Suddenly angered by the con-
ditions the old man, who was OF an
irascible disposition seized shovel
went out, thru window and clad only
in underclothes and wooden shoes pro-
ceeded vigorously to remove the OBJ
struction from the door Of his cas-
tie" He got into the house by the reg
ular method after while with one
shoe victorious. but badly chilled.
AaA
There is belief in the minds OF
some that farmers as a rule are over
particular in the matter of permitting
strangers to pass over their farms and
intimate that it is nothing more nor
less than an inordinate desire to assert
their authority that calls forth the
edict resulting occasionally In the abb
rupt departure Of a hunting party from
his premises. The fact is that If those
farming a few years, the majority OF
them would meet with experience call
culated to cause them to regard pub
lie highways as the proper place for
travellers, regardless of others opin-
ion of them "as a class"
one day last fall the wife Of a north
ern Iowa farmer returning from call
made at a neighboring home saw
some persons drive thru a gap in a
fence belonging to their place and
disappear down the road leading TO
the nearby town. Investigation re-
yealed the fact that three plum trees
loaded with fruit almost ready for
picking had been raided, the fence
damaged, and left open for the escape
of any animals that might be con-
fined by it. The farmer repaired his
fence, nailed up few mo trespassing
signs, the family went without plums
or bought some as the case might be
and certain passers-by said, Another
dog in the manager farmer. Probably
never hunts himself and doesn't pro-
pose to allow any one else the prtvi-
lege." Any intelligent farmer is able
to distinguish the full difference be-
tween a band. Of gentlemanly sports
men and a gang of fruit pilferers, but
his attention is generally needed in
other directions, and to protect him.
self from the annoyances OF the one
class his acts sometimes seem unreal
sonable and selfish to the other.
C. E.. WILSON.