The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1904-09-08


ceded the home-seekers, determined
in some way to secure something to
appease the appetites of the hungry
party.
Pressing every trail, and listening
to every sound for wild game, he kept
on his course throughout the day,
without lucky shot. About four
o'clock in the afternoon he came to a
cabin on the prairie, the only hablta-
ton he had met with all day. The
household consisted of husband, wife
and daughter. He called at the cabin
door and asked if he could purchase
something to eat for himself and his
companions. The lady of the house
told him she had nothing to eat in
the house at that time, but confident
ly expected the return of her husband
from the mill with supply of corn
did come she could supply their pres
ent wants. After resting short time
time Mr.. Kalbach noticed a strip of
brush quarter Of a mile or SO dis
tant and determined to go over in the
hope of finding something to satisfy
his hunger, while his company should
have time to come up. He was fortu-
nate enough to shoot black bird,
which he dressed and roasted and had
a feast all to himself. returning to
the cabin, he found his companions
had arrived as well as the expected
husband with the sack of meal, and
the good housewife was vigorously
stirring the mush pot for bounteous
supper. She was a Scotch lady social
ly pleasant and kind, but fearless and
positive in character, and her heart
went out for the eight small children
in the company of travellers who mad
not tasted food for so many hours.
To the utter chagrin of her older
guests. the decisive lady would not
allow single one of them to have a
morsel to eat until the children had
eaten all they wanted She was not
selfish in her wilderness home, but
humble as it was, 7ler home must be
ruled by her own ideas Of fitness and
propriety,
The next morning the good lady fit.
ted out the party with corn bread for
the day, and they went on their jour
ney southwest as far as Carlisle Ind
A short stay convinced the entire par.
ty that Carlisle was not the place they
wanted to stop and they retraced
their steps to Terre Haute, Ind where
they dismissed their conveyance and
driver and spent the winter. Mr.
Kalbacn found his services in ready
demand as an undertaken. Says il
seemed to him that the community
was kept quite busy caring for the
sick and burying their dead.
| Before the swamps and marshes Of
Indiana were drained there waE
dreadful suffering from fever, ague
millkweed and kindred diseases
Sometimes an entire village would BIZ
depopulated by the scourge Mr.
Kalbach relates that on their tour o
inspection through Indiana, they
travelled one day late into the nigh
in order to reach a quite well known
town by the name of Caledonia
When they reached the place they
found it utterly forsaken. Not a per
son was to be found. The party
Glanced to be out of matches and hat
to go some. distance to farm house
to secure fire for the camp.
| While at Terre Haute a wealthy
Frenchman who was travelling through
the country, fell victim to choler;
and the case fell into Mr.. Kalbach's
hands for handling. The body wa!
buried and late in the fall disinterret
and prepared in proper easements fol
shipment to the east. A stage coac1
carried it to Cincinnati, and theme,
by river and canal to IT'S destination
! In the spring of 1850 Mr.. and Mrs
Kalbach and their company visited :
number of cities and towns in Illinois
working westward until they came tt
Nauyoo, Ill. 1t was in that year tina
the last detachment of Mormons lef
Nauyoo for their far western home
and the town and entire communit,
were almost depopulated. The land
lady Of the principal hotel of tn,
place was the former widow Of 10,
Smith, who had been killed somt
years before, but who in his lifetim,
was the head Of the Mormon chur b
A deep shadow had fallen over tn,
party of hcme-seekers. One of thei
number had died of cholera down tn
river, and Mr.. Kalbach had precede,
the company some days to Nauvoo t,
arrange for the burial. Death from
cholera was quite frequent in man:
places in the west, and if the cause @
this death should become known the,
! were liable to be quarantined 10
days. For time Mr.. Kalbach wa
4 somewhat perplexed to know jus
What course to pursue. He finall
concluded to follow the principle tina
, mas governed all his life, viz: To e
! to the parties most interested and rel
| resent things just as they were. Thi
he did to the landlady of the hcte
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