The Oskaloosa herald., 1905-03-02

DSuWSll, NJ. =. d
Ritchey and George Bailey.
Red Rock-William E. James, Sam.
uel Geddis, Argus A. Martin, John M.
Mikesell and John Jordan.
Jackson (now Scort)-Jacob H. Ma.
jors, Highland and Hezekiah
Gay.
White Breast. B. Hamilton, Al.
bert Vertreese, Elias Elder, Osee
Matthews and Green T. Clark.
Red Rock and White Breast are
now parts of Marion county.
The election returns showed the
following officers to have been chos-
n John White, probate judge; VIM.
Edmundson, sheriff; VIM. Pilgrim,
recorder; VIM. D. Garfield, treasurer;
w. A. Delashmutt, assessor; Britain
Edwards, coroner; A. S. Nichols, vii
son Stanley and Robert Curry, county
commissioners; David Stump, sur
veyor; and John w. Cunningham,
commissioners clerk.
These gentlemen were sworn into
office shortly after their election and
constitute the first quorum of officers
which appears on the records of the
county.
The county commissioners met on
May IA, 1874, and selected the first
grand jury and petit jury. Oh the
same day the county was divided into
twelve election precincts. For the
want Of a suitable seal the commits.
sioners selected the, eagle side of a
dime, which on July 18th was super.
coded by substituting a twenty-five.
cent piece to be used as a temporary
seal.
The first court ever held in Ma.
haska county was in July, 1874, by
Joseph Williams, of Muscatine, who
was judge in the second judicial dis
trict Of Iowa Territory. The court
had jurisdiction in both federal and
local affairs and was supported by
the government. It's sessions were
held in a log house owned by VIM. D.
Garfield and located within the pres.
ent city limits Of O~skaloosa. The
building was unfinished, being with.
out a floor. BY the use of some -four
barrels and loose boards a platform
and desk were improvised for the use
of the judges, The other attendants
at court Jared as best they could.
Major Thompson was United States
attorney. Other attorneys present
were w. w. Chapman, C. w. Slagle,
Geo. Atchison, Henry Templeton and
Jno. W. Alley. The last named gen.
tleman was from Red Rock.
% There seems to have been but very
little business before this court, but
they managed by frequent recesses
and adjournments to remain in ses.
sion, for one week. The grand jury
held its sessions in the hollow a
quarter of a mile north of the square,
hidden away in the tall prairie grass
There were no accommodations for
strangers except in the cabin homes
of tine increasing population. AS
these were always open to the way.
farer, those in attendance a" court
sought lodging wherever it could be
found. .
The records show eight civil and
four criminal cases on the docket.
The jury case was an appeal by
James Hall VS.. Joseph Rooms" and
involved a conflict of claims. The
grand jury brought in four indict.
ments. One for larceny, two for as.
sault and n for selling liquor to the
Indians. In each of these indict-
ments the United States was the
prosecuting party.
On July %, 1S45, the first natural,
ization papers we're granted by this
court.
Judge Joseph Williams was quite
a noted character in his time. At
the time of his appearance in Mahas-
ka county he was about fifty years Of
age and had been on the bench as a
Judge in the district courts of the
Territory of Iowa for a number OF
years. From what is said of him,
nc SCSAo ~ hofS hdu d SoOu 1SPuLo
ton as a jurist, but was very popu-
lar as an entertainer. He was espe-
cially skillful in the use Of musical
instruments, as well as being a good
singer and IN entertaining lecturer.
He always had a faculty of making
the most of the rude surroundings Of
frontier life, which made him wei.
| come wherever he went.
We, are told also that Judge Will.
liams was a ventriloquist of peculiar
power, and that he never failed to
exercise mis- gifts on the uninitiated
when opportunity offered.
Micajah T. Williams, clerk of Ma,
haska county, granted the first mar
riage license on May 80, 1874, to s
c. Nicholson and Eleanor May, and
the marriage ceremony was per.
formed June End by Levi Brain.
bridge, a justice of the peace.
The first bill Of divorce found on
the county records bears the date of
November Is, 1916, Rebecca Ash VS..