The Newtown bee., 1906-03-02
PIONEER DAYS. 4 SHERMAN MANS EARLY FIX. PRROENCES AND PRlVA1lONS.
 IN PIONEER DAYS IN IOWA.
 fCONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE.

hospitabla cabin homo. Always the first crop Is sod corn, and planted with an ax. For three seasons excessive rain prevented any crop. There were no roads, no fences, allstock was turn ed loose on the prairie at night. The second year we built twO-rail fence around one field. Wire efencing, a gOo- send to the West. was unknown. Ker- osene oil was not iu use. We bought candles. Everything to subsist upon was brought 60 miles by teams from the Mississippi River. Also mails once . week and are 10 miles from postoflce. We might have frozen to death, been eaten by wolves or carried of b'dily by the stalwart braves that inhabited that country, as far as any assistance might come from Connecti- cut. It would take month. During the panic of 1857 times were very hard Money brought 70 per cent interest and hard to get at that. Money was 90 scarce that people used instead each others notes varying in size from S2 to 1n 1887, my brother, John, married. He built cheap hOnse and we had a cook, new departure in living better. The improvement was greatly vel. comed. The prairie was like vast sea, in storms and foggy weather peo- pie often gut lost and some perished Schools and churches there were nOne. Settlers began tO come later and Sev. eral were far il but in sight of us. distinctly remember two families cunning. Two miles to the north Of Us was Andrew Devine. He had i've exceedingly pretty daughters, They came frOm Massachusetts. l had not Heen a pretty girl in two years The name 0f the other family was Goodwin: They settt d three miles view. They were from Ohio. The. also had four lovely girls They had beautiful black eyes, exquisite com plexiOn. dark chestnut hair. a graceful bRure. that added to their accomplish. ments. It seemed too bad to be br'uRht from the & 'ciety of he re tined to dwell on the wild and lonely prairie. It is plain to me that Iowa claims
 THE PKETTIEsT GIRLS IN AMEK1t A
 TO.DAY.
 l we'll remember the national cam. paiKn when James Buchanan ran for in Bradford they had a barbecue, ana rOaSttd an "x whole. Penple came iron, 20 miles. during the festivities. About sc're Of Indians rude up, all in paint and feathers, while their squaws car Tied blankets and paptnses on their backs. They gave friendly screech that frightened many, and finall, feaated on the rx, and departed south For four years very few settlers came. The prairie in May and June was love- ly to behold. As far as the eye could reach 1t was a velvety green. Natures vast flower Rarden-daisies, violets, r0P4pot q. mt unN # f. ho llo~ in profuSiOn. Levi Hubbell, before mentioned. owned a large farm near DecOrah, 70 miles distant northeast He wanted me to go with him to har- vest his 40 acres of wheat. was glad to go and earn some money. After harvest hired out to Ex-Senator A. T. King, 8 large farmer in this older settled part of the state; seemed much like the eastern world. worked for this man from harvest time until the next fall, receiving Sl0 8 month for the following summer. l saved my had suffered all sorts of privations- poorly fed and clothed, no money, or society, education or comforts, the four years previous on our lands, in the Wapsie river country, that l would never return there to live, and con- Clude0 that
 PIONEER LIFE HAD NO CHARMS FOR
 ME.
 Icame home, and have never been sorry. Senator Atkins, Levi Hubbell and Joel Pagin's large farms joined. Brother Dan hired out to Pagin. La ter he and Brother George married two jof Pagin's lovely daughters. At ktnS' daughters were too young or 1 might have been there now. Dan is the only one remaining in the state out of five of US boys. They are scat tered in Dakota, Kansas, Indiana, New York and Connecticut. There not be. ing railroad in the state rode on a load of wheat to opposite Prairie Du- chine, Wis 36 miles. There saw the cars and engine that I had almost for gotten, not having seen in five years, and almost like a lost child of the woods, returning to civilization in the