The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1909-03-11
Col. Mackey Of Sigourney Tells Of
Pioneer Times.

u u
BY Col Mackey, in the Keokuk
County News: ~ ~ The taking of the
! ilashlight picture last week oil the in
side OF the old court room, showing
Judge Clements on the bench and the
bar of Keokuk county, as seen today,
brings back many OF the memories of
1858. | was admitted to the bar that
year by Judge Hendershott, of Ottun-
wa, who was then on the bench in this
district, but has been dead but few
years. In May of that year he was
holding court for the May term in
the room now occupied by the Seibel
Hardware Co. II was roughly prepar-
ed, good two-inch planks for seats.
/ except the lawyers, who had some
old-fashioned chairs. That year tae
district was changed. Wapello county
was taken out and the new district
as then constituted consisted of JEFF,
ferson, Washington, Keokuk. Mahasko,
Marion, Jasper and Poweshiek coun.
ties, So far as our county is concern
ed we have been part of the Sixth
district all the time.
My recollection now is that Judge
VIM. M. Stone held the nrst court
| in the then new court house, think,
in the winter of 1858. The judges who
have occupied the bench since it
was built, were Stone. Loughridge,
Winslow, Sampson, Cook, Johnson,
Lewis, Mccoy Blanchard Ryan, Dewey
and Scott, with the three now on the
bench, Clements, Preston and Will
cockson. At first, for while, we got
| along with one judge for the entire
circuit The judges living OF the old
set are Lewis, Mccoy, Cook and Scott.
OF the members of the bar who were
| here when the first court was held in
the then new court house, | recall
Judge Harmed, G. D. Woodin, j. M,
Casey, G. Wilkinson, and 4, think Bur
ton and Stapleton, one or both OF
them were looking after some of their
| old business that originated in their
| Office at Lancaster, while they were
there; w. H. Keath, j. b. Leek, Sol.
Start, Mcpherson, Byers, ]. ]. Heider,
S. A. Evans, James Gray and myself.
The only ones living so far as know,
are Stapleton, Keath and myself
In the picture taken last week it
reminds me very much of the bar we
had here in 1858. 1t looks young,
and in the bar we then had, there
were no old men, Harmed, Woodin and
Casey being the eldest |
| The old court house has mad many
| important cases tried in it, both civil
and criminal. AT the time it was
built the county was new, everything
was new, no bridges over the rivers,
scarcely a buggy or carriage to be
seen. OK wagons in abundance, our
mills were all water mills. stage
coaches instead OF railroads, small
stores our lumber was made out OF
| native timber, horse shoes and nails
to put them on with were all made
in the blacksmith shop by hand; no
butcher shops, and when we wanted
fresh beef, some one would blow al
horn that fresh beef was 10 be cut
up in chunks; no such thing as ice
houses, cold storage plants; Kerosene|
or electric lights were unknown but
candles furnished the lights. We
got some mails when the roads were
passable and the creeks not too high
10 cross; the carpenter work for the
houses built was all done by hand; a
COW wonld sell for $40 If you could
find anyone who would buy; hogs
$1.50 to $500 per hundred, plenty of
eggs at $500 per dozen, horses s25
10 $40 head and no very good ones
at that; lawyers and doctors fees
were in proportion to other things, |
and both had to scratch 10 make
both ends meet. Very little money mi
circulation and that in the shape of
paper currency was no good when
you got it, Banks were liable to
break any time of night or day. Thel
farmers, business and professional
men were all in the same boat, but
even in this condition of things we
got along and enjoyed life hugely.
Our wants were few and not hard
TO supply and we made the best we
could OF the situation.
But fifty years have changed the
whole thing. Some may think we
might have done better in old times
and been much smarter than we were
then, but we got through, AL right.
doubt if the population we now
have would have done any better, sur
rounded by the same conditions.
n II MANKEv /