Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-12-11
BOARD OF CONTROL ACTS FOR.
MALLY IN coMMANDANTsHiP
FOR ANOTHER FOUR YEARS.
HORTON ALREADY HAS
SERVED TWELVE YEARS
Record for Longest Service in History
of Institution Made by Present In
cumbent- Horton Popular Com
mandant and Has Given Best Of
Satisfaction.


the Iowa Soldiers Home, was today
reappointed to his present position by
the state board of control. for another
term of four years. Colonel Horton has
already served twelve years, and his
present term expires on Jan. 1. Colonel
Horton had not made application for
the position, but the board of control
fully realized the efficiency of the
commandments previous administration.
Colonel Horton has been without any
doubt the most popular commandant
the soldiers home has ever had, and
mas given as nearly general satisfaction
as any human being that could be
placed in similar position, and the
position is no easy one to fill.
Four in Twenty two Years.
There have been only four COM
mandants of the soldiers home in the
twenty-five years of the organization
of the institution, and over half of this
number of years has been occupied by
Colonel Horton. The first commandant
was Col. Milo Smith, who served from
II. Keatley succeeded Smith, serving
from October, 1892, until September
1894. ]. r. Ratekin was commandment
from the expiration of Keatley's term
until September 1897, and Colonel Hor-
ton took charge Oct. II. 1897.
List of Trustees and Board
The list of trustees of the institu-
ton. since its organization, bringing
the list to date with the following of
the board of control system, is as fol-
lows: Trustees-J. j. Russell, 1887
1898; c. w. Burdtck, 1SS7-1S99; S. L.
BOWS, 1SS7-1S93; Y. A. Merrill, 1887
1895; j. NJ. futile, 1SS7-1S92: G. A.
Madison, 1SS7-1S92; S. B. Evans, 1893
1898; j. r. Ratekin, 1S94-1S9S; G. L..
Davidson, 1s95-1S96; j. w. Morton,
1895 1898; L. b Raymond, 1S96-1S9S;
G. L. Godfrey, 1S97-1s9s. Board of con-
trol-William Larrabee, 1S9S-19O0;
John Cownie, 1898 to date: L. K. Kline,
1S9S-19o6; G. S Robinson. 1900 to
date; John Hamilton. 1906-1909; John
F. Wade, 1909 to date.
Horizons Fine Military Record.
Colonel Horton has military record
of which any man might be proud. and
ling men, is largely due to his eminent
success in presiding over the big fam
lily at the soldiers home.
Charles Cummins Horton enlisted
as a private in Company A, Second
Iowa cavalry, at Muscatine in August,
1861 He served turnout the entire
war, being discharged in october, 1865.
Following his enlistment Horton was
elected first lieutenant of his company,
and was mustered in as such. He was
advanced to first lieutenant, and then
to a captaincy and finally as major
and from that time on assumed COM
mand of his regiment owing to the
! fact that the lieutenant colonel. Pete
Hepburn, of this city, was on detached
service and not with the regiment
Upon the expiration of Hepburn's
| three-year enlistment Major Horton
was made lieutenant colonel still in
I charge of the regiment but no further
promotion was possible owing to the
fact that the colonel. D. f. Coon, OF
Mason City, had been made a brevet
brigadier During the last two OF
three months of his service Colone
Horton commanded a brigade.
Saw Thirty One Engagements.
Colonel Horton participated in thir-
4 ty-one different engagements during
his service. The first was the battle o.
Monterey, where William Paxton o.
Indiantown, Tama county, was the frs
man of the regiment to be killed
Among some of the other more notable
enga gements were Pennington Boone.
vile, Franklin. Nashville, Knoxville
Iuka, and Corinth.
Tells Story on Coon.
Colonel Horton likes to tell a goot
story on Colonel Coon When the wa
first broke out "Pete' Hepburn wrot,
Coon at Mason City, asking him t.
raise company for the Second lows
cavalry. Coon replied that he didn'
see how he could raise company, 70
he was a democrat. Hepburn replied
telling Coon that he needn't be
damn fool even if he was q democrat
Coon Went to work, raised company
and went to see Governor Kirkwood
war governor of Iowa. Coon explainet
to Kirkwood his mission. and the fac
that even tho he was a democrat h
wanted to command a company. Kirk
wood smiled and sead: CAS- / under
stand one of the principal objects o
this war is to kill off a lot of you dem
ocrats and / shall send you to tn
'front.' Poor Coon wasn't killed durin
} his long service at the front but h
did meet a tragic death in Californi
several years ago, by the Academia
discharge of a revolver. a