Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1911-10-10
c. 1. Lucas Writes Intelligently Of
the Historical Events Con-
nected With the Lott
Monument.
MAKES SOME CORRECTIONS
Says the Monument Does not Con-
tain Proper Date Of Mrs.
Lofts Death.

G. L. Lucas in the Boone News
Republican: A friend has sent mt
q copy Of the Stratford Courier n1
September IA, which contains thu
dedication of the monument II
memory Of Mrs. Henry Lott. *
commendable is the work and the
object which led up to it, that
regret to call attention to some err
rors which have occurred.
The date of the death of Mrs
Lott on the monument and in tht
address prepared for the occasion /:
January 1849. This is a variance
Of two years from the authentic
date. The histories of Polk, Dallas
and Boone, Webster and Hamilton
counties, prepared by the union His
torical Society all give the date Of
December, 1916, as the month in
which the raid and the date al
which Mrs. Lott died at about Jan
-uary l, 1S47. These dates were
never before disputed and if they
were, there is plenty Of evidence to
sustain them.
The man who first wrote a
sketch OF the raid on the Lott fam
lily was S. B. Mccall This is the
same sketch which appears in the
histories above named. At that
time S. B. Mccall was living two
miles south Of Madrid and only a
short distance from where Johnny
Green and his band OF Pottawatta-
mics who went with Lott on his re-
turn to the mouth Of Boone river,
were camped. Mr.. Mccall knew
what he was writing about, and he
got his dates exactly right. He has
two brothers still living in Boone
county and both Of them will testi-
fy to the correctness of those dates.
John Pea and Thomas Sparks were
two Of the men who went with Lott
to aid in the rescue Of his family
and both of them have repeatedly
said that the time of the Indian
raid was December, 1916, and that
Mrs. Lott, died short time after
wards. There are number of peo-
pie now living in Boone county who
will make affidavit that they head
both of them tell the story Of the
raid on the Lott family and give the
month of December, 1876, as the
time it occurred.
o. d. Smalley, at the time Of the
raid, lived mile west of what is
now the High Bridge, in Dallas
county. He was the first settler TO
locate in that part of Dallas county
and was acquainted with the Lott
family. He has repeatedly said
that the Indian raid was in Decem-
Der, 1876. After the death of Mrs.
Lott a short time after the raid, he
helped move Lott and his stepson
from the mouth of Boone river tol
his claim in Dallas county, where
they built log cabin and lived
there until the autumn of 1S47.
Lott then moved to Fort Des Moines
and in the spring of 1848 he was
to woman named Nc
Guire and in the fall Of that year
moved to the mouth of Boone river
again. Mr.. Smalley was man
whose veracity was never question |
I'd and who has held both county
md township Offices in Dallas coun-
".
l.. F. Andrews, the famous pion-
yer writer of Dies Moines, says The
lime Of the Lott tragedy at the
mouth OF Boone river was in the
winter OF 1867, which is in ac-
ord with the authorities above cit
ID.
There Is journal on file in, the
state Historical department in Des
Ioines, OF an expedition up the
country on the east side of the Des
doines river. which gives careful
md correct description of the coun-
ry, The parties composing this ex-
,edition left Fort Des Moines on
he 2Sth Of June, 1S48. Henry Lott
vas one of the members of this ex-
Particular attention is
ERE called to quotation from this
ournal when the expedition reach
d the mouth of the Boone river:
About one half mile above the
louth of Boone river, is the furth-
st UP any settlement has been
lade. Henry Lott settled here in
he spring Of '46 and was robbed by
ne Sioux Indians in the latter part
{ that year, and has abandoned it
,r the present. u
This journal was written in 1s4s. {