Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1911-02-22


and widening on it's way till it
broadens and deepens into a solemn
flow, majestically gliding on its
course to the sea.
Then there was the handiwork of
man Joined to the work of God,
touching the splendors of nature
with human life and energy and
clothing every mile of the way with
delightful harmony, which was as
ennobling to the soul as it was en-
chanting to the eye. Every now
and then as we sailed on our course
charming little villages could be
seen nesting at the feet of the
bluffs as though they were seeking
shelter from the storms which swept
over the open prairie behind them,
or sitting at the feet of the great
rocks which lowered above them as
man would sit at the feet of God.
Interspersed with these villages,
larger and more pretentious places
would occasionally break upon our
view. They were to be the cities of
the future for even then foundations
were being laid which, later on be-
came evidences of the forethought
of their projectors. Large side
wheel steamers and smaller stern
wheelers on their way from Saint
Louis to Saint Paul, loaded with
merchandise for the rapidly increas-
ing populations of the northwest
and crowded with passengers, most
OF them emigrants or home seekers,
who were soon to become the lords
OF the land; or returning from ST.
Paul loaded down to the waters
edge with the products of the newer
country, but carrying fewer passen-
gers, were frequently met with on
the upper river, that is, north of
st. Louis. Great RATS which always
claimed, and never failed to receive
the right of way-the terror of the
boats, big or little, might be seen
almost any day, lazily floating down
stream like some monstrous turtle,
asking odds of no one and seldom
showing the least consideration for
any craft that might by chance get
in it's way. 1t was only when the
raftsmen and the steamboat men
happened to tie up for the night at
the same town, which they were
sometimes obliged to do whel the
river was at low stage of water
and the night was dark, that there
was any actual conflict. But when
they did thus come together, it sure
was case of Greek meet Greek,
for after taking on a cargo of forty
rod" as it was called, and both sides
had thus been placed on a war foot
ing, hostilities began, and generally
they were continued all through the
night with necessary intermissions
to allow each side to replenish its
ammunition at the low down dog
geries with which the river towns
abounded. The battle ragged in
spite of all the authorities could do
to stop it, the drunken combatants
would blaze away at each other with
pistols, hammer one another with
their fists, with clubs or anything
they might be able to lay their
hands on, rendering the night hid
eous with their brawling blasphemy
and their howls of pain as they were
pummeled by their adversaries.
There was not much choice between
them, one side was as bad as the
other, so no one cared which had
the best Of 1t. There was always
deadly feud between them in the old
days. They thrived on broils and
contentious. Chickering's and strifes
were their meat and drink, the river
and it's shores were their battle
fields and in many instances their
graves. These ARRAYS became so no.
torious as to become at last utterly
uncomfortable. The young men of
the towns were dragged into them
to some extent; low doggeries and
baudy-houses lined the river front
for an entire block, rendering it un-
safe for decent citizens in that neigh
borhood after dark, for they were
always in danger of being robbed
or even murdered.
Finally it was determined to
break up the foul dens and rid the
town of their presence. But as the
police force of the town which con-
sisted of single watchman was not
strong enough for so great an un-
dertaking the problem was a COM
plicated one. 1t was solved at last,
however, by the members of the fire
company, Resolute No. /, who vol
unteered to do the work. 1t was a
serious undertaking, but the boys
were not deferred by the danger,
they were in dead earnest. So one
dark night near eleven o'clock