Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1911-12-28
HOW A FEUD
AROSE
By EVAN CAMERON
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation, 1911.


friends.
Two pioneers, Daniel Simpson and
Henry Underwood, emigrated with
their families to the far west and en-
tered land owned by the government.
They had been schOOlmateS and owned
farms side by side. There was no oc-
casion for a dispute to arise between
them so long as they remained in the
east, for their boundaries had been sur
veycd and fixed generations ago, and,
being we'll fenced the stock of neither
could trespass upon the others prem
iScS. Therefore their affection for
each other grew stronger and the fami-
lies were further bound together by
an engagement between Eliza Simpson
and Frank Underwood the Oldest
daughter Of the one and oldest son
Of the other.
The two friends each entered
quarter section of land, the two farms
being side by side. Simpsons land
was more largely covered with tim
Der than UnderwOod's, and this fact
became wedge between them. \
railroad soon after their settlement on
the land was projected to run along
side their property, and it became at
once apparent that the timber would
be valuable for ties. AS soon as this
was learned Underwood became in
tcrestcd in his boundary line covering
as much of wood as it could be
stretched to cover, living on the line
between the two properties.
one morning Simpson went out to-
ward his friends property and found
Underwood driving stakes on what he
considered to be his own land. He
protested, and Underwood declared
that that was the dividing line and he
was intending to begin the next morn
ing to fell trees in order to be ready to
supply the railroad with ties as soon
that every tree he cut beyond Ger
tain point would be robbery. Then
Underwood called Simpson pig and
the fight was on.
The next morning the ex-friends met
on the line of dispute, each having an
fore the day was over instead of fell
ing trees they felled each other. Nei-
Their coming home to supper, their re-
speCtive families went out to look for
them and found their dead bodies, the
skulls of both being cloven.
The trouble threw gloom over both
families. 1t was especially deplorable
rxN - A.,
two young people. Frank Underwood.
in order that there might be no more
trouble, sent to the county seat for
surveyor, who fixed the boundary. 1t
turned out that neither his father nor
his fathers friend was right, the true
boundry being Il diagonal line with the
one about which they cOntended.
Nor was this all that was mistaken
in the matter The disputants had not
long been buried when the railroad to
whose contractors they had expected
to sell so many ties was discovered to
be running the line several miles away
from the property of either and
through its own timberland.
One night when Eliza Simpson was
sleeping at home she was awakened
by the sound of axes being driven into
the trunks of trees. The sound seem
ed to her to como from the direction
of the boundary line She sat up in
bed and listened. The AK men We're
apparently wing with each other.
each striving to strike more rapidly.
Eliza got up and went into her moth
ers room to awaken her. but by the
time she had succeeded i'm doing SO
the sound had ceased
The next morn ng when she had told
of what she had heard alI considered
that she had been dreaming. Never
thelCSS she declared that she had
heard the axes distinctly, the sounds
coming from Il point between the
simpsons and the UnderwoodS' dwell
ings. When she told her lover about
it he declared that if any such sounds
had existed he would have heard
them more readily than his fiancce.
since the Underwood house was nearer
the line ON which the timber bordercd
than the Simpsons. Eliza. who was
positive as to what she had heard
gave him y sharp reply. and he left
her in anger.
Eliza Simpson heard again the
sounds of axes on the boundary line,
Since the double murder of the heads
OF the two families the conditions had
been embarrassing. and the day after
EliZa's having heard the mysterious
AK men again Mrs. Simpson went to
Mrs, Underwood and told of the oc-
currence, Mrs. Underwood had been
under strain ever since the catas-
trophe and upon Mrs. Simpsons visit
lost her self control completely. de
claring that she believed Simpson had
murdered her husband, who acted sim
ply in self defense.
The families Of the men who had
killed each other now came to open
warfare. The match between Eliza
and Frank was broken OF, and no one
of tho SimDSOnS SDoka IN IN Under