The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1911-05-04
SOME OLD LEON PAPERS

Items from the Old Leon Pioneer
and Leon News Published Near
Iy a Half Century Ago.
J. B. Snyder, who lives few miles
east of Leon, brought us in several
old papers, which were found put
away at his home, they having been
taken by the father of Mrs. Snyder,
the late Benjamin Hawkins, one of
the pioneers of Decatur county. One
of the papers is a copy of the old
Leon Pioneer, now The Reporter,
dated July 16, 1869, being forty-two
years old. G. N. Udell was the editor
at that time, and it is rather a crude
newspaper compared with The Re-
the paper being printed in Leon. The
advertisements are unique, and the
only advertiser who appeared in the
paper at that time who is still doing
business in Leon, is J. R. Bashaw.
Some of the advertisers at that time
were A. S. Updegraff, harness shop;
Hildreth & Sales, drugs; C. D. Sell
lers, dry goods and groceries,; A. B.
Long, general merchandise; Leon
Woolen Factory, run by R. M. Mud
gett & Co., who advertised they
would pay SO cents per pound for
tub washed wool, and sold 1annels
from 65 to IS cents, jeans rs to IS
cents, satinetts $1.0O to $1.20; the
Misses Vaughn were in the millinery
business; Jacob Warner had opened
new jewelry store; VIM. Carroll
had furniture store over John Bald
wins grocery; Bobbitt & Pickering
ran blacksmith shop and Charles
Carroll a wagon shop in connection
and they advertised they would take
all kinds of country produce in ex-
change for work; J. l.. Young and
George Woodbury. were bankers, do
ing business under the firm name of
Young & Co.; A. w. Daily had a
shingle factory five and half miles
south of Leon, making oak, walnut
and elm shingles; Mrs. F. P. Mott
sold 'lovely bonnets and sweet lit
tie hats" Charles Shaw and G.. w.
Jenree were painters; Drs. C. P. Null
linnix and B. F. Raiff were physi-
clans; ]. B. Morrison and J. W..
Penny were attorneys; DR.. J. H. Rey-
nolds, dentist; A. Frazier was selling
sewing machines at from $65 to $S8;
The Burlington railroad was adver-
tising the completion of the
bridge over the Mississippi at Bur-
lington, and the road was only built
as far west as Ottumwa; The Osceola
grain market was quoted, wheat 70
@$1.0O, rye 70, corn SO, oats 49,.
white beans $3.50, timothy seed
$3.50 to s2.75, millet zoe to $1.OO,
green hides 5 and &C, hogs 6 II to &c,
cattle 5 to &C, salt 1885 per barrel.
There was not a single item of per-
sonal or local news in the paper, and
the editor evidently did not have
much work to do, aside from getting
up small amount of type.
Another old paper was a copy of
the Leon News, which afterwards be-
came the Pioneer, the editors being
J. P. & c. P. Finley, which is dated
March II, 1864. Among the adver-
tisers in it were J. B. Lunbeck & Son,
nurserymen; Clark & Covington,
grocers; A. S. Updegraff, harness
and shoes; John Patterson, saddle
and harness maker; Joseph Lock-
wood, wagon shop; J. w. Bunk, har-
ness shop; Richards & Hale, general
store; VIM. Whitecar had opened a
saloon; Chas. S. Stout was a dealer in
English, French, German and Amer
lean drugs; Jas. M. Coffin, photograph
gallery and jewelry shop; Jacob
Courtelyou, blacksmith. Prices were
considerably higher than in 1869,
the following market quotations be-
ing furnished by Richards & Hale:
Flour per 100 pounds, 81 to S.;
corn meal per bushel, 6Oc; wheat, 81
to $1.25; oats, 4Oc; potatoes, soc;
hay per ton, IS to Sc; lard, &c;
bacon, &c; hams, &C.; beef, 21a to
&c; assorted nails, SIC; sorghum,
soc; coffee, 81 II to 40c; sugar, 16
to zoe; rice, 12Ac; honey, SC; dried
hides, lac; butter 12 to 15c; eggs,
1Oc; chickens per dozen, $1.00.
The soldier boys of Co. D, 4th
Iowa Infantry, had just returned
home from the war, and that is the
only item of local news in the whole
paper. The following is the account
of their return and a reception sup
per given them:
THE boys of Co. D, 4th Iowa In
fantry arrived in town last Saturday
p. m. All are in good health and
looking pretty hearty. Some of the
younger members of the company
have changed so much that they
were hardly recognized by their own
friends.
Captain Springer gave US an ex-
ample of his speed on advance, in
the rapid manner of his making
tracks for home, giving US hardly
time to say 'How'dy, John,' as he
went whisking around the corner.
Lieut.. Bowman never looked better
in his life; sojering must agree with
them all, now they are fairly used
to it. This company has seen hard
service in the severest and most i'm
portant battles in the west, Pea
Ridge, the Seige of Vicksburg, and
tho haff1oo around Choffonnooo how