The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1913-01-30
YEARS Ago
Items Taken from the Files of The
Reporter Published a Quarter
of q Century Ago.

| CudTIcS udTp udu puFCudScu lOuI
county rights for F. r. Siltz' patent
ventilator, for 500.
l. Mrs. r. w. McConn was visiting
with relatives at Ft. Madison, and
in the meantime Dick chews hash at
the hotel de Bill Brown.
Lewis -Neice had returned from
Kansas where he had been for sever
al months holding responsible po-
sition as foreman of painting eStab-
lishment.
| A merry party of Masons includ-
ing c. w. Beck, r. H. Schenck, G. A.
Hawkins, Geo. R. Farquhar, w. R.
Moore, y. F. Avery, NJ. Mayer and
Geo. w. Wadsworth attended a meet
ing Of the Decatur City Masonic
lodge and witnessed work in the first
and third degrees. After the lodge
work was completed the visitors
from Leon were entertained at an
elaborate midnight supper by the De-
| atur lo,.sc.
G. B. Keshlear, of Davis City, was
called to Kansas City to attend the
funeral of his sister.
The Reporter installed it's first
cylinder press and the paper was en-
larged to nine column folio.p 1t was
located in the Forgrave building and
som ething less than thousand men
had informed Mr. Forgrave that the
big new press would ruin his build
| ing:
A letter from Leonard Perdew,
who was at Lander, Wyoming Terri
tory, stated that his health was
failing his lungs being weak and
the severe cold had been hard on
him, but as the weather moderated
he was feeling better.
The Leon Board of Trade was Or
ganized with E. w. Curry president,
A. f. Chase vice-president, L. Scott
Robinson secretary, Edgar McClel-
land treasurer, and an executive
committee composed of Geo. E.
Hurst, Horace Farquhar, N. W.
Rathbun, Scott Robinson and E. w.
Curry. They had leased the hall
over the Farmers l. Traders Bank
and were preparing to do great
things for Leon. - - p 87'
Major G. c. Mudgett, the original
captain of Co. L, 3rd Iowa Cavalry,
was visiting with old friends in Leon.
The Des Moines, Osceola and
Southern Railroad was preparing to
L
make it standard railroad.
T 4 na:1 named J. w. Johnson was
arrested for passing a forged note on
the Garden Grove Bank, the name OF
S. l.. Curry being forged to the note.
The same evening he appeared in
Leon and asked for blank notes at
the Leon banks and asked if Mr..
Curry would be accepted as surety
on note, and being told that he
would, departed Soon the forgery
at Garden Grove was discovered and
sheriff Honnold was notified and ar
rested the fellow at the Farmers
hotel in this city. He frankly ad-
mitted his guilt and requested that
he be sent to the pen at once. Judge
J. w. Harvey made an order to con-
vene the grand jury on Monday, at
10 o'clock. At noon he was indicted
at o'clock he was sentenced to
three years in the penitentiary at
Ft. Madison, and was on his way to
prison the same day, only four days
from the time he had committed the
crime. Years ago Mr.. Johnson lived
in Franklin township and was re-
spected by everyone. He taught
school for several terms, had an in
telligent wife and lovely children,
and had bright future before him.
Yet notwithstanding all this and to
the utter surprise Of everyone, he
was arrested in the fall of 1859 for
forging the names of Alma Johnson
and S. l.. Curry, his nearest neigh
pors and best friends. At that time
he owned good farm and was able
to give bonds He forfeited his
bond and disappeared and was not
heard of until many years after
when E. w. Curry was visiting the
penitentiary at Ft. Madison and rec
Ognized Johnson in prison garb and
learned that he was serving q term
for forgery committed in Polk
county, and now after nearly twenty
years he again appears in Decatur
county and repeats the crime from
which he fled as a fugitive from
justice in 1869.
Mrs. Jordan Roger fell on the ice
and broke her right arm.
Count Zichey, of Garden Grove,
was visiting in Leon with his friend,
F. Varga
James R. Hullinger, of Eden town.
ship, and Miss Lydia M. Henderson,
at the home of the brides parents,
in Hamilton township, on Jan. 29th
bu Justice d. C. Cowles.
Mr. VIM. R. Blake, of LEGO, Mo-,
and Miss Dorothel Trembly, of Eden
township, were married by Justice
D. G. Cowles at his home in Eden
township, on Jan. goth.
Mr.. VIM. Hullinger, - of Eden
township, and Miss Annetta Hender-
son, of Burrell township, were mar
ried at the home of the brides par
e.lts in Burrell township, by Justice
D. C. Cowles.
Mr.. John Hollingshead and Miss
Joanna Price, of Decatur township,
were married at the home of the
brides parents in Long Creek town
ship OH Jan. 26th, by Rev. James
Blair.
Frank Arnold has traded his pat
ent medicine business to e. Spencer
for stock Of groceries at Davis