Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-09-25
FINDS PAPERS OF
SUIT FILED IN 80
HENRY co. CLERK UNEARThS
VERY INTERESTING AND
ANCIENT DOCUMENT.

Mt. Pleasant, Sept. %. - Hosea Hall
VS., Joseph Huntely is the title OF law
suit filed in the district court OF Henry
county in May, 1889, while Iowa was
still a territory, the proceedings OF
which were found by the county clerk
today while sorting out some old ming
cases which were abandoned when the
old court house was demolished. While
the law suit in itself was unimportant,
being merely an action brought III as
sunpsit on a promissory note TOT Sloo
with Judgment for costs for the delenu'
ant, yet from a legal as well as hlstor-
ical standpoint the documents are re-
plete with interest. All the papers are
written in long hand In bold characters
and the ink is nearly as legible as the
day, three-quarters Of a century ago.
when they were penned. Ruled 1ools'
cap was used and there IS no UNIFORM
ity in the size Of the papers. AS nearly
as could be cleaned from the 1ncom.
plete records the plaintiff had secured
a Judgment for $3.50 from the defend
ant and fearing that the latter was
about to dispose of his property sued
out writ of attachment.
The summons was signed by f. Kill
patrick, clerk of Henry county ana was
addressed to the sheriff Of Jefferson
county in the name of the united
States Of America. The summons was
served by reading on June 10. 1889 ana
was Witnessed by the signature OF the
Hon. Charles Mason Judge OF the t1rst
Judicial district of the said territory.
Mt. Pleasant is today in the Fifteenth
Judicial district. The documents bore
the temporary seal of the county which
was in wax bearing to this day faint
impression of the American eagle. Inc
summons bears a notation OF one doi.
lar for mileage to cover the expense OF
travel to Fairfield and back a distance
IT fcrty-eight miles,
To indemnify the defendant against
the possibility of the attachment beng
wrongful Hosea Hall and William Nor.
row signed bond in the penal sum or
four hundred dollars The bonds were
signed with the private seal of the con-
tracing parties, form of legal proceed
ure which has long been abolished IN
eyery state of the union. The private
seals are in the form Of scroll Dear
ing in the center the word seal. >.
Smith, the sheriff of Jefferson county,
receives from the inventory Of cost
the magnificent sum of ninety cents 10
cover the expenses of journey OF over
thirty miles.
Perhaps the most interesting part
of the whole suit is contained IN the
inventory of the goods of the defendant
which we're attached to cover the Judge
ment of $3.50. The first item mentions
two yoke of red steers valued at $50.
Joel Van Wrinkle and James F. Rice,
being declared to possess the true
qualification Of appraisers were ap-
pointed by the court to value certain
lands of the defendant towit: west
half of the southwest quarter OF section
20 township No. 70, north range NO !!
west. The appraisers deposed ana
swore that this land was worth $3.50
In other words the richest portion OF
the far famed Henry county agricul-
tural belt was valued in 1889 at approx
imarely three dollars per acre. This
same land today is worth three nun
dred dollars per acre.