The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-01-29

some sixty odd years ago when the
1ittla city of Keokuk, Iowa, was
young; and the public pulse pea
strongly. and regularly--she did no,
need the hypodermtcal dose OF prom
ised factories, and future greatness tc
keen II so-and the inhabitants hac
no twineIbound purses neither die
they turn to the right, and to the left
to see what and how much his fellow
citizen was undertaking to confirm his
own faith. a force of men went to
work on stone foundation 6Sx9C
feet in a natural excavation at the In
tersection of two unbuilt streets. The
one leading up from the river front
was named for a F'renchman who
once looked over the rough lay Of the
surface OF this southeastern point OF
Iowa ana the other numbered seven
counting from the first which ran
parallel with the Mississippi,-and
built thereon substantial three
story brick, topped off with dome.
In November 1850, this colossal ed1-
face was dedicated, and named
Hughes Medical College.
This plain, but stately building,
credit to the middle west faced, for
years. hole In the natural lay OF the
ground much like the one out OF
which it had sprung, that was occu-
pied by woodward and foundry, I'M
slightly in the extreme. While across
the numbered street were yellow clay
banks-children's slides-showing al
so, the original lay OF the land
On the diagonal corner, also above
the street, there stood for some years
a two story frame used as pay
school by Prof w. w. Jamison.
II is not the surroundings, however,
that we have to deal with in this
sketch so much as the imposing ed1-
fee itself.
-. Influx Of Students.
With the opening Of the college
came an influx of students from vari-
Gus parts of the middle west; also the
filling of the professional chairs, Dr.
J. C. Hughes, the founder and builder
being at the head. In building, this
fine structure was equipped with
every known modern continuance, as
we'll as with view to sanitation, and
light. especially light. In so far as
these things were concerned changes
were made from time to time to meet
the demands Of progress; and caused
Interior changes. but the exterior re.
manned the same, except for an occa-
sional coat OF paint upon the wood
work.
The daily passer-by soon became
accustomed to the stateliness of this
great big pile of brick and mortar
which showed signs Of life only when
the student body emerged therefrom
after each session. or when, between
lectures they summed themselves about
the main entrance for a few minutes,
guving the Jamison students on the
Gia gonal corner, or perhaps tndulging
in a snow ball contest with them. It
was just the medical college, and he
PASSED on to his own affairs with no
thought further. And SO with gener-
alton, following generation they look
ed only upon its exterior, with It's i'm
posing greatness until its founder and
builder passed away, and the whole
concern went into other hands; and
after many years finally passed out of
existence as school.
Then all Of sudden 1t became
known as the old medical college, IN
Guiding all it's emptiness that echoed
to pin drop.
Changes had come to the adjacent
corners during these sixty odd years.
but not to the ugly hollow grown to
burdock, and Unison weeds, for to the
day the building was RACED two sides
of its foundation still showed. But not
SO the interior 1t had history OF
its own. Those four sedate and inno-
cent looking walls covered multitude
of secrets-of varied Importance
It is most generally known that the
student who matriculates in a meGi-
cal college is bounf to secrecy to
certain extent This is done to avoid
the misconstruction, by laymen, Of
the underlying principles Of the study
OF medicine, and all that that word
implies. 1t is not only proper, but
commendab1e.
A great percent Of the student body
IS made up Of farmers,-the better
class. however, and the village youth
who are novices to that that does not
admit of free and open expression.
But upon explanations to the why
and wherefore OF same, they accept it
seriously, and abide thereby, gener-
ally.
But not so the negro attendants who
do the janitor work, much of which is
done in the basement, for in the negro
mind secrecy is much allied to mys-
terry. And the mysterious, though 1t
enthralls him under the undue inf1u-
ence OF an infiamed imagination. is IN
nate in the nature Of him Of unmixed
African blood. And being part of
his nature, though he fears it. he in
vites, and enjoys it. And for fear he
will be disillusionad. shuns inyestiga-
ton
A Ghost Producer.
His duties, of which dog catching
and body snatching" are the least,
have much to do with enhancing his
fears of the supernatural while the
very egress and ingress-an obscure
basement door, and passage screened
by the iimson and burdock to the
aIIev-has its influence upon his mag
ination. Stories OF the happenings In