Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-10-12
old Day. n M.r,h.Il County.

Old Days in Marshall County.
Some enthusiastic parties in the His
torical Society once asked me to write
! something for their amusement OF
qualification. and this is the outcome.
When the writer about fifty years
ago landed in Marshalltown, base
ball game was going on down on the
bottom by the then Northwestern
single track. Hank Arson and his little
boys, Sturg and Ada, and A. B. Cooper
and their chums were trying to learn
how to play baseball. They nadnt
even thought about our fine modern
game in which our noble sons root
around in the mud and filth ike
Chester White pigs, and ribs, bones
and blood are squandered with inn
punity, as though they cost nothing
and had no value. Their beautiful
sisters look on, and the other girls
which they call Fans" know when to
laugh and holler like the bulls OF
Bashan, and cheer our dear boys on.
Our boys are called athletes" and
our merchants and business men will
throw up business largely, and ride,
walk or run to see the ball game. Our
beautiful city once paid a price for the
privilege to have an up-to-date amuse-
ment, and the high school has It's
team. And now and then junket.ns
trip is in order. patterned in some re-
spects after the style OF our good city
fathers The said beautiful sons will
come home after wiping the compete
tors off the map. Perhaps Sunday, or
2 o'clock in the night with their
tongues tied-as still as mice. or they
~ nd nd
sing all the way from the depot to
dads house. Did you ever hear their
enhancing refrain, and the answers?
Mother has just gone to bed. pap
hasn't come home yet-went to lodge
you know, and our big daughter. Glory
Wilda-she hasn't come in yet. She
went to the movies with her fellow you
know. and after the exercises closed
they went to John Blanks and had
some ice cream and other refresh
ments.
Henry Moler told me he came from
Indiana to Marshalltown with a light
pair of horses and a wagon full OF
babies-and $500 in money-entered
government land two miles from Mar
shalItown for home. and begun the
struggle. After some years he wanted
some denim for cfiidren's clothes, Sus
had no money to buy 1t with-and he
got blue and what some people call
discouraged and he went to town and
saw Dr. Click and told him "he had
10 give it up he couldn't make It,"
DIR. Clicks answer was "Moler, you
stick, and if 1t comes to that You are
hungry. you come to me-" Moler went
home weighing ton, the result was.
he didn't go to Click again, but the
family was raised and he fell, some
years ago in his town garden. dead:
and left his family about 200 acres Of
land town home and money at in
terest.
When I came here in SO John
Campbell was the great Mogul with
about a thousand acres of land and
feeding an unknown quantity OF hogs
and cattle. His timber was priced
then at 500 an acre. Ny nrst attend
ance at church was riding in with
Edmund Hurlburt some three miles
and half to the evening service. It
was in Rices hall and ]. p. Sanford
was the preacher. J. n. leighton
sang, and John McCord was usher. Do
you think that service was q crude
affair compared with this modern day,
with the multitude Of churches getting
along by hook and crook? Do Car
negie pipe organs beat Heighton's
tenor and Elder 0. A. Holmes bass?
The ministers had an influence in
those days and they We're looked up to
with veneration and respect-their ad-
vice was sought.
Grandma Harrison told me Of an in
cident A good mother had nice little
son who got beyond her control some
what. He would tell "whopping Ash
stories. The pious mother consulted
the preacher and he came down to fix
up the boy. He got the little fellow on
his lap and his own intellectual ma
chine to go as follows:
Firstly-"It has come to my ear my
son that you amt doing like good
little boy-you tell things that amt so
lies you know" Say Uncle, how
did you hear Of it?" ooh little bird
told me-" Say bet it was that
little damned sparrow"
Judge Woodbury. told me when
i was here Two months before on my
western tour OF inspection. Of hotel
or as he put it "a little house Of enter
tainment a mile west" kept by L. w.
Giddings, a nephew Of old Joshua r.
| and l had proved it was a hungry
| mans paradise Delmonicos-for
good clean victuals were loaded on the
table. where man could help himself.
or starve on etiquette and dignity, and
| later go to the captains office and
settle, % cents a meal and no tooth
picks thrown In.
When came here two months later,
/ got my family housed speedily at
Giddings'. as I thought just the place
| for hungry emigranters. With little
money. and then started my auto
| shank's mare. to see what ] could
find to live in, and 1t was a sweater.