The bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-08-18
EDITORS OBSERVATIONS.

In one Of our observations we stat
ed that Mr.. Peter King Of Burlington
had gone to Colorado for his health.
We should have stated that he went
direct to Yellowstone Park and from
there to California in the hopes of
restoring his health. We understand
from his friends that he is getting
better.
Ii Our next stop was in Bloomfield,
Iowa. This town is the county seat
of Davis county and has but six col
ored families, all of whom own their
own homes and are doing well. The
two Jenkins brothers are old settlers
here. Mr.. Greenup is one Of the new
corners here, having moved here last
year from Mt. Pleasant. He owns his
home. -ar.
We next found rest in Centerville,
or rather more work than rest. Here
lives about 500 colored people doing
fairly well. 1t is mining commun-
ity and the men depend upon the work
of the mines for maintenance. H. w.
Thompkons, one of the old settlers
here, owns nice property, also Mr..
Good and Messrs. ]. C. and c. Reed
are still here. The Noahs, Carys and
Williams own their homes. Miss Cora
Crittenden chronicles the news from
this place for the Bystander. They
have only one church, the Baptist,
presided over by Rev. Darlington, who
has just been called to the passionate
here. They own nice church. They
have K. of P. lodge and Knights of
Tabor, each doing well. Mrs. Mildred
Mayfeld is still at the same place.
She has been visiting in St. Paul. VIM.
Price owns a nice home and is doing
we'll, also Henry Johnson. Mrs.
Henry Wright is still here, doing well,
also Mrs. Mary Mcdonald.
We next stopped in Abba and found
the people doing as well as usual in
the present hard times. Mr.. E. E..
Butler is still linotyping on the Mon
roe County News. G. w. Hollings-
worth still lives just out of the city
on his small farm and is doing well.
Miss May F. Davis still writes for
this town. She is our Oldest CORE
spondent and one of the punctual and
prompt ones we have on our reporter
ial list. Mrs. Mary F. Ward still lives
at the same place. Her fruit this
year is not so plentiful as last. Grant
Buckner is still chef at the New Mon
roe hotel. R. A. Grayson lives at the
same place. He is engineer at the
mine. Mr.. Allen still works at the
store. Mr.. John Thomas is assisting
his brother and father on the truck
farm. They are within the city lin
its. He is patching at present. He
has about twenty-one hogs, one
weighing between 800 and 900 pounds.
They are doing we'll this season. We
had the pleasure of spending the
evening with Mr.. Thomas and taking
breakfast with his father and mother,
Mr.. and Mrs. I. Thomas, SIG Second
street. They own a beautiful home
and are old settlers here. We en-
joyed their fine breakfast very much.
Walter A. Benning is still at the same
place, also T. B. Williams. The lat
ter owns an auto. Oscar Roper is a
coming young man. He is engineer
at one of the mines and has beau
tiful home and lovely family. Henry
Jones still owns his home. Mr.. l.. E.
Franklin still lives at his place and
is one of the reliable citizens here.
Mr.. Jamison and wife have gone into
the restaurant business and are MAX
ing a good start.
! We next stopped in Knoxville, Iowa,
for about an hour. Those whom we
met were doing fairly we'll. The
colored population Of Knoxville is on
the increase, as the mines are being
opened around the city. Mr.. Robert
Owens, who has been here many
years, died last winter, but his widow
still lives here. Mr.. J. B. johnson
lives in town now. Lem Ward is
still working at the Commercial hotel.
Mr.. Ray still lives here. His daugh-
ter, Ora Warthal, is a first class
dressmaker. Rev. R. P. Palmer re-
resides here.