Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-01-18

riage. The other vehicles were hauled
by horses, mules. oxen, cows, and a
few by goats and dogs. This is no
fancy sketch. My recollection runs back
distinctly and clearly to that time, and
as the trail over which those infatuat-
ed people fled from their indignant
p%ursuers, ran across a portion OF my
fathers farm and for miles in sight of
our home, the whole scene comes very
wildly to my memory. / have seen at
one time as many as two hundred or
more Of these nondescript vehicles,
with their equally nonedescript teams
and burdens, threading their way slow
ly westward in n long line, with
much the general appearance or the
long single file Of the Indians of an ear
lier day, but causing much more un-
easiness and alarm among the settlers.
Then the camping time was dreadful.
The whole colony seemed to be directed
by a few bosses, who made themselves
heard more by their vehement cursing
and brutal fault finding, than by any
attempt to help or show those poor
people how to do what was expected Of
them. ,
I we'll remember the private car of
Brigham Young, then one Of the twelve
apostles Of Mormonism. This private
car was a large spring wagon with a
wide bed or platform surmounted and
surrounded with a continuous padded
seat, and other aristocratic accessories,
This was drawn by six large mules,
and in 1t rode the r~edoubtable Brigham
and his numerous (~wife)-about eight
Of them 1 believe, and (her) respective
progeny.
The only consolation offered the set
tiers with regard to the depredations OF
these rowing people, was that they did
not stay long in one place, for the set
tiers saw to it that they had the con-
slant idea impressed on them that they
mus move on, and they did. So the
country here was soon free Of them.
Wherever they camped--whether for a
day or more, some Of their Jealous men
would visit the neal by homes in a-to
them missionary spirit-to urge their
doctrine upon the people, and they
often became so insistent as to threat
en- vengeance If their arguments We're
repealed or treated lightly. / we'll gre
member of one stalwart foreigner
standing In the door Of my fathers
house after a heated argument with my
mother. With his arm lifted high over
his head and his eyes cleaning with
excitement and zeal, he exclaimed In a
loud voice: Madam, you may disregard
and sheer at my talk now, but ! shall
live to come back with the chosen OF
God in great force. and then these riv-
ers will run red with the blood Of such
stubborn gentiles as YOU. Mark my
words Madam" Well he has not return
ed In force. There are numerous un-
marked Mormon graves along this trail
across the state, hat no one but the
almighty could locate now. For they,
sturdy pioneers too, were subject to
sickness and death. and for some this
rough long journey was too hard.
After the Mormons came the gold
seekers rush to California. The usual
transportation for these was the
prairie schooner or covered wagon.
This move vas in some ways like the
Mormon movement but much better or
ganized and better equipped, with less
%haphazard ways and fixtures. These
ten to twenty-five, teams, with from
two to four men or older boys to each
team. Few. almost no women and chill
dren. These men n older boys were
a ~peaceable. jolly lot, full Of life and
high hopes of wealth at the end Of that
long tedious journey through wilder
ness and over mountain, a few to sue
coed in the ambition for getting gold,
others to bitter disappointment and
failure. while hundreds never reached
the gold fields, and by sickness OF star
walton or massacre by Indians or
treacherous foe, by drowning In swol-
len streams, by thirst in the deserts or
in other ways were brought to fill un-
marked graves on the plains, where no
human can locate them, n no hope
Of identity until the final resurrection.
After these events had become things
of the past the great upheaval of the
civil war came over u fair land. l
was then grown to Womanhood, "a
pioneer teacher) and our home was on
the geographical border between the
north and south, so that many things
occurred very near our home that made
that war very real to us. ] had three
brothers and two cousins all enlist
within a very short time. One brother
was killed in his first battle-four
months after enlistment. The battle Of
Prairie Grove in Arkansas. The mem
DRY of those days is so vivid in my
mind that it is hard to line up events
in order. This battle was fought in No
vember, but the general turmoil put the
mail service into such uncertainty that
no authentic news reached us until
Christmas day. That Christmas day!
How it stands out-a terrible unde
storm, sharp lightning, wind, rain and
some hail, was passing over when q
messenger came to the door and left an
official message-'Killed on the field OF
Prairie Grove. Joshua T. Phillips"-my
Oldest brother. Our father and mother
were then living, and the wife Of this
brother and his two small children
were with us to share in that shock.
His death was followed in about six
weeks by that Of his wife and baby.
and in a few days by my mothers
death. The message Of death on that
battlefield came not only to u home
but to five other homes in our neigh
borhood. {
The unsettled state Of the country
was followed by many raids, by gangs
called OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES search Of
arms or valuables and clothing and
supplies. and woe to a good horse that
was sighted by the gangs. They seldom
got over into Iowa, SO the people along
the Missouri side felt pretty safe IL
their goods could be stored in the care
of friends in Iowa. And for two or three
years of the war, fathers premises had
In care at all times large quantities Of
miscellaneous goods. sometimes Of con-
siderable value. / remember at one time
the inventory was ten head of horses,
t- a