The bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-06-23
EDITORS OBSERVATIONS.
BY John L. Thompson,

calling upon many of our subscrib-
ers in the middle west to have them
pay up their subscription dues and
incidentally jot down a few lines as
to their progress and to note the
changes since we last reported. To
the average reader it would seem to
be the same old report as observed
last year, but not so, for within the
short space of one year there have
been many changes. The ruthless
hand of time and the inevitable fate
Of man is ever changing. Hence we
are to note these changes. With an
other cold spring just ended and an
other cold summer to follow the foot
steps of last year we are again
tramping through a cold, drizzling
rain, which seems to have no end.
On leaving our home, the metropo-
lis Of Iowa, we first found two
hours stop over in Osceola, Iowa, a
beautiful town in southern Iowa,
named after an Indian tribe. This
town at cne time was the shelter for
many fugitive slaves from Missouri.
Here now lives about thirty te'ored
people happily located, with one
church, A. M. E., with a Sunday
school doing we'll. Mrs. Anna Will
liams is pioneer settler here, high
}y' respected. She has cooked for the
Howe hotel, the only hotel in the
town, for twenty-eight years, a good
sample Of faithfulness to duty. WAL
ter Griffin is working in an automo-
bile garage as machinist. Frank
Bryant is city bus man and delivery
man for the Adams Express COM
pany. Has worked for the Howe
hotel company for more than twen-
ty-five years. He has recently mar
ried and lives in nice home. q lie
new subscribers are W. Griffin, John
and Mrs. J. A. Draden, Mrs. Ed
Shealley, L. M. Jackson and Frank
Holder. Mr.. Holder is a plasterer by
trade, new man here. L. w. jack
son is cement contractor from To-
reka, Kans. He has all the work
that he can do. He is fine me-
chanic.
Creston was our next stop for two
hours. Here we first met the genial
face, though somewhat wrinkled
with age, of c. F. Burnaugh, who
has worked for the Summit hotel for
thirty years. He is known to every
travelling man in suthern Iowa. C.
r. Hawkins has opened shining
rarlor one year ago and is doing
| well. Mr.. and Mrs. H. Martin old
settlers here, who have spent about
a half century here, have without
doubt one of the finest fruit and gar
den tracts Of any person in Creston.
He owns about three acres in the
city, all covered with Strawberries
1aspberries, gooseberries, cherries,
plums, apricots, peaches and apples,
and his trees are full. He is we'll
qualified. They are race loving peo-
PIE. The widow, Mrs. Anna Dow, is
still living on her little truck and
fruit farm of three acres and doing
we'll. Mr.. E. Baldwin and brothe,
are still farming 500 acres of gooc
Iowa land two miles from town. They
have a large crop out this year.
At 10 o'clock we arrived in Clar.
india, Iowa. Here is located one Of
our state institutions, the asylum. W.
have about 300 colored citizens here
with two churches, each about out o1
debt, the Baptist under Rev. Mitchell
which is being painted, also the par
sonage, and the A. M. E. under Rev
| D. w. Brown, an old soldier and pio
neer minister. He is doing nicely
He has put on about $3.50 worth o.
repairs in raising the church up an,
moving it over, filling in a ditch
painting and putting on vestibule
All work paid in advance. Ed Jones
the cook for the Clarinda regimenta
band, has been ordered out to go t
mobilize preparatory to going to tn
front. Henry H. Cook, our merchant
had his store and stock of good
burned down and it was a complet
loss. He is now rebuilding, this tim
a brick store, and will soon be in il
Mr.. G. N. Nowling has sold out hi
lots in the southeast part of the cit
and has bought lot in the mort
part and has built new completed
modern seven-room cottage, a beau
tiful home, a credit to any race. MI
4 Nowling is q young. hard working
81 n man. His wife will represent til
4 Bystand der ass gent i this year. MI
vn1. Hsadley iss stilll dslivering lee
even thSssh| soids ,s!' 4 . I ,osh u APembertor