Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1918-01-09
John III. Wilson Veteran Mail Clerk
on Cedar Rapids-Decor., Divi-
sion Granted Ninety Day
Leave of Absence.
WAS APPOINTED IN SERVICE
IN GRANTS ADMINISTRATION
Is Entering on His FOrty-Ninth Year
in Uncle Sans Service. Well
known in DEBORAH.

son will leave within a short time for
the Pacific Coast, where he will spend
the remainder of the winter with his
daughter, Mrs. Grace Wilson Lohr,
at Long Beach, California. On his re-
turn he will enter into his forty
ninth year of service in the railway
mail service, being assigned to the
Cedar RAPIDS and DEBORAH railway
postoffice.
Mr.. Wilson was appointed to the
railway mail service shortly after the
close of the Civil war, and under the
first administration of President
Grant in 1869 He is acknowledged
among railway mail clerks to be the
oldest in service in the United States,
and is believed to be the only clerk
now in service who was appointed
during the first administration of
President Grant.
Mr.. Wilson has been contributor
to the columns of The Cedar Rapids
Gazette since this paper was first es-
tablished. He has written a brief
sketch of his remarkable service for
this newspaper as follows:
BY John Wilson.
"My first appointment to the Unit
ed States railway mail service, IN
June, 1869, was on the old Dubuque
and Southwestern railway, from Far
ley to Cedar Rapids. My first official
designation was mail route messeng-
err, and my munificent compensation,
was, for time, $3.50 a year. This sal
airy / received in i1stallments, at in
tervals of three months each.
I'm order to convey some idea of
the contrast in conditions attending
railroading almost fifty years ago and
today, might be mentioned the fact
that there were remaining at that
time a few roads on which the old
wood strap rails "a wood rail with a
strap of fiat iron on top were used.
Between Anamosa and Monticello at
that time the iron rails used were
very light and were imported from
England The engines were also
light, and were wood burners.
No Hurry in Those Days.
81 remember that we were provid-
ed with a very commodious WOOD
yard between Anamosa and Viola,
near the present location of Stone
City, and long stops were made here
! to wood up. In fact, | found suffi-
cient time while this operation was
going on to wander quite distance
| into the adjoining woods during the
summer season and gather wild fruit
and nuts; and in case | wandered
away too far and did not return in
time, the engineer would very accom-
modatingly sound the whistle and
await my coming.
After about six years on this line
l. was transferred to the Chicago IL
| Northwestern railway, running from
Cedar Rapids to Council Bluffs. The
improvement in the railway mail SER
vice today is wonderful in compari-
son with what it was on this line
then. To the best of my recollection
there was but one mail train from
Cedar Rapids to Council Bluffs daily.
This train left Cedar Rapids at $3.50
a. m. and reached Council Bluffs at
about $50 p. m, stopping for meals
along the line at Grand Junction and
Dunlap. The mail train waited from
twenty to thirty minutes at each stop
for the passengers to dine There was
but one clerk assigned to each car,
and the work was quite strenuous
so much so that / took the first OPP
portunity to change runs with Frank
Boyce. now in charge Of postal car
from Chicago to Omaha, for the
Postville and Cedar Rapids run. l
have remained on this line the great
er portion of the time since.
Cautious About War Record.
I'm addition to my almost fifty
years in the service of the govern
ment as mail clerk, / also had BRIEF
but varied experience in the govern
ment military service during the clos
ing wear of the Civil war. / have here
tofore been very cautious about re-
ferring to my Civil war record, be-
cause | could boast of the certain
knowledge of ever having shot but
one man during my brief experience
as a soldier. That one man happened
unfortunately to be oe OF our own
cavalrymen.
"My regiment, the 44th Iowa in
fantry, was stationed at Lagrange
Tenn, about 200 miles from Mem
phis. and l had been acting as cor
poral of the night guard, on picket
duty at an outpost. This outpost was
some distance from the regimental
headquarters, and guarded deep cut
along a railroad track. The noted
General Forest, the guerilla chief
tain. was known to be in the vicinity,
and we were on the alert constantly.
although the discharging OF gun
without orders was contrary to in
structions from our superior officers,
| was tempted one night to take
shot at the old tree stump, not far
distant. | was not aware that l had
missed the stump until l arrived at
camp, where / was met by an officer
who proceeded to examine my gun.
OF course / had to admit l had dis
charged it without provocation, and
was informed that l had shot one OF
our own cavalrymen.
1.-The ball had struck the unfortu-
nate soldier in the fOot-not seri-
Gus wound-and he was conveyed to
the nearest government hospital at
Memphis. The situation looked some
what gloomy for me for time, and
as | held the very exalted rank of
corporal / expected to be at least