Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1919-02-20
AUDUBON AGAIN
IN SPOTLIGHT
REGENT VISITOR TO AUDUBON
WRITES INTERESTING LET
TER TO HIS HOME PAPER

acme of their niece, Mrs. G.. H..
Wilde and family, on reaching Ohio
wrote very interesting story for
his home paper Mr. Bowman is a
brother of our former townsman, w.
II. Bowman, deceased. He is 81 years
cid and this trip was the first time
he was in Iowa. He, like his broth
er, Is an old soldier, veteran OF the
Civil war and member of the 92nd
Ohio. lie and his brother entered
the war in 1862, leaving home to-
gether and both being with Sherman
in his march to the sea. The let
ter he has written to the Leader at
middleport, Ohio. is as follows
my brother, b. s. Bowman, of
Carpenter, and myself, started from
the home of my daughter, Mrs.
Hundiey. in Columbus. on the even
ing of October 1st at 300 o'clock for
Carroll, Iowa, arriving there just "a
hours later There We found await
ing us with their auto, Mr. c.. H..
Wilde and wife, who was Miss Bessie
Bowman, daughter of our brother,
W. II. Bowman, deceased. An hour
later after speeding over excellent
roads, twenty-eight miles, found us
at their home in Audubon where a
warm supper with hot coffee was in
waiting to which we did ample JUS
tice.
Audubon is the county seat of a
county of the same name, and owing
1o.a Jealous strife between this town
and Extra, nine miles south, both
striving for the county seat, they
have not been able at Audubon to get
majority vote in favor of taxation
sufficient to erect the proper build
ings, consequently they are using on
iy temporary edifiees for court and
official purposes.
mr.. Wilde is prominent business
man of the town, selling farm imple-
nents. installing lighting plants,
selling washing and sewing ma
chimes, gathering cream for butter
factory in Omaha, shipping poultry,
etc. He has two men in his en-
ploy and the three are busy as beav-
ers most of the time.
Notwithstanding his pushing BUSH
ness Mr.. Wilde seemed to delight in
showing us around and on several
occasions took US riding to different
localities. While on one OF these ex-
petitions we saw the method the
large farmers use in taking care of
their corn. The wagons are sent to
the field. the huskers following, one
man in the rear of the wagon and
enc on either side, husking from the
standing stalks. When the wagon
rs loaded it is driven to the barn yard
where. by means of an inclined rail-
way from the ground to the top of
the barn, run by horsepower, the corn
is taken up and dumped into the bins
below.
What do they do with the i'm
nense crops usually raised? Well
sell when the marhes is right, feed IL
10 hogs, or keep it over. etc.
Speaking of hogs reminds me that
on another occasion we were driven
to a farm where they make a special
ty of breeding fine p0rkers, of the
Poland China variety. And such
hogs! Veritable monsters. Some
of them tipping the scales at ten or
eleven hundred pounds. We were
told that few days before our visit
one hog was sold that weighed over
twelve hundred pounds and brought
a fabulous price which ! will not re-
peat lest some of our modest farmers
" Meigs county will say the whole
story sounds 'fiShy. Ii anyone
thinks these statements need vertical
ton they have only TO refer to Mr.
&. II. Wilde OF Audubon. Iowa, who
will gladly verify all the statements |
nave made
''Mr. hog, notwithstanding his fine
physical development. is still hog
and retains his instructive habit of
wallowing in the mire. Just imagine
for moment. Mr. Editor, one of
those II hundred pound monsters
standing in his sullen. hoggish dig
nifty, snout to the ground. small eyes
almost obscured by broad pendant
ears, great tusks three OF four inches
ling protruding from his jaws on
either side, all covered with mud and
slime; is il any wonder our Jewish
friends refuse to eat HRS meat?
AT another time we visited the
farms at Audubon of Mr.. Johnson
who is an extensive breeder of FIVE
cattle and had at this time about / so
head in his barns here ready for sale
at auction at stated times during DC
tober. His men informed US that
he had 800 head more on his farm a
few miles from Audubon.
THUS it is that farming operations
the proceeds are pocketed by a small
percent OF the population.
ITO man up n tree il seems a
great pity that these large farms
could not be divided up into much
smaller ones and sold 20 the people at
reasonable prices. The soil appears
to be of inexhaustible fertility and
under intensive cultivation is sus-
ceptible of producing lavishly of all
kinds of agricultural products COM
mon to our country. And there are
thousands of men in the congested
population of our great cities who
would rejoice az the opportunity of
purchasing small home that they
could call their own. Then indeed
would the raIlying cry Back TO the
farm" have a special significance,
ard in few years we would have In
many sections OF our great country
extensive communities of small and
prosperous farmers, with everybody
happy and contented
''At Audubon we had the sad
pleasure OF visiting the last resting
place of our brother. and his wife.
who was a sister OF Seldom Bradfield,
of near Harrisonville. | met several
ol6 soldiers, members of the Audi
bon Post of the Grand Army 10 which
my brother belonged and when they
learned that I WAS his brother,
greeted me very cordially indeed and
spoke very highly OF him as COM
rade and citizen.
From Audubon | went to- Des
Moines. 80 miles eastward Brother
Sard tarrying at Audubon. At that
city | met Mrs. Hattie Witthauer. my
niece. and her daughter, Miss Bessie.
Had very enjoyable visit with them.
Hattie AMI Are Uflra ~