Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1922-06-15

Here went, oxen, cows mules. horses coaches
carriages, blue jeans curdWoys; lass, tajcrs silks,
$atins, caps, tall hats. poverty, riches; criminals
'apng from justice; courIes fleeing from the law;
guld-SeckerS bearing southwest the Overland Trail.
politicians looking for places in which to win lame
and fortune; adventurcrs their way to everywhere
AbolIuonsts gong to the Border War; innoceut-oo
ing outfits carrying fugitive slaves and, numer-
Gus of ALL homeseekers "huntng C0untry"-a nation
wheels, an empire in the commotion and pangs Of
birth
There were many, very many, interesting in
cdcnts that went to make up the history of
these pioneer days in Iowa that are covered by
MIR. Quick in "Vandemark'S Folly" but one of the
most interesting is that dealing with the treat.
ment of "claim-jumperS." The local newspaper
in an effort to secure an advantage for its poit-
zeal clique had in those early days referred to
"CoW' Nandemark man with "Criminal
record" and in later days in refuting the state
ment he tells the story of the claim jumpers" as
follows, in part:
The story grew out of my joining the Settlers
club in 1886. The rage for land speculation was
sweeping over Iowa like prairie fire. getting
things ready for the great panic of 1857 that
have read of since, but of which never heard
until long after it was over. All knew was
that there was a great fever for buying and sell.
Ing land and laying out and booming town-sltes
the sites, not the toWns-and that afterward
times were very hard. The SPECTATORS had
end Of 1886, and had run the price up as high as
three dollars and half an acre
This made it hard for men who came in ex.
pecting to get it for a dollar and a quarter and
ii number OF settlers in the township as they did
all over the state, went on their land RELYING on
the right to buy it when they could get the money
what was called the prescription right | could
see the houses of William Tricky, Ebene2er Jun
kins and Absalom Frost from my house: and |
nd
flAvius Bonn, Dunkards from Pennsylvania had
located farther south. All these settlers were
located south of Hell Slew, which was coming
to be known now, and was afterward put down
on the map as "Vandemark's Folly Marsh
And now there came into the county and state
II class of men called "claim-jumpers who y. shed
in on the claims Of the first comers and stood
ready to buy their new homes right out from
under them. 1t was pretty hard on us who had
pushed on ahead of the railways, and soaked in the
rain and frozen in the billiards. and lived on
mody bacon and hued corn, to lose our chance
to get title to the lands we had broken up and
built on.
My land was paid for such as it was but when
the people who, like me, had railed out across
the pralrieS with the last years rush, came and
asked me 20 join the Settlers club to run these
intruders Off it appeared to me that it was only
mans part in me to stand to it and take hold
and do.
did not look forward to all the doings of the
Settlers club, but joined it, and | have never
been ashamed Of it, even when Dick McGill was
slangwhanging me about what we did | never
knew, and | don't know now just what the law
was, but thought then, and think now, that the
Settlers club had the right of it, thought SO the
night we went over to run the claim jumper off
Absalom Frosts land within week of my join
ing.
| 1t was over on Section Twenty-seven that the
claim-jumper had built hut about where the
schoohOuse now Is, with stable in one end of
| 1t, and den in which to live in the other He
was a young man, with no dependents, and we
| felt no compunctions of conscience. that dark
| nght, when two wagOn-loads of us, one of which
came from the direction of Monterey Center
| rove quietly up and knocked at the door
| who's there" he said with culver in his
: y0ice.