The Raymer enterprise., 1922-06-15


says OF that tremendous trek:
Here went oxen. cows. mules. horses coaches.
carriages: blue jeans corduroys rags tatters silks
sans. tall hats. poverty riches: criminals
Gaping from Justice. couples fleeing from the law;
gold seekers bearing southwest to the Overland Trail
politicians looking for places in which to win fame
and fortune. Adventures their way everywhere
Abotonists going to the Border War: nnocent-iook-
Ing outfits carrying fugitive slaves and, most
Gus Of ALL homeseekers hunting country"-a nation
wheels. an empire In the commotion and pangs Of
birth.
There were many, very many. Interesting In.
cidents that went to make up the history Of
these pioneer days in Iowa that covered by
Mr.. 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 polit
ical clique had in those early days referred to
Cow Vandemark as man with u criminal
record" and in later days In refutlng the state
ment he tells the story of the "clalm jumpers" rs
follows In part:
The story grew out OF my joining the Settlers
club In 1855. The rage for land speculation was
sweeping over Iowa like a prairie fire, getting
things ready for the great panic Of 1857 that
have read Of since, but Of which never heard
until long after II was over. All ] knew was
that there was great fever for buying and sell
Ing land and laying out and booming town. sites
the sites. not the tOwns-and that afterward
times were very hard. The spectators had
bought up n good part Of Monterey county by the
end Of 1856, ind had run the price up as high as
three dollars and half acre.
This made It hard for who came in ex.
pectlng to get 1t for Il dollar and quarter and
4 number of settlers In the township, as they did
all over the state went their land relying on
he ruhft IN k,,,, II han ,In
what was called the presumption right. | could
see the houses of william Tricky, Ebenezer Jun.
klns and Absaom Frost from my house; and I
knew that Peter and Amos Bemisdarfer and
Flavius Bonn, Dunknrds from PENNSYLVANIA had
located farther south. All these settlers were
located south of Hell Slew, which was coming
10 be known now, and was afterward put down
on the map, as 'Vandemarks Folly Marsh"
And now there came into the county and state
q class of men called "claim-jumpers who pushed
In On the claims of the first Corners and stood
ready to buy their new homes right out from
under them. II was pretty hard on US who had
pushed on nhend Of the railways and soaked In the
rain and frozen In the billiards.. and lived on
mody bacon and hulled corn. to lose our chance
to get title to the lands had broken up and
built on.
My land was paid for. such as 1t was but when
the people who like me- had traled out across
The pruires with the last years rush. came and
asked me 10 join the Settlers club to run these
intruders of. II appeared to me that 1t was only
, mans part In Inc to stand to 1t and take hold
end do.
did not look forward to all the dolngs Of the
Settlers club. but l joined 1t, and have never
been ashamed Of H. even when Dick McGlll was
sangwhanging me about what we did. | never
knew. and don't know now. just what the law
WIS., 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 of
AbsaIom Frost's land, within 4 week Of my join
Ing.
II was over on Section Twenty seven, that the
claim Jumper had built a hut about where the
och00lhouse now ls with a stable In one end Of
Il, and den In which to live In the other He
was o young man. with no dependents and we
felt NO compunctions Of conscience, that dark
nIght, when two wagon-iOads Of us, one Of which
came from the direction Of Monterey Center.
drove quietly up and knocked at the door.
.Wh0's fherey' he said. with culver In his
voice