Chapter XVII

Horton township's first settler came in 1871. In 1871 Seymour Coyour, then under age, came to Minnesota with his father, and lived just over the line of Horton in Minnesota. When Seymour came of age he made contest of the northwest quarter of Section 24 and succeeded in obtaining the land, which he filed upon and still lives on the same place. The first settler in Horton Township was L.G. Ireland, who, is elsewhere mentioned as coming from Clayton County, Iowa with A.B. Elmore and E.N. Moore. Mr. Elmore was also one of Horton's first settles, on Section 34, but he did not long remain in Horton, as he soon after took a claim in Ocheyedan. Mr. Ireland took the southeast quarter of Section 34, and turned the first furrow of the soil of that township. He was also a lawyer, but he was not a distinguished member of that profession and did not claim to be. He was politically ambitious, and was once a candidate for the Legislature on the independent ticket. He has since died. His claim is now owned by Dick Wassmann. So far as we can learn there were no other settlers in Horton Township in 1871 except Mr. Elmore and Mr. Ireland.

In 1872 there were many who settled in this township. N.W . Emery, who is elsewhere mentioned, came that year. W.R. Boling, mentioned also in another chapter, came in 1872. Mr. Boling had two brothers, J.T. and E.W., who lived in Horton, but have since moved away. E.W. moved from the township into Ocheyedan and resided there until about two years ago, when he moved to Powshick County, Iowa, where he now resides. J.T. was justice in that township several years, and is now an evangelist and lives in Illinois. In 1872 also C.M. Richards, W. Bisby, W.W. Herron, Henry and Dan Gibson and Jacob Brooks settled in Horton, coming from Butler County, Iowa. Richards left about eight years ago, and now resides in Pipestone, Minnesota. Bisby went to Butler County. Herron is in California. Mr. Brooks is now a merchant at Sibley. Also H.B. Clemens came that year to the township, and a few years ago went to Washington. During the residence of those Butler County people Richards was one of the township trustees, and in the fall went to Butler County and remained during the winter. While thus away on a visit, the other trustees declared his office vacant, and made an appointment. Richards returned in the spring and was present at the annual meeting, when he was informed that during his absence the office had dropped from under him, and that another had been appointed to fill the vacant place. Richards was not of that kind to surrender so easily--sing a common expression-he was not built that way. He first gave vent to his feelings, spoke his mind, and this, with the talking back, culminated in an open fight, in which the other fellows got the worst of it, and the affair finally drifted into court. Richards, however, held the office until the expiration of his term. Samuel Collett settled in Horton in 1871, he proved up on his claim and moved to Montana, where he now resides. Jacob Brooks owned the original quarter upon which he settled until recently, and it is now occupied by Mr. H. Keith.

Since the earlier settlements in Horton Township quite a number of German families have moved into the township and these Germans are considered as some of its most substantial and industrious citizens. In 1882 Henry Wassmann, with his son Dick, Charles Griep and several others of the neighbors left Indiana and bought tickets to Chicago, from there to Glendive, Montana. They were simply going west as men do go, without knowing exactly where until the looked it over. They got to Bismarck in North Dakota, when the elder Wassmann thought that any more west was too much for him, and told the rest of the party they could go on, but as for himself he should look over a part of Iowa. This caused the three parties above named to return to St. Paul where they bought tickets to Sheldon. They drove from Sheldon to Bigelow, Minnesota and not desiring to settle there were returning, when, by parties at Sibley, they were induced to settle in Osceola County, which they did. The Wassmann's bought several pieces of land, among which was the L.G. Ireland place on Section 34, where Dick Wassmann now lives. His correct name is Diedrich Wassmann, but is commonly called Dick. There is no better farm in the country than Dick Wassmann's, and no better place for a home than right there among the large variety of forest trees, set out by the lamented Ireland and later by Dick himself. About one hundred different kinds of trees stand there in the gorgeous grandeur of their green foliage and as the leaves rustle in the breeze, they seem to whisper a voice of contentment, of thrift and independence which mark the surroundings, and are expressed in the hospitality of the occupant, for Dick Wassmann is no more diminutive in heart and soul than he is stature. There are kinds of trees on this farm that probably couldn't be found anywhere else in the state, and fruit trees in abundance. Henry Wassmann returned to Indiana where he still resides. Charles Griep bought the northeast quarter Section 27 where he still lives and is a successful farmer.

The coming of these parties here was the means of other Germans following them and buying land in Horton.

Henry Pinkerburg took a part of Section 25, also did Conrad Hattendorf; Henry Rusche the northwest quarter of Section 14; Fred Glade a part of Section 23; William Lick a part of Section 21, and Conrad Oldendorf a part of Section 23 and 25. W.H. Noehren bought the northeast quarter of Section 22, and still lives there. Mr. Noehren has been prominent in township matters, and at present is a member of the Board of County Commissioners. This township has a good class of people, and among its other substantial farmers not otherwise mentioned are the three Piscators, father and two sons, who we believe are on Section 8, Gustav Johnson on Section 10, William Rehborg on Section 11, and August Polinski on Section 13.

On Section 14, besides Henry Rusche, lives August Bremer on the northeast quarter, and John Estabrook on the southwest quarter. Conrad Bremer is on Section 15, William Filk and John Farragher on Section 18, and Peter Wickland on Section 19. On Section 20 is Vaclave Sixty, also John Maske, Joseph Rhomatko and Joseph Cload. On Section 22 we find Chris Bremer and Henry Redeker.

John Robertson has the southeast quarter of Section 24, and John Gielow and William Grave are on Section 26. On Section 27, besides Mr. Griep, are Charles Schmidt and William Sehr. Mr. John Thompson lives on a quarter of Section 28, and Mr. I.B. Titus owns a part of Section 30, and is the only resident on that section. Frank Engle is on Section 31, and William Maske on Section 32. Chris Wassmann is on Section 35 and has recently built there a house and barn. On Section 36 William Carney has a quarter, also A.V. Randall, and on the same section Mr. Elmore has a tree claim. Mr. Randall formerly lived on his quarter, but is now in business in Ocheyedan. J.T. Boling's place is now owned by Herman Bauermeister, who lives in Worthington, Minnesota.

GRASSHOPPER PERIOD.

The history of the great world itself recognizes certain distinct periods which have marked the ages with their different characteristics. Osceola County is but a small part of this mighty universe, but its brief history has it periods which are readily recognized by those of its citizens whose residence here reaches back even for only a decade.

The first was its filing period, when settlers made record in the government office, that they claimed certain pieces of land for residence and occupation. The next was the grasshopper period, and the last a period of general contentment and prosperity. This part of the history is devoted to the grasshopper period, and following this, the relief campaign which followed in the wake of destroyed crops and destitution. The writer himself went through this "reign of terror" and knows all about it by personal contact and experience. The grasshopper itself was a curiosity; we call it grasshopper because then among settlers it bore no other name, while the books designate the pest as the "Rocky Mountain locust.

The natural home of these insects was on the barren table lands along the eastern base of the Rocky Mountains. There they deposited their eggs every year. In Wyoming Territory, Western Nebraska, Texas, the Indian Territory and New Mexico, the broods were annually hatched. In their native haunts they attained an enormous size, many specimens being three inches in length. Scientific men, who have studied the habits of the grasshoppers state that each succeeding brook degenerates in size, and after three or four generations the weaker are obliged to swarm and seek other quarters, being driven out by the larger and stronger insects.

These exiles rise and go with the wind, keeping the direction in which they first start, stopping in their flight for subsistence and depositing eggs in a prolific manner during the incubating season, which lasted from the middle of June to the middle of September.

This region had been visited by grasshoppers before, but did not excite a great deal of attention for the reasons that the county was sparsely settled and but a small area of land under cultivation, and they came so late in the season that small grains were generally out of their reach, but extreme Northwestern Iowa then was not settled, so that their ravages were further east. Their first appearance at Sibley was on the 5th day of June 1873. The first seen of them was a huge black cloud, which was none other than a swarm of grasshoppers, and which sent out a roaring sound that terrified the ears. Where there was any grain to cut even before its maturity, the settlers went at it to save what the could, but the grasshoppers were not bad reapers themselves, and the modern and latest improved of agricultural machinery cut but little figure in the race, when that swarm of grasshoppers came down and went to work. They were possessed of great vitality and enormous appetites; their first appearance was alarming and their devastations were appalling. It introduced to the settles a serious problem; they were new to the country, or rather the country was new to them, and this strange visitation raised the question as to whether or not this grasshopper business was a part of the country itself, and that the pests would remain off and on indefinitely in the future. This thought, aside from their coming and the destruction they did in 1873, caused much concern and consternation.

These grasshoppers had crossed the Missouri River and commenced foraging in the bordering Iowa counties. and devoured the crops as they went to a greater or less extent. In this season of 1873 some of the Osceola County settlers lost what crop they had by the grasshoppers, and others their crops were partially destroyed. Some saved a small garden patch by means of "shooing" them off and keeping the patch free from them, although the task was tedious and difficult.

The early part of the season was extremely dry. No rain fell from the first of May to the middle of June. Grain did not grow much, but the grasshoppers did, and before the drought ended, the crops were eaten and parched beyond all hope of recovery. About the middle of June, however, considerable rain fell, and outside of the before mentioned counties the prospect was generally favorable for good crops. The young grasshoppers commenced to get wings about the middle of June, and in a few days they began to rise and fly. The prospect seemed good for a speedy riddance from the pests. The perverse insects were waiting for an easterly wind, but the wind blew from the southwest for nearly three weeks, so they stayed and visited, and eat and continued their ravages.

Early in the spring of 1874 the eggs deposited the season before, commenced hatching, and the soil looked literally alive with insignificant looking insects, a quarter of an inch in length but of enormous eating qualities. As if by instinct, their first movements were toward the fields where tender shoots of grain were making their modest appearance. Sometimes the first intimation a farmer would have of what was going on would be from noticing along one side of his grain-field a narrow strip where the grain was missing. At first, perhaps, he would attribute it to a "balk" in sowing, but each day it grew wider and a closer examination would reveal the presence of young grasshoppers.

The settlers of Osceola County in the spring of 1874 did their sowing and planting under a feeling of apprehension. They were here and the work must go, even with the grasshopper difficulty staring them in the face. Many got out of the country, owing to the grasshoppers of 1873, but they who remained had naught else to do but to work on. The grasshopper ravages were the worst in 1874 and 1875, and from then on the pests degenerated in size and did less mischief each year, but were still here until 1879 when they did but little damage and in 1880 the county felt itself well rid of them.

All sorts of suggestions and devices were made with reference to the destruction of grasshoppers during these years, and it was much of a topic of discussion how to get rid of them. Judge Oliver, in a communication to the Sioux City Journal, said: "Farmers should not be discouraged. Crops, especially wheat and corn, should be put in as early as possible, so as to get a start while the hoppers are small. Late potatoes and beans may be planted as late as is safe, so as not to get up until the hoppers are gone. Young trees and shrubs may be protected by a sack of thin cloth drawn over them and tied at the bottom. I desire to impress on farmers, where the eggs are unhatched, the absolute necessity of early seeding. One weeks' difference in the time of seeding may make all the differences between a good crop and a failure."

The Sioux City Journal said: "The grasshopper deposits its eggs at the roots of the grass in the latter part of summer or early autumn. The eggs hatch out early in spring, and during the months of April, May and June, according as the season is early or late; they are wingless, their sole power of locomotion being the hop.

"To destroy them, all that is needed is for each county, town or district to organize itself into a fire brigade, throughout the district where their eggs are known to be deposited.

"This fire brigade shall see that the prairies are not burned over in the fall, and thus they will have the grass for the next spring and to be employed upon the pests while they are yet hoppers, the means of sure death. To apply it, let all agree upon a certain day, say in April or May or at any time when they are sure all the hoppers are hatched and none are yet winged. All being ready let every person, man, woman and boy, turn out with torches and simultaneously fire the whole prairie, and the work, if well done, will destroy the whole crop of grasshoppers for that year, and none will be left to "soar their gossamer wings" or lay eggs for another year."

The Gazette of July 10, 1874 had the following: "Grasshoppers are being successfully chased by many people in this county. There is usually a slight wind blowing, and people take ropes one or two hundred feet in length, and stretching them out, walk or ride across the fields, the trailing rope disturbing the grain, which causes the 'hoppers' to fly up, and then the friendly wind carries them off the field.

"Mr. Dunton, who has been saving his wheat by the use of ropes, finds it useful to tie rags, newspapers, etc., to them on account of the greater rustle the rope makes as it trails over the grain with these attached.

As the grasshopper years went on, the people themselves, scientific men and even the halls of legislation were discussing the important question of how to drive the "hoppers" from the country. Many and varied were the experiments. They tried smudging, burning the prairie, burning tar, digging ditches and every conceivable thing that the ingenuity of man could suggest, even to a huge trap in which to snare and catch them. Minnesota offered a bounty of a certain amount per bushel for them, and actually paid out quite a sum, which helped the people along, but the idea of delivering a crop of grasshoppers for a consideration, strikes us now as bordering on the ridiculous. These pests lasted about seven years, and the latter years of the seven they were much less troublesome than the first. The grasshopper business, too, had its humorous side, there was much wit grew out of it, and the eastern papers made much fun of us, and not only that, but seriously charged us with being a country liable to such things, and hence unfit to live in. The county papers around in Northwestern Iowa would each claim that the other county was the worst. The Gazette said in one issue they were mostly in Dickinson County, and the Beacon gives this assertion the lie and says they are on the border of Osceola "peeking" over. Some agricultural house printed a card bearing the picture of a grasshopper sitting on a board fence gazing at a wheat field, and underneath the words: "In this s(wheat) by and bye." The poet was also at work, and the following one of the numerous productions:

CHARGE OF THE GRASSHOPPER BRIGADE

Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
Right from the West they came,
More than six hundred ---
Out from the forest and glade:
"Charge for the corn! they said
Then for the fields they made---
More than six hundred.

Fields to the right of them,
Fields to the left of them;
Fields in front of them,
Pillaged and plundered;
Naught could their numbers tell,
Down on the crop they fell,
Nor left a stalk or shell---
More than six hundred.

Flashed all their red legs bare,
Flashed as they turned in air,
Robbing the farmers there,
Charging an orchard, while
All the world wondered!
Plunged in the smudge and smoke,
Right through the corn they broke,
Hopper and locust;
Peeled they the stalks all bare,
Shattered and sundered;
Then they went onward--- but
More than six hundred.

Since these grasshopper days the old settlers can see what they missed by the followng, recently published:

"Some very important uses for grasshoppers have recently been discovered. There would seem to be no reason why they should not be applied to commercial advantage in the event of a plague this year. Not long ago four quarts of liquid, expressed from half a bushel of "hoppers" under a cheese press, were shipped in a glass from Spirit Lake, Iowa, to Professor William K. Kedzie, of the Kansas State Agricultural College. He made a complete analysis, and by distilling the juice with sulphuric acid obtained a colorless, limpid solution of formic acid. Now, this acid is very valuable, having a present market quotation of sixty cents an ounce. It is not only employed in medicine to a considerable extent, but it is also utilized in the laboratory to reduce salts of the noble metals, gold, silver and platinum. Hitherto it has always been extracted from red ants, but the possibility of getting it in large quantities from grasshoppers suggests a method for employing these insects to an unlooked-for advantage. An interesting feature of the analysis was the discovery of a certain amount of copper in the liquid. This metal has been found in the blood of other animals, particularly in the horseshoe crab, which always furnishes a trace of it. It is not suggested, however, that grasshoppers would assay a sufficient amount of copper to the ton to make it worth while to smelt them.

"A while ago, Professor C.V. Ripley, United States entomologist, sent a bushel of grasshoppers, freshly caught and scalded, to Mr. Bonett, a St. Louis caterer. The latter made a soup of them, which was pronounced perfectly delicious by many people who were afforded an opportunity of tasting it. It closely resembled bisque. Mr. Bonnett declared that he would gladly have it on his bill of fare every day if he could only obtain the insects. His method of preparing the dish, as described by himself, was to boil the hoppers over a brisk fire, seasoning them with salt, pepper and grated nutmeg, and occasionally stirring them. When sufficiently done they were pounded in a mortar with bread fried brown; then they were replaced in the saucepan and thickened to a broth, which was passed through a strainer before being served. Professor Riley treated some friends of his on one occasion to curry of grasshoppers and grasshopper croquettes without informing them as to the nature of the banquet, but an unlucky hind leg, discovered in one of the croquettes, revealed the secret."

RELIEF.

In January 1873 there was organized at Sibley what they called the "Citizens Farmers' Club." This was before the "Grange" swept over the state, but both of these had the useful conditions of existence. They had their birth, maturity and death. The Citizen Farmers' Club was organized December 7, 1872, and its object as declared by a resolution was for the purpose of mutual protection, assistance, encouragement, instruction and social intercourse generally. Meetings were held every Friday afternoon at one o'clock, and no doubt many an ambitious orator, after the fame of Cicero, electrified and delighted the audience. This organization had quite a number of meetings, but soon as the Grange was introduced into Osceola County, the Citizen Farmers' Club began to decline and last, in the language of the illustrious Cleveland, went into "Innocuous desuetude." Following these and really as a basis upon which to secure relief for the people by reason of grasshoppers, the following announcement appeared in a September number of the Gazette :

"HOMESTEADER'S PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION.-There will be a meeting of the citizens of Osceola County, on the fair grounds, near Sibley, at 1 o'clock p.m., September 25, 1873, for the purpose of organizing a Homesteader's Protective Association, the object and aim of which, will be to look after the interests of all true homesteaders. It is hoped that there will be a general turnout, that the organization may be permanent as long as it may be needed in this locality. In union there is strength. MANY HOMESTEADERS."

The meeting was held according to announcement and the following is a report of it:

HOMESTEADER'S PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION.

A large number of homesteaders were present at the meeting held at the Courthouse on Saturday last. D.L. Riley was chose temporary Chairman, and F.M. Robinson temporary Secretary. Appropriate and earnest remarks were made by D.L. Riley and H. Jordan. A committee on resolutions, consisting of J.H. Douglass, H. Jordan and A.W. Clark, was appointed. Remarks were made by J.L. Robinson. W. Rea, A. Halstead and Allen Garvin.

The committee on resolutions reported a preamble and resolutions which were adopted. We have not space for them, but the gist of them is as follows: After setting forth as reasons for the forming of an association, the fact that many homesteaders, owing to the failure of their crops, would be compelled to leave the county for a time to obtain work in order to provide for their families; also that fears were entertained of their claims being unjustly contested, thereby causing them expense which they were unable to bear; "therefore, be it

"Resolved, That we, the undersigned, band ourselves together for the purpose of protecting ourselves in our rights.

A series of resolutions, fifteen in number, establishing the number of officers as one President, one Vice President from each range of townships, a Secretary and Treasurer; appointing a regular meeting on the first Saturday of each month, at 1 o'clock p.m., in the courthouse; establishing certain committees, defining their duties; giving the terms of admission to the association; and making it necessary for the Treasurer to give a bond, etc., were adopted. The officers elected were as follows:

President, D.L. Riley; First Vice President, C. W. Wyllys; Second Vice President, C.M. Bailey; Third Vice President, A. Garvin; Secretary, H. Jordan; Treasurer, J.L. Robinson.

Any resident of Osceola County may become a member of this organization by subscribing his or her name to the preamble, resolutions and by-laws, and paying the sum of fifty cents.

Any one wishing to examine the by-laws, etc., or to become a member of the association, can do so by calling at Jordan's office.

This meeting was the foundation of a call for relief. Grasshoppers had devastated the county, and what crops there were had generally been ruined by this pest. On the start, the people were divided on this relief question, as many were opposed to it on the ground that it would give the county a bad reputation and retard settlement. Several men in Sibley offered to carry such families as were extremely needy, through the winter and furnish them the necessaries of life. Others, of those opposed to the relief, thought the county had better make provision for its own, but the relief party was numerically the stronger, and finally its opposers had to fall into line. It is often the case when some sudden catastrophe has fallen upon a community, like the Chicago fire or the Johnstown flood, that the community itself is unable to take care of its unfortunates. Where hundreds of families are left homeless and thrown upon the charity of others, then, indeed it is well to call upon other parts of the country for contributions. But there is always more or less fraud connected with it, and it is apt to be the case that the modest people, but more deserving, get but little of the relief goods, while the "cheeky" one" get the most. It was a question then, and is now, whether that relief movement for Northwestern Iowa was advisable, but the people had it, organizations were effected to handle it, the state was solicited particularly, and the country generally, for supplies. Adjutant-General Baker was the state manager, and each county, and indeed each township had its committees.

At a meeting of the Sibley Grange, held the evening of the 7th of October 1873, the following among the proceedings was had:

"On the motion, J.F. Glover, H.C. Hungerford and F.M. Robinson were authorized and instructed to prepare an address to the Master of the National Grange, and to the State and Subordinate Granges of Iowa, soliciting supplies of grain for seed, to be used by the farmers of Osceola County in the spring of 1874, who are and will be unable to purchase the same on account of the almost total failure of crops the past season.

The Gazette notes one weeks receipts as follows: "Two boxes, three sacks, eight barrels of flour and two carloads of coal. General Baker reports nine more carloads of coal, which will make seventeen in all. About $200 in cash have been received, which will be used to procure seed grain."

The relief business soon fell into controversy and the newspapers were wrangling over the question.

The Gazette of December 19, 1873 had the following article:

"THE RELIEF QUESTION-We notice that some of the papers in this part of the state are attributing all the destitution to this county; some of them even intimate that all the supplies which come to this place are distributed to the people of this county. In order to correct this impression, we have obtained from J.L. Robinson, the secretary of the distributing committee, the following figures:

"From the 10th to the 16th inclusive, of this month, only six days, there has been filled sixty-seven orders for families of Lyon County, and thirty-four from Rock and Nobles Counties, Minnesota. Sixty-seven orders in six days from a county whose prominent men boasted in the Sioux City Journal that they could take care of their own poor, does not look much as if they were backing up their talk by deeds. It should be remembered that these orders are not for single articles, but are from half a ton of coal to provisions and clothing for a whole family, and in many instances all combined. The above explanation will also apply to the Minnesota applicants.

"We publish elsewhere a communication from Minnesota men in regard to the matter.

"While we have not denied the need of aid in this county, we think it hardly fair that we should have to bear the whole odium, especially when we are giving out supplies to people whose own county was going to take care of them, and to inhabitants of another state where there is no more than ordinary destitution. No doubt some have obtained supplies who did not really need them, but we should hesitate to call all those thieves who get aid, and they certainly would be such if they had taken when not deserving. As we understand the matter, the supplies were sent for the needy homesteaders of the northwestern part of the state, and all received at this place have been so distributed, except those furnished destitute people in Minnesota. The distributing people are faithful careful men, and have done their work well; they may have been deceived, but we think that what complaint there may be, has come from those who have been refused when it was ascertained that they did not need.

"We hope that the papers of these neighboring counties will at least give us credit for what we have done, and not try to shove all their destitution off onto Osceola County, because it might injure their future prospects-especially in the face of the above mentioned facts."

On November 14, 1873, the following appeal was issued:

"AN APPEAL FOR AID-To the People of the State of Iowa: We, the undersigned, a committee appointed by the Homesteader's Protective Association of Osceola County, an organization effected for the purpose of looking after the extreme and urgent necessities of the people of said county, caused by the almost total failure of the crops, do deem it just and proper that we let our sister counties, who are in affluent circumstances, have positive knowledge of the situation of a very large proportion of the citizens of this county.

"The most of the settlers came here last spring with little or no means, and depending entirely on their efforts during the summer to carry them through the winter; honestly and faithfully have they toiled. A very large amount of ground was sown and planted in the spring-more than sufficient to raise subsistence for all for the coming winter, if it had not been for an extremely wet, backward spring, and the invasion of a vast army of grasshoppers, which caused almost a total failure of corn and small grain crops, so that they now find themselves on the eve of a long, cold winter, worse off than in the spring; without food of the plainest kind, and without means to purchase fuel to protect themselves and families during the coming winter. There are hundreds of families who have not sufficient clothing, and know not where the bread that they will eat ten days hence is coming from, or their fuel. These same people relying on their crops to carry them through the winter, have labored diligently through the summer, and thousands of acres of the prairie have been turned over ready for a crop next spring.
"Now, therefore, be it known to the people of the State of Iowa, that without liberal assistance from some source, a very large portion of the citizens of the county will be without the necessaries to sustain life, and also fuel to keep them from freezing, and unless, from some source, seed is furnished to these people to sow and plant in the spring, many of the broad acres that are now ready will have to lie idle the coming season.

"We therefore appeal to the liberal, Christian hearted people of this state for assistance in the shape of money, clothing, fuel and staple articles of food.

"At the present writing there are at least two hundred families in the county needing immediate assistance.

"All consignments will be made to
"C.M. Bailey, Agent H.P.A.,
"Sibley, Osceola County, Iowa
"(For relief.)
"Allen Garvin,
"Robt. Stamm,
"W.W. Cramm,
"J.L. Robinson,
"J.H. Douglass,
"Committee."

At a joint meeting of the Relief and Grange Committees, held Saturday, January 3, 1874, the following township committees were appointed to canvass the several townships and ascertain the actual necessities of the inhabitants:
Township 98, Range 42-S. Haney, A.H. Miller and A.W. Mitchell.
Township 98, Range 41-C. Thompson, J. Mandeville and W. Rea.
Township 98 Range 40-N.D. Bowles, J.C. Moar and D.W. McCullam.
Township 99, Range 42-Wm. Anderson, F. Townsend and E. Huff.
Township 99, Range 41-W.S. Westcott, W.A. Spencer and Curtis.
Township 99 Range 39---40-0-C. Boyd, W.A. Walder and F. Thayer.
Township 100, Range 42-N.I. Wetmore, F. Reynolds and S. Crum.
Township 100, Range 41-Wm. Thomas, P. Piesley and A. Shapley.
Township 100, Range 40-W.W. Herron, Q.E. Cleveland and J.F. Pfaff.
Township 100, Range 39-J.S. Flint, C.M. Richards and Ira Stevens.

The State Senate of 1873-74 appointed a committee to visit Northwest Iowa with reference to legislative action for the purpose of securing a loan with which to buy seed grain. December 3, 1874, Geo. D. Perkins, Senator from Woodbury County, and Samuel Fairall, Senator from Johnson County, went to Sibley and held a conference with the people. They examined the Auditor's books in order to ascertain the financial condition of the county, and the feasibility of the county issuing warrants for the purchase of grain, and ascertained that the county could not obtain the supply needed from its own resources. These men expressed themselves as wishing that the entire General Assembly might be there and see for themselves, and promised that they would make an appeal for its sympathy and to its patriotism for action in the matter. A bill was presented by Mr. Perkins asking an appropriation of $105,000 for the purchase of seed grain and expenses of three commissioners to purchase and distribute: $5,000 out of the amount appropriated to be paid for expenses. Under this bill the money was to be in the nature of a loan, which the parties were to pay back. After a discussion, a bill was agreed upon and this bill passed both houses and became a law. Out of this donation Osceola County got about $8,000.

The Legislative Committee, Messrs. Brown and Tasker, arrived in Sibley March 12, 1874, and "opened court." They were armed with blanks, requiring the settler to state where he lived, whether he was owner or renter, and how many acres he had broken; also that he had no seed, no money to buy seed with, and that he would use the seed for sewing. They also required testimony where one's word was not considered good, and admonished each and all that the penitentiary stared them in the face if they swore falsely. This Legislative tribunal did their work and went home.

On March 2, 1874, after the relief business had undergone its usual trials and vexations, and charges of fraud had gone around, and considerable discontent and dissatisfaction, the following instructions were issued by General Baker to committee:

"In the distribution of all supplies the utmost caution and care must be exercised, and only the really needy must be supplied, and they must be careful to save something to reserve for emergency or in case of sickness
.
"In order to conform to the above instructions the committee will require each applicant for aid to take and subscribe the following oath:

"Sibley, Iowa, -----------1874.
"I, ------------------------------do solemnly swear, so help me God, that I have not flour or other provisions sufficient to last my family one week, and that I have no means, on hand or at my command, to procure subsistence for my family.
"------------------"

Soon after this, which was in March 1874, the relief business was ended.

On March 12, 1874, the state committee issued the following:

Des Moines, March 12, 1874
"To the Public: The undersigned would state for the information of all concerned, that all supplies in our possession for Northwestern settlers, will be distributed by April 1st, 1873. There may be a small amount left on hand at that date but hardly worth consideration. The settlers and committees must now act most cautiously and govern themselves in accordance with the existing condition of supplies. Any Grange or other benevolent people who have anything to forward should do so at once. All our advantages on railroad lines will probably cease by the date above designated. And here in conclusion, we wish to thank the railroads, express companies and the telegraph companies for all the great favors they have done to the Northwestern settlers, in forwarding the generous donations of our benevolent people. N. B. Baker.

J.D. Whitman,
R.R. Harbour,
D.W. Prindle,
State Grange Committee.

March 23, 1873, after an extended announcement, the people gathered in the courthouse at Sibley, crowding the house to its utmost capacity, to listen to General Baker and others, and to have sort of a speaking love feast over the winding up of the relief department. General Baker told them that he had done what he could for the people, that the supplies would soon end and that they were now thrown upon their own resources and must view it in that light and act accordingly. Messrs. Jordan, Glover and Riley also spoke to the people and with three cheers and tigers for Baker the meeting dispersed. Thus ended the great relief campaign of 1873 and 1874.