A case of assault occurred in Cénter township May 7, 1877, which attracted a great deal of attention, the victim being a respectable young lady of that township, who had been engaged to one Olaf T. Engebretson, a young fellow about twenty, but her parents knowing him to be a shiftless, worthless fellow, had induced her to cast him off and refusehis attentions. Monday morning Miss was to commence teaching in the neighborhood, and as she went to her school Enge bretson was seen with a shot gun, apparently going to intercept her, but she arrived at the school house before him. Following her up he rapped at the door, there being but a few small children present, and as she appeared in the door-way he grabbed hold of her, declaring that as they were about to part forever he wanted a "farewell kiss," and attempted to bite off her nose, in which he was nearly successful, lacerating that member so as to horribly disfigure her face. He then disappeared, and all efforts of the Sheriff to find him were fruitless, until the following Friday when he put in an appearance at Harper's Ferry, where he was arrested and taken to Waukon. Waiving examination he was released upon $300 bail to appear at the next term of District Court. Early in July he again invaded Miss -'s school

room, flourished a revolver and badly frightened both teacher and pupils, but the opportune arrival of a director prevented any mischief. Failing to appear at the November Court, he was re-arrested in April following, and convicted of assault with intent to commit great bodily injury, receiving a sentence of one year in the county jail.

A shooting affray occurred in a Lansing saloon July 5th, 1878, the saloon keeper, Philip Bieber, killing a man named Seiple. Bieber was arrested and gave bail in $2,000. When his trial came on he plead guilty of assault with intent to commit great bodily injury, and escaped with a judgment of $50 and costs.

A fatal affray occurred in Waterville October 20, 1878. James G. Savage was an experienced railroad hand and section boss on the narrow gauge. He was an intelligent, well disposed man, and peaceable when sober; but the demon of intemperance had gained the mastery of him, and he was given to indulgence in "regular sprees," at which times he was an ugly customer, as liquor made him wild and quarrelsome. In the few months preceding he had figured prominently in numerous fights and one serious stabbing affray. In company with several congenial spirits, Sunday morning, Savage went down to Johnsonsport by handcar and procured liquor, returning to Waterville in the afternoon considerably intoxicated. In this condition his party went to the Adams House, a tavern kept by Ed. Neudeck, and called for liquor. They were refused, whereupon Savage proceeded to demolish things generally, throwing bottles, glasses, etc., out of doors, and treating the "boys" all around. They afterwards went

out, and returning about dusk, found the doors locked, and Neudeck warned them to keep away, and that he would shoot them if they forced an entrance. Regardless of this in his drunken bravado, Savage kicked in the door, and as he did so Neudeck fired one barrel of his shot-gun, the charge not taking effect, and immediately fired again as Savage pressed forward to seize the gun, whereupon the unfortunate man fell to the floor, and Neudeck in the excitement slipped away. Neudeck was a man of more than ordinary intelligence and ability, a miller by trade, who came from Clayton county the preceding fall. The next day he presented himself to the Sheriff at Waukon, and was lodged in jail. At the next November term of the District Court he was acquitted, on the ground of self-defense.

In March, 1880, Daniel McLoud, of Linton township, was arrested upon a charge of rape, the victim being his own daughter, only fourteen years of age. At the May term of court he was convicted, and sentenced to ten years in the penitentiary.

Early on the morning of August 24, 1879, two burglars went through the office and safe of the mill company-Hemenway, Barclay & Co., at Lansing; first overpowering the night watchman, R. G. Edwards, whom they beat nearly to death and left bound and gagged, and in an insensible condition. They blew the safe open with powder, but for all their trouble obtained scarcely fifty dollars. They then joined their companion who was awaitiag them with a skiff, and escaped At first it was supposed there were four men in the transaction, and a party of that number were arrested below McGregor in a skiff the next day, but proved to be not the ones wanted. Two of the burglars, Charles Wood, alias "Pittsburg Kid", and Frank Lucas, were captured at LaCrosse two or three days later, with tools in their possession and checks of the firm. Wood owned up the crime, and tried to exonerate Lucas from any participation in the affair, further than rowing the burglars to the scene and away again, claiming that his companion was one James White, alias "Sandy," or "Red;" and this one was arrested at Lansing shortly after. They were all placed in the Decorah jail to await the next term of the district court, our county jail not being sufficiently secure. It was ascertained from Wood, or the "Kid" as he was generally called, that he was one of the parties who burglarized two or three stores in Waukon the previous spring; and it was evident he was a hardened criminal and skillful cracksman, besides being much older in years than his looks would imply. The three had been in the Decorah jail but a short time, when they one night made an unsuccessful attempt to overpower the Sheriff and escape. November 12th following, indictments were filed against them, and the "Kid" at first plead guilty with the view of being sent to the reform school, but the law fixing the age of admission to that institution at under sixteen years, the plea was witherawn. That night they en

deavered to gopher out of the county jail, but were discovered and their plans frustrated. The "Kid" had his trial at this term, and received sixteen years in the penitentiary. The cases of the others were continued, and they remanded to the Decorah jail, from which they escaped on the evening of January 22d following, by sawing off a bar to a window. Lucas, and another prisoner by name of Bernard, were re-captured in the Yellow River timber, not far from Myron on the following evening, but White got clear off and has not since been heard of to our knowledge. Lucas, trial came on in May, 1880, when he was convicted and sentenced to twelve years. On an appeal to the Supreme Court, a new trial was granted, which took place in May, 1881, with the same result-a sentence of twelve years, less the time already served.

CHAPTER IX.

County Seat Contests; Selecting the "Old Stake;" The First Election; Second Election, Columbus Carries the Day; Lansing vs. Columbus; a Commission Selects Waukon; Commissioners' Decision Ratified at the Polls; Other Rival Claimants; Waukon Again Ahead; Lansing Once More in the Fight; Waukon Wins; Another Election, and Re-Location of County Seat, this Time at "The Point;" A New Election, and an Appeal to the Courts; Waukon Finally Wins a Conclusive Victory; Interesting and Exciting Episodes.

The county seat contests since the organization of the county form an important feature of its history; but at times they created so much excitement and bitter sectional feeling that it is a delicate matter to treat of them even now in such a manner as would seem to all parties strictly impartial. Of course the location of the seat of county government at any place was considered to be a great advantage, and numerous villages, which can now hardly be called villages, at one time or other each had high hopes of securing a prestige thereby that would establish their prosperity on a permanent basis. They who entertained these hopes were doomed to disappointment, however, and when the contest was narrowed down to the principal towns of the county, the other sections turned in on one side or the other, according as they were moved by feelings of local advantage, public weal, or disappointment and revenge, and the contest between Lansing and Waukon was prolonged and bitter, until repeated decisions by the public voice settled it permanently in favor of the latter place.

In January, 1849, at the time of passing the act for the organization of Allamakee county, the General Assembly appointed three commissioners, viz.: Wm. Linton, John Francis and James Jones, to select a suitable location for the future county seat, and, as we have previously stated, they fixed upon a point in Jefferson township, since known as "The Old Stake." This selection was practically useless, however, as points of more importance were attracting attention, and at the April election of 1851 the question was submitted to a vote of the people, the contesting points being Vailsville (now Harper's Ferry), Reuben Smith's place on the Yellow River, in Post township, and Columbus, on the Mississippi. This election resulted in no choice, neither place receiving a majority of the votes cast, and another was ordered for the first Monday in May. Vailsville being out of the contest at the election, Columbus received a small majority and became the county

seat.

About this time there existed a spirit of rivalry between Lansing and Columbus, which developed into a jealousy on the part of Lansing (which had become an aspiring little town) toward her next door neighbor, and induced her to attempt to deprive Columbus of her honors and the advantages accompanying them. Although Columbus had really no natural advantage which would entitle her to the county seat, except that of a boat landing, her proprietors and their friends were too powerful to warrant a direct issue, and so Lansing resorted to strategy, and urged the propriety of a re-location of the county seat at the geographical center of the county. Of course the settlers in the western portion were nothing loth to enter into this movement, and a meeting was held at Ezra Reid's, in Ludlow township, December 4, 1852, to consider the matter. Edward Eells was selected as chairman of the meeting, and John W. Remine, of Lansing, and C. J. White, of Makee, were secretaries. The result was that the General Assembly was petitioned to have another point designated as the future county seat of the county. In January, 1853, the Legislature granted the petition, and for the purpose of selecting such point, appointed a commission consisting of Clement Coffin, of Delaware County, John S. Lewis of Clayton County, and Dennis A. Mahony, of Dubuque. The third section of the act establishing this commission, reads as follows:

"Said commissioners shall locate the county seat of the county aforesaid as near the geographical center as a due regard for the present and prospective interests of the county shall appear to them just and proper; they shall, also, be influenced by the comparative eligibility of locations, and the convenience of water, roads and building materials as also by the comparative facilities of acquiring for said county suitable building lots, or blocks, if the county seat should be located by them on private property."

The commissioners were directed to meet at Columbus, then the county seat, on the first Monday in March; and they performed their duty by selecting the point where Waukon now is, forty acres of land being donated by Geo. C. Shattuck for county purposes.

The decision of the commissioners was submitted to a vote of the people at the following April election, in 1853, and after an exciting contest was ratified by a two-thirds vote.

That the re-location of the county seat at Waukon was not accepted by the proprietors and friends of Columbus without a struggle, may be imagined. At the first term of District Court held at Waukon in June, 1853, Hon. Thos. S. Wilson, Jndge, the matter was at once brought up, and we quote from an old file of the Lansing Intelligencer relating to it, as follows:

"A motion was made by Ben. M. Samuels, Esq., who appeared on behalf of the proprietors of Columbus, to adjourn the Court to that place. The grounds stated for this motion were: first, that the law providing for the re-location of the county seat, was unconstitutional, relying in support of the position, on the 10th article of the Constitution of the United States, wherein it is declared that 'no State shall pass any law impairing the obligation of contracts.' It was argued that the proprietors of Columbus, by deeding to the county two acres of land under the act of 1851, providing for the location of the county seat of Allamakee County, thereby made a contract with the county, and that the Legislature had no right to pass a subsequent act providing for a re-location. It was further argued that the town of Columbus was a close corporation and had acquired a substantial legal interest in the county seat, and that the Legislature, in passing the original act for the location of the county seat, had an eye to the permanent benefit of the town of Columbus. The act of 1851, authorizing the people to vote on the question, declares that 'the point receiving the largest number of votes shall be and remain the permanent seat of justice of said Allamakec County, provided that the owner or owners of such town or point, shall, within ten days after the result of said election has been declared, make and execute to the Board of Commissioners of said county, a satisfactory and sufficient deed for at least two acres of land in said point. Considerable emphasis and reliance were placed on the word 'permanent,' which appears in the clause quoted, and it was argued that inasmuch as the word appeared in the act, the Legislature had thereby forestalled all subsequent action with regard to the matter. The other objections which were made, more particularly pertained to the action of the County Judge, who, it is well known, had refused to discharge any of the duties enjoined on him by the act of the Legislature. Some other reasons, of minor importance, were adduced, but the foregoing were the most noticeable. Mr. Samuels made quite a pathetic oration in behalf of Columbus (as a close corporation), and spoke in a very affecting manner of her alleged rights.