V. Shaw and A. H. Houghton. The charter of this lodge was dated October 14th, 1858. During the war of the rebellion the charter was suspended for a time for want of members. Subsequently the lodge was re-organized, and is now in a prosperous condition, having a beautifully furnished hall of its own in which several other lodges hold their meetings.

Evergreen Lodge, No. 144, A. F. A. M., was organized January 11th, 1859, under a dispensation and was duly chartered June 9th, 1859. The first officers were: G. W. Gray, W. M.; H. H. Hemenway, S. W.; G. W. Hays, J. W.; John Č. Berry, Secretary pro tem.; John Gray, Treasurer pro tem.; Marshall Cass, S. D. pro tem.; Geo. M. Dean, J. D. pro tem.; W. Beale, Tyler pro tem. This lodge occupies a nicely furnished hall on Main street and continues to hold regular meetings.

Mt. Hosmer Lodge, No. 29, A. O. U. W., was chartered May 21st, 1875, with the following members: W. H. Burford, N. S. Craig, A. D. Cowles, S. H. Davis, Robert Hufschmidt, H. D. Spaulding, L. S. Tollefson, I. D. Fowler, James Ruth, M. V. Burdick, John Correll, L. Klewer, W. A. Travis, O. J. Mix, George Palmer and Edgar Hewit. The lodge now has fifty-two members and holds weekly meetings in Odd Fellow's hall.

Humbolt Lodge, No. 61, A. O. U. W., was chartered April 11th, 1876. The charter members were: Andrew Sandry, M. Simon, G. L. Saam, Jacob Zerbis, Charles Bergler, Peter Berdel, Dr. B. Erb. Brockhausen, M. Gruber, Paul Becker, Martin Englehorn, John Schaefer, John Pfaender, John Gruber, J. K. Englehorn, M. Hostert, V. Schaefer, Jacob Dormann, Thomas Gruber, Englehardt Bartheld, Charles Deitrich, H. Kroeme, John Miller and John Conrad. This lodge continues to prosper, the "work" being done in the German language.

Maple Lodge, No. 35, Iowa Legion of Honor, was chartered August 14th, 1869, with the following members: H. F. Fellows, Theodore Nachtwey, G. A. Rockwell, Theodore Groezinger, M. McCormick, N. S. Craig, H. D. Spaulding, Jas. T. Metcalf, Dick Haney, L. M. Elmendorf, C. A. Gardner, L. E. Fellows, John C. Barclay, Geo. H. Markley, W. H. Burford, T. G. Orr, C. L. Muller, Michael Healey, F. W. Wagner, H. Beusch, Alfred A. Bock, E. K. Maryatt, C. D. Purdy, L. Fuiks, I. D. Fowler, Dr. B. Erb Brockhausen, Earl M. Woodward, T: P. Grant and Robert Hufschmidt. The lodge at present has forty members and meets twice in each month in Odd Fellow's hall.

Lansing Collegium, No. 100, V. A. S. Fraternity, was organized June 16th, 1882, with the following charter members: Geo. H. Markley, S. H. Kinne, H. H: Hemenway, James Ruth, M. McCormick, J. W. Davis, J. F. Wier, John C. Barclay, Edward Coy, P. N. Smith, William Luth, Ed. C. Bellows, Theodore Nachtwey, Herman Gannitz, Jos. T. Metcalf, N. A. Nelson, H. P. Lane,

Joseph Gaston, John B. Thorp, Robert Hufschmidt, Henry D. Spaulding, Edward Boechk, C. W. Hufschmidt, Jr., and Henry Bockfinger. This society occupies Masonic Hall.

ORIGINAL PROPRIETORS.

Horace H. Houghton and John Haney, Sr., the original propriprietors of Lansing were men of marked ability, integrity and goodness of heart. During times when schemes of doubtful propriety were aided and encouraged by men of the most pious professions, the founders of Lansing remained true to the dictates of the most unselfish and exalted morality. As co-partners in various business enterprises each relied on the other's honor and neither was ever for a moment dissatisfied with the result.

Whatever mistakes of management may be imputed to these gentlemen none can deny that each bequeathed to the community he helped to establish an example of moral excellence worthy of all imitation.

Horace H. Houghton was born in Springfield, Windsor county, Vermont, October 26, 1806, and died at Galena, Illinois, April 30, 1879, aged 73 years. He was the fourth of six children. His father died when he was six years old. From the age of twelve to eighteen he labored on a farm. He then apprenticed himself to Rufus Colton of Woodstock, Vt., where he learned the art of printing. He worked two years as a journeyman printer after attaining his majority, the most of the time for Messrs. J. and J. Harper, who were the proprietors of the house and firm of Harper Brothers, of New York. He then became proprietor of the Vermont Statesman, published at Castleton, Vt. While engaged in the publication of this paper he invented the method now so much in vogue, of printing one side of several papers on the same form; and while at Castleton he thus printed the outsides of papers published at Rutland, Middlebury, Vergenes and Springfield, Vt., with gratifying success. While here he invented a power press, an essential feature of which has entered into the construction of every successful power press which has since been manufactured. This press he sold to the then State printer at Albany for $6,000, on condition that its work should prove satisfactory after three months' trial. At the close of the time agreed upon he received notice that his money was ready for him. But this was prior to the age of railroads and telegraphs, and before Mr. Houghton could draw on the parties to whom he had sold his press and have the draft reach them, they had assigned all their effects, including his power press, to preferred creditors. This unexpected and undeserved misfortune had the effect of driving the young printer to seek new opportunities in the west. He crossed the Alleghanies with his effects in a pack on his back, Having spent a few months in St. Louis he one day observed a steamer advertised for the "Galena Lead Mines." Investing what

money he had in corn he started with it for Galena, Ill. Here he worked in the mines for some months, when the editor of the Northwestern Gazette and Galena Advertiser having fought a duel, and being in consequence compelled to flee for his life. Mr. Houghton purchased the office and afterwards conducted the paper for nearly forty years. Galena was then and for many years afterwards, the chief city in the northwest in enterprise and commerce.

In politics Mr. Houghton was a whig, and because he was a whig, when party names changed he became a republican. His paper had a wide circulation and properly exerted a larger influence for a period than all the papers west of Chicago and north of St. Louis. At the first election of Mr. Lincoln the four congressional districts in which Mr. Houghton's paper circulated gave the largest republican majorities of any like territory in the Union.

Judge Drummond, Gov. Ramsey, Hon. E. B. Washburn and Gen. Grant were each his debtors, and they most cheerfully confessed it, the latter once remarking that Mr. Houghton was the only editor he had ever known who would always tell the truth without being paid for it. Mr. Houghton was at one time counsel to Lahina Haiwaian Islands for two years and postmaster at Galena four years. He valued the upbuilding of Lansing more than he valued gold, and he spent money lavishly in making improvements. He established the Lansing Mirror which still lives, having recently entered upon its thirtieth year of continued existence. He built the best warehouse in the town and largely contributed to the building of the first saw mill and the first flouring mill.

As a type-setter, for rapidity and accuracy, Mr. Houghton never found an equal. He published a daily paper for many years, his editorials were numerous in every issue; and it was his practice to compose them at the case, as he put them in type. He was a man of light weight, compactly built, with large brain and a benevolent countenance. His powers of endurance were wonderful. For many years he worked six days in each week, eighteen to twenty hours out of every twenty-four, very seldom seeking rest until after midnight. He was benevolent to a fault, always endeavoring to relieve the needy, not excepting the unworthy. To spend his life for the good of others seemed to be the aim and only pleasure of his own. He died a poor man, a martyr to his fidelity to duty, a christian, not leaving an enemy behind him.

John Haney, Sr., was born in Lafayette Co., Pa., Sept. 15th, 1798. When a lad of sixteen he became a pioneer in the forests of Ohio. From there in 1832 he removed to Illinois, and came to Iowa in 1848. He died at Lansing April 15, 1875. Mr. Haney was from early boyhood a pioneer. He was a quiet, modest, kindhearted man, self-taught in the severe school of experience. He pos essed a remarkable memory, and being an industrious reader was thoroughly acquainted with history and the current events of his time. Much of his leisure time was spent in the study of

mathematics, in which science, although self-taught, he was probably without an equal in the State, all the higher branches of the study having been completely mastered by this modest student in his log cabin during the long nights of our northern winters. His self-control was perfect and permitted no personal weaknesses or small vices, such as are generally considered quite pardonable. He was in his eating, drinking and speaking strictly temperate, and his private life was free from the slightest suspicion of any impurity. Having lived a large portion of his life among the Winnebago Indians, he was known by nearly all of them, and considered by them to be one of the best men who ever lived. This is not strange, for Mr. Haney never intentionally injured any human being. So sincere was his regard for others, and so strongly did he believe in the equality of all men, that every one who chanced to be at his home was compelled to sit with him at the table, whether negro, Indian or wandering trapper. He was an abolitionist of the blackest kind, and one of the strongest of Union men during the rebellion. He might have attained to high official position had he chosen to do so, but he preferred to do his duty as he saw it in the humble, unobserved walks of life. What would gratify him most, were he living, to have written of him, what he desired to be when living, more than all else, and what those who knew him well knew him to be, is best expressed in the simple statement, he was an honest man.

"WILD JIM."

One of the early settlers in the vicinity of Lansing was "Wild Jim," a most peculiar person who lived for many yerrs on the islands near town, engaged in fishing, hunting and trapping. He lived alone, never holding communication with anyone except when actually necessary. In 1869 an item was published in the Lansing Chronicle descriptive of his peculiar habits and hermitlike life, which found its way into the New York papers, there attracting the attention of the mysterious man's friends who corresponded with the postmaster in Lansing concerning him, from whom it was learned that his name was James Kinten; that he was from Herkimer county, N. Y., where a brother and sister then resided, highly respected and wealthy. They reported that his father had died some ten years before, leaving quite a sum of money to the missing son James, who had been supposed to be dead, as nothing had been heard from him for years. About this time the sister wrote the hermit but it is not known whether he ever replied. In April, 1870, he was found lying sick, helpless and alone in his cabin on the island, the rising water being three feet deep upon the floor. He was brought to Lansing where he died on the 7th of April, 1870. Countless romantic stories were related of this strange being, many reasons suggested for his unusual conduct, but the secret of his wild life died with him. It was supposed by many that he had accumulated considerable wealth, but if any was ever found the finder never revealed the fact.