Showing posts with label Orphans. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Orphans. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Diary of 5th Sergeant Alexander G. Downing: Tuesday, March 14, 1865

I went out early this morning with the foraging party of our division, in search of feed for the horses and mules. We came to a rich plantation about four miles out, with corncribs well filled, and in a short time we had the wagons loaded. Some of us had been put to loading the wagons while others went to get the chickens and other things. After the boys had caught and loaded all the chickens and upset fully a hundred beehives, they called out, “The rebels are coming!” We had just finished loading the wagons, but that call was enough to frighten the teamsters, and they put the whip to the mules, starting off on a dead run. The road ran through a heavy timber, but it was wide and perfectly level, and they galloped the teams the whole way back to our bivouac. It was every fellow for himself, and I never ran faster in my life. A commissioner from Cornell College1 was in camp today for the purpose of raising money to educate the orphan children of soldiers and sailors. Our company raised $229.00.
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1 College at Mt. Vernon, Iowa.

Source: Alexander G. Downing, Edited by Olynthus B., Clark, Downing’s Civil War Diary, p. 261

Saturday, July 27, 2013

Local Matters

TO GET your money’s worth of good goods, and cheap, go to Whisler’s.  *

IF YOU want wall papers of the newest patterns, go to Plummer’s, No. 50 Brady st.  *tf

GREAT EXPECTATIONS can be realized by buying some of those new styles of wall papers.  *tf

BOUNTY, PENSIONS, &c. – See advertisement of Parker & Edwards.  They are reliable men and will transact promptly any business entrusted to them.

DO NOT fail to call in on Farrand’s to-day and purchase a new hat or cap.  You can find them in all styles, prices and colors at cor. Second and Main sts.

DECORATE your dwellings with some of those recherché patterns of wall paper, which can be seen only at Plummer’s, No. 50 Brady street.  *tf

“ARTEMUS WARD.”- Charles F. Browne, Esp., the well known Artemus Ward, showman, etc., will deliver his celebrated lecture on “Babes in the Wood,” Thursday evening at Metropolitan Hall.  See advertisement.

LANDLORDS, paper your houses with some of the beautiful paper hangings which can be found only at Plummer’s.  Then on rent day instead of being met at the door with a broomstick, you will be greeted with pleasant smiles.  *tf

SLIPS TO RENT. – The slips in the Second Baptist Church, corner of Fourth and Perry streets, will be rented to-day (Tuesday). – Those desiring seats will be waited on by the committee, at the Church, from the hour of 9 o’clock A. M. until 4 o’clock P. M.

HITCHING HORSES. – People who are in the habit of allowing their horses to stand in the street unhitched will do well to remember we have an ordinance in this city punishing such negligence by a fine of five dollars.  Farmers had better be on the look-out, or some policeman, on scent of a fee, may haul some of them up before a magistrate and ease their pockets of some surplus demand notes.

INFLUENCE. – The Democrat says jocosely that the GAZETTE has no influence.  That depends altogether, neighbor, upon what constitutes influence.  If it is a limited circulation, published in a community that has not sentiments in common with it, without the enterprise to secure correspondents in the army to sustain the credit of Iowa soldiers, villainously abused by the correspondents of other States, etc., etc., then the GAZETTE has no influence.  If the reverse of these, then the Democrat goes to the wall.

“ORPHANS’ HOME OF INDUSTRY.” – We have received a circular informing us that there is an institution in Iowa by the above name, that it commenced in 1854 without an acre of ground or a dime of money and that now it is regularly incorporated with a board of seven responsible trustees, has more than 500 acres of land, one-fifth good timber, 12 buildings paid for and stock, wagons, machinery, tools, etc. for the use of two establishments.  In the last eight years it has collected, received and disbursed in this charitable work more than $20,000, and received from Eastern cities and provide for 230 orphans of all ages.  It is proposed now to open an asylum to provide for the homeless orphans of deceased soldiers and as the funds are all exhausted, until the crops come in, the institution will have to depend upon the public for support.  Those who are disposed to aid a really meritorious object can do so by addressing C. C. Townsend, missionary, box 142 Iowa city.

JAIL STATISTICS. – Mr. Ackley, the jailor, has kindly furnished us some statistic relative to the prisoners confined in the county prison.  The statistics embrace a period of nine months, during which time 130 persons were incarcerated in that institution.  Of this number there are 88 Americans, 69 Irish, 15 Germans, 2 English, 2 Scotch, 2 French and 2 Canadians.  Two of the number were negroes.  Their religious preferences, what they had of the article, were divided as follows, Catholics, 76; Lutherans, 14; Methodists, 12; Presbyterians, 10; Infidels, 9; Baptists, 5; Episcopalians, 2, Millerite, 1; Universalist, 1.  Of the Irish, nearly all were put in for minor offenses; while those sent to Fort Madison were mostly Americans and Germans.

Just now, there is a lull in business at the jail, there being very few incarcerations, which Is always the case in the spring. – There also seems to be, both here and elsewhere, a great diminution in the amount of crime committed.  Fewer murders and robberies are reported than usual, while the misdemeanors, in this locality, are also on the decrease.  Whether this gratifying state of affairs is to be attributed to the general absorbing interest in the war, or to the probability that many of the professional criminals of the country have gone into the army, or to some other cause is an open question.

THE RIVER probably reached the highest point yesterday it will attain the present season.  The water reached the sidewalk on Front Street, above Perry, and came up Rock Island and Iowa streets nearly to Second.  The river road under and near the bridge is covered several inches.  Cellars all along Front street are flooded.  No serious damage, however, has occurred that we have heard of.  The rise lacked one or two inches of the great flood of 1859, and still more of that of 1851.  The stream was falling at last accounts all the way down.

RAILROAD SHIPMENTS. – The following are the shipments by railroad from this station last week; 2,552 brls. Flour, 8,000 bu. wheat, 3,00 bu. barley, 400 bush. corn, 4,000 bu. potatoes, 600 bu. onions, 1,000 brls meal, 40 tons bran, 712sks. Malt, 43,780 lbs. lard, 8,900 lbs. pork, 1,010 lbs butter, 9,170 lbs. hides, 70 live hogs.  Estimated value of shipments $22,300.

ACCIDENT. – Mr. Christian Snyder, a German, employed in the plow factory of Mr. Krum, met with a painful accident yesterday at the factory.  He was engaged at a circular saw, cutting some lumber, when a piece of wood about three feet long, and a couple of inches square, was caught by the saw and hurled towards him., striking him in the mouth, cutting his lips very much, and causing the blood to flow profusely.  He will be laid up for several days.

– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Tuesday Morning, May 6, 1862, p. 1