A year later, in 1883, expressing dissatisfaction with Iowa winters and the lack of sufficiently interesting news in a town of Chariton's size, he packed his family and headed for California.
A staunch Democrat in an overwhelmingly Republican county and a Unitarian who delighted in taking potshots at devout Trinitarian clergymen, his congenial personality allowed him to remain on good terms with nearly everyone, despite his sharp editorial tongue.
And some weeks were more newsy than others in Lucas County, as The Leader of Saturday, Sept. 26, 1874, suggests.
The previous two weeks had brought heavy rains --- "A tempest of long continued rain ... raised the Chariton river out of its banks, causing it to overflow a large extent of bottom land. It was the heaviest fall of rain we have had for many years. Considerable damage is already done to grain that yet remains in the stack, it many cases it being sprouted."
Out in the western portion of the county, flooding had proved fatal --- "Mr. John Obison of Jackson Township, an old resident of this county, was drowned near Lucas station on Friday of last week during the high water in Whitebreast creek. It appears from what we can learn that he was traveling on horseback and desired to cross at an old ford near that place, but was warmly urged by his friends not to attempt the desperate feat of swimming his horse across where the current was too swift; but heedless of all entreaty he rushed madly in, only to be swept down by the water. He stuck to his horse until it was dead and then he was washed into a drift out of sight. At this time of writing, his body had not yet been found."
Also in Jackson Township, a death had resulted from careless handling of a gun --- "A little boy 12 years old, named Frank Hewit, of Jackson Township, this county, was shot and instantly killed by the careless handling of a gun by Mr. John Stuart on Friday of last week. Stuart says that it was accidental, but the particulars we have not yet learned of the sad tragedy."
Three weeks earlier, Dan had reported that "Besides the Fair and Base Ball Tournament to be held here this month, we learn that the Presbyterian Conference of this District will also meet here in two or three weeks, at which time it is expected there will be from 50 to 80 preachers assembled. We also learn that a Baptist Sanhedrin of some kind will also meet here soon. Chariton is bound to blaze, no matter how she does it."
On Sept. 26, Dan published a brief followup of culinary rather than theological interest: "Since the meeting of the Presbytery in this city, chickens invariably roost in the topmost branches of the trees and our friends from the country report the turkeys as emigrating in large numbers."
It had been a slow week in Chariton courts with only a couple of items of mild interest to report --- Police Court has been rather dull during the past week, a few cases of small moment only transpiring. On Saturday, Reub. Harvey and Jas. Patterson were arrested on the charge of fighting. Harvey was not at all to blame in the matter of controversy, and Patterson only to the extent of $3. On Tuesday, Luther Johnson was assessed the sum of $3 for not being informed as to the law relating to the sale of liquor. Having a surplus of rhubarb wine, he sought to dispose of the same in ways not made and provided; hence the infliction."
And down in southeast Chariton, one issue of potential concern had resolved itself --- "On Wednesday night, the house occupied by a couple of damsels of good and easy virtue in the southeast part of town was badly used up by some persons who are supposed to have become jealous of the indiscriminate distribution of the fair ones' smiles and favors, and now, like the wandering Arab, they have folded their tents and silently stole away."
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