The end of an era of relative peace ...

A young man from Lucas County named Carl L. Caviness (left), just 21, was killed in combat in France as Decoration Day 1918 approached, shot dead by a sniper on May 20 while on patrol.

Carl was the county's first combat death of World War I; also the first Lucas Countyan to die in combat since the Civil War had ended more than 50 years earlier --- the longest period of relative peace in Iowa history.

His death was noted with little fanfare in a short story on the front page of The Chariton Leader of May 30, as follows:

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Carl L. Caviness, of this county, has given up his life in battle in France, having been killed in action Monday, May 20th. His sister, Mrs. John Frazier, received a message Friday afternoon conveying the sad intelligence of his death.

When a young boy, he was a member of Company H of Chariton and was in service on the Mexican border for several months. About a year ago, he visited relatives in Chariton, after which he joined the Rainbow division in New York, sailing for France shortly afterward.

He was a son of Mr. and Mrs. David Caviness, of near Lucas, and made his home in Chariton with his sister, Mrs. John Frazier, and attended the city schools.

His death is a severe blow to his mother, who resides in Caldwell, Idaho, and to other member of the family and to his many friends. It is the sad messages from our boys in the camps and across the seas that make us realize more fully that we are at war and reminds us of our duties as citizens here to protect them in every possible way.

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First buried with a few others near where he fell, Carl's memory was honored during 1919 when members of Chariton's newly formed American Legion post designated themselves Carl L. Caviness Post. No. 102.

In France, the remains of U.S. troops scattered across the countryside were gathered after war's end into national cemeteries and families were offered the option of having their sons' remains repatriated to the United States.

And so on the evening of June 3, 1921, Carl's remains --- as well as those of Pvt. Henry R. Johnson --- arrived in Chariton from France. Funeral services for both were held the following day and both were buried in the Chariton Cemetery.

In all, 26 young men from Lucas County gave up their lives during World War I and losses during World War II, Korea, Vietnam and Somalia have brought the total to approximately 90.

It is their memory --- and thousands upon thousands of others across the United States --- that Memorial Day is intended to honor.

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If Carl's death marked the end of a long period of peace, a minor occurrence during the week his death was reported marked the end of another era in Chariton. The Leader of May 30 also reported, "The chain around the court house square, which has been used for many years as a hitch rack, is being taken away, with the exception around the northeast and southwest corners. As most of the farmers nowadays come to town in automobiles, it was thought that the amount left would be adequate for the demand. It certainly makes a wonderful improvement of the court yard as the old rack was certainly in a dilapidated condition."

Horse and buggy days were almost over.