The Rainmaker

Chapter XXXVII

      It was the year 1894, the climax of a seven-year drought, described in the Gue Gue “History of Iowa” Vol. 3, as “A draught which for severity and widespread damage to crops, has never been equaled in the state”.

      Reading further into this account, one finds that it spread into neighboring states with disastrous results to hay, pastures and corn.  Early in July, pastures were as dry as though destroyed by fire.  Hot winds withered hundreds of thousands of acres of corn and not an ear was formed.  Stalks were cut for fodder.

      With no corn, pastures dried up and hay ruined, farmers had to sell their livestock.  Horses were sold for ten to twenty dollars per head to buyers from other states.  Hundreds of poorer horses were killed to keep them from starving.  Cattle and hogs were sacrificed at ruinous prices.  Orchard and shade trees suffered and great numbers of them died, especially walnut and oak.

Muskrats Perished Too

      Wells that had always furnished water and creeks that had been considered permanent went dry.  Ponds and sloughs everywhere went dry and muskrats perished by the thousands.

      The greatest loss came from the selling of young livestock, which was seriously felt for many years.

      Reading of this catastrophic drought, one thinks of the prophet Haggai who, five centuries B. C. wrote: “The heaven over you is stayed from dew and the earth is stayed from her fruit.  And I called for a drought upon the land and upon the mountains.  The corn.  The new wine.  The oil and that which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men and upon all the labor of the hands.”

Scrap Book

      A scrap book of long ago was loaned to this writer by Dean Boozell of the Russell Community.  It contains a clipping from the Chariton Herald of 1907.  Fakirs were roaming all over the country promising to bring rain.  Some essayed to do it by firing explosives into the air, some by making ill-smelling gas and others by flying kites.

      Although Lucas County was hard hit, there was still plenty of money and one of the fakirs chose this community for his operations.

      His name was Ursa S. Swisher.

      The contract drawn by an attorney, follows, together with a list of all subscribers.  These documents were kept in the First National Bank and were found by the bank examiners who went through all papers in 1907.  It is stated in the clipping that since there was no rain, Swisher did not collect on the contract, but a small subscription was taken up for him to defray his expenses during the week he spent here.

“To Ursa S. Swisher:

. . . We, the undersigned citizens of Lucas County, Iowa, do hereby each offer and agree to pay to you the sum set opposite our names, not exceeding in all the sum of five hundred dollars, if within five days from the hour of five o’clock on this 27^th day of July, 1894, you produce a rainfall at the town of Chariton, in said county, and on an over-territory extending ten miles in all directions from the courthouse in said town of Chariton, to the extent of at least one inch.

      Witness our hands this 27^th of July, 1894:

      T. M. Stuart, $25.  Great-grandfather of Judge William C. Stuart, he started four generations of the Stuart law firm here.  They celebrated the firm’s centennial in 1960.

      Lewis Bonnett $25.  Member of a prominent farm family in Lucas county.

      First National Bank $100.  The Mallory family was connected with this bank and Frank Crocker was cashier.  The Crocker family lived in what is now the Fielding Funeral Home.

      The Chariton Herald, $5.  Local newspaper of the time, owned by Sam Green, a very enterprising publisher.

      Dr. McKlveen $5.  A well-known physician.

      C. E. Stewart and H. L. Stewart, brothers, each pledged $5.  They were veterinarians.

      N. Weiford $5.  Owned and operated the Weiford shoe store, which is now the Family Shoe Store.

      McKlveen Bros., $10.  Owned and operated a lumber yard here.

      C. E. Penick, $25.

      C. W. Fitch $5.  Widely known physician.  He rode a horse as the most dependable transportation in that day.

      Thomas Gay, $5.

      Stewart and Son, $25.  Owned and operated a lumber yard.

      Mr. Hanlon, $5.  Superintendent of schools.

      J. E. Stanton, $5.  Founder of the well-known Stanton family.

      Edwards and Lyons, $5.

      J. F. Spiker, $10.  Grandfather of Mrs. Judd McDonnell, operated a livery stable across the street north from Chariton Lumber Company.  He also had a grocery store on the east side of the square and a large farm north of Chariton where the family lived.

      H. D. Vawter, $5.  Farmer northwest of Chariton.  He was the father of Mrs. Harold Pennington and of the late Mrs. George Ashby.  He gave land for a rural school which was named for him.

      S. Oppenheimer, $5.  Came to Chariton in 1883, established the Oppenheimer clothing business, was founder of the family to the present fifth generation.

      Wm. Schreiber, $3.  Owned a wagon factory and also made buggies and carriages, some with fringe on top.

      N. A. England.  Was an apprentice under Mr. Schreiber and later had his own blacksmith shop.

      W. S. Custer, $10.  Owned and operated one of the oldest feed stores anywhere around.

      George Mitchell, $2, and Charles Linstrom, $1.

      A. M. Wheeler, $10. Don Wheeler’s grandfather.  He was a substantial farmer and was a County Commissioner.

      Thomas Whisenand, $5.  Father of the late Mary Melville.  He was a real estate agent.

      A. A. Eckfelt, $2.  Funeral director and furniture business.

      Robert F. Noland, $2, and P. E. Weller, $5.

      H. S. Glenn, $5.  Father of the late Mae Gasser.  A wagon maker and also a dealer in carriages and implements.

      Garland and Lewis, blacksmith, $1.

      W. C. Brown, $3.  Had shoe store on the east side of the square.

      H. Blouse, $5.  Hoagland Blouses’ grandfather came to Lucas County in 1871, served two terms as Clerk of the Court and also farmed.

      W. B. Barger, $5.  He was a lawyer.

      F. C. Stanley, $2.  He was a grocer and operated his store where the Piper Grocery store is now.

      The Savings Bank, $5.

      Dr. T. P. Stanton, $5.  Well known physician.

      Dr. John Stanton, $5.  A physician, owned Chariton Cemetery until purchased by the city.

      Wm. H. Smythe, $2.  Owned and operated a dry goods store where the Halden Clothing Store is now.

      Jenk E. Wright, $5.  Real estate agent and insurance.  Father of Joe Wright.

      G. VanLoon, $2.  Farmer who owned land in the extreme northeast corner of Lucas County.

      O. F. Brownlee, $5.  Grandfather of the late Leland Brownlee.  Mr. Brownlee was a veteran of the Civil War.

      John VonBehren, $5.  Operated a grocery store on west side of square where the Gamble store is now.

      J. T. Gillespie, $10.  Gillespie was a farmer south of Chariton.

      D. Wright, $5.

      Lockwood and Son, $25.  They were jewelers who owned the building on west side of square and which still has the name at the top.  They used to service the Courthouse clock, the job that Paul Steiner now has.

      Samuel Badger, $5.  Great uncle of Leland Bowers of Chariton.  Badger was a farmer.

      C. B. Kirk, $10.  He was a druggist on north Main Street.

      Henry Dillman, $2.  Grandfather of Louise Krutsinger.

      C. Dalin, $2.  He was a tailor.

      J. C. Conroy, $1.

      Gus Thompson, $3.  Owned and operated a bakery on east side of square.

      William Gibbon, $5.  He was a prominent doctor and druggist.  His store was where the Klaassen Rexall store is now. Dr. Gibbon served as a medic in the Civil War.

      Andy Holmes, $2.  He was a traveling salesman at one time and was in the cigar business here.  He owned the building where Mayor Lloyd Moore now operates his radio and television business.

      Charles Linstrom, $1.  Farmer

      Henry Kubitsek, $10.  Lawyer, a man of highest integrity.  He was the executor and trustee of the

estate of Daniel Eikenberry, grandfather of William Eikenberry.  He owned the two-story brick building which stood where the First State Drive-in bank now stands.  This building had his name on the façade.

      Joe Copeland, $5.  Uncle of the late Howard Copeland.

      L. W. Maple, $5.  Maple had a book store and was Postmaster at one time.

      W. S. Long, $3.  Farmer.

      G. W. Wiltsey, $3.  He owned and operated a grocery store where the Skelly service station stands southwest of the square.

      John Bentley, $2.  Blacksmith

      Frank Brown, $2.  Stock buyer

      W. H. Kennedy, $5.  Owned a dry goods store.

      D. Q. Storey, $10.  Druggist.  Storey was the father of Dr. Dave Storey, well known physician.

      E. M. Press, $5.  Clothing merchant.

      M. M. Perry, $5.  Dentist.  His office was in the old Masonic Temple.

      G. W. Ensley, $5.  Hardware merchant on west side of square.  He was the father of Charles Ensley.

      J. E. Brown, $4.  He had a shoe store.

      F. M. Shuler, $3.  He operated a feed store.

      J. M. McCullough and Brothers, $5.  Owned and operated a livery stable where the Chevrolet establishment now is.

      C. J. Cain, $5.  Father of Mrs. Ethel Stevenson of Chariton Manor.  Farmer.

      A. E. Dent, $10.  One of the pioneer dry goods merchants in Chariton.  The store was where the Penney store now is.

      Horace Neiman, $2 and Henry Williby, $2.

      I. N. Bowen, $5.  Real estate agent.

      S. L. Morrison, $2.  Operated a nursery north of Chariton.

      C. E. Allen, $1.  Real estate, and ancestor of Tandy Allen and the late Mrs. Ruth Gookin.

      Hollinger and Busselle, $5.  They were hardware merchants.  Hollinger was the grandfather of Margaret Ellen Johnson and later owned and operated a clothing store where Ward’s store is now.

      “I hereby accept the foregoing proposition and agree that if I fail to produce rain at the time and place and to the extent specified in said proposition, the said proposition shall be void and I will claim nothing thereon.”

Ursa S. Swisher

      “Such was the contract.  Swisher fitted up some apparatus in an upstairs room on the south side of 

     The following persons have rendered invaluable assistance to this writer in giving information for this article: Agnes McKinney, George Steinbach, Mrs. Don Wheeler, Mrs. N. A. England, Mary Lockwood, Mrs. Howard Copeland, Mrs. Jerome Oppenheimer, Mrs. Harold Pennington, William Eikenberry, Judge William Stuart, Oscar Stafford, Margaret Ellen Johnson and Mrs. Judd McDonald.

the square occupied by Geo. Fancher’s law office and burned some old rubbers or other junk allowing the ill-smelling gas to escape through a gas pipe stuck out of the window and pointing heavenward.

      The inhabitants smelled and were impressed but no rain came.  The contract expired and Mr. Swisher was ready to move on when a fine rain fell south of town in the area of the farm of Lewis Bonnett.  Mr. Bonnett came to town and gave the rainmaker $25.

      

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