Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 203, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 August 1915 — HONEYMOON EXPRESS IN THE PIONEER DAYS [ARTICLE]

HONEYMOON EXPRESS IN THE PIONEER DAYS

Woman's Death Recalls Time When Indians Harassed All Who Crossed the Plains. Dearer, CoL —At her home la this city there passed away, at the age of 78 years, a noble woman who was identified with this western country since her girlhood days. The death of this fine pioneer woman Is being mourned by seven children and a large circle of friends. Mrs. Mary Louise House Scherrer, the leceased, was bom In Utica, N. Y., but left there with her parents for lowa City, la., when she was 12 years old. It was only a few years later that she set out with her family for 3alt Lake City, making the trip across the plains ’with an ox freight train. They reached the city on the day of the laying of the comer stone of the Mormon Temple. In the fall of 1864 the House family came to Denver from Salt Lake City, and the daughter remained In this city until the following year, when she was married to Louis Scherrer. Her honeymoon was pent on the plains in a trip made In a covered wagon to Omaha, Neb. It was an unusual honeymoon. The - Indians were on the warpath and-the Government required that companies of not less than 100 men should be formed before they were permitted to pass the federal post at Fort Morgan. The leader of the band, with which the bride and her husband made their trip told the federal authorities when they reached the fort that their band was 101 men strong, fqr he had found out that Mrs. Scherrer was able to load and shoot as accurately as any of the men. Before the company reached Julesburg many evidences of Indian depredations were seen. Ranch houses had been burned by the score, and near each Beene of battle dead white men and their red foes were lying on the ground. When they finally reached Julesburg they found the Indians had raided the post two days before and burned it. The few soldiers who had been stationed there had been killed or taken prisoners by the Indians. On arriving at Omaha they outfitted again and crossed the plains with freight for the United States Government to old Fort Collins, which at that time was a Government post occupied by a strong force of troops. In the fall Mr. and Mrs. Scherrer returned to lowa, locating on a farm near lowa City. There they remained until 1876, when they again crossed the plains, this time with horse teams. They bought a ranch near Bennet, Col., on the Kiowa creek, and there Mr. Scherrer died in 1891. His widow removed to Denver two years later and has since resided here. The rapid action in Haiti looks a good deal like an admission that watchful waiting has proven a failure. The Indianapolis Star paragrapher says Haiti thinks the U. S. only applies the watchful waiting in spots. • . Miss Lucille Luers went to Lafayette today and Miss Ruth Wood, who went there yesterday, will return home with her Tuesday evening.

Two prisoners at the county jail have this week been employed part of the time in helping shingle the bam at the jail and in gathering up the old shingles and storing them away in the basement for kindling. This may be termed a sort of holiday vacation by The Remington Press and doubtless the prisoners preferred it to close confinement, but The Republican believes that the average taxpayer won’t have any kick coming. Buy your season tickets for the Chautauqua. Think of it, $1.50 gives yotv the right of every session, making a cost of only 12% cents for each of the high-class entertainments and lectures. It starts Saturday, Sept. 4th. Help the committee by buying your season tickets now.

tM. R. Halstead, of St. Cloud, Miss,, who has been here for a visit with his brothers, left in company with his brother, David, for Cadillac, Mich., this morning, near which place M. R. owns a farm. He is here this time rather on a rush trip and will stop only briefly after returning from Michigan. He states that the south has been hard hit by the injury -to its cotton market, but this year he raised peanus and expects a good crop and satisfactory returns.