Jasper County Democrat, Volume 16, Number 82, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 January 1914 — Allen Looks Writes From Cambridge, Iowa. [ARTICLE]

Allen Looks Writes From Cambridge, Iowa.

I'nder date of Dec. 8, Allen Looks, writes from Cambridge. la., in renewing liis subscription, and among other tilings says: Weather is fine here, roads arc? dry and dusty and autos aiid motorcycles are still much in evidence. Had no rain to speak of since Oct. 12; creeks are dry and no ice for the young folks to skate on only in the river, and it is almost dry except in places. Many new wells are being put down to get water because of the old ones going dry. Only one little skift of snow yet, and it only laid on the ground a few hours. < hristmas and New Year’s weather was more like spring than winter. No corn fed to speak of, only to horses and hogs; cattle and other stock still on pasture and doing well. Some hog cholera yet. I have sold S24G worth of hogs and am still feeding 19 head. In our immediate locality there has been no hog cholera as yet. The losses in lowa from

hog cholera have been very great, but there are still a few left and they are shipping in carloads of immune hogs from Kansas City, which has restocked the state. » Had a pretty good corn and oats crop and prices are good. Corn, 60c; oats, 35c; hogs, $7.35 per bwt.; butcher beef, $6 to $7 per hundred. This is a little tough on the calamity howlers who were predicting low prices on everything under a democratic administration. Many republicans here say Wilson will remain in the White House for eight years, and they are sure right. Well I have turned my sixtieth year and I never attended a state fair until last fall, when with my wife and little daughter I attended the lowa state fair at Des Moines, two days. It was great and a great crowd. There were between 80,000 and 90,000 people on the grounds. I saw many people from Illinois and Indiana there. If there are laboring men in Indiana looking for a job, they will do well to come to lowa next spring, for the price of labor is high, S3O to s•ls per month, and day labor $2 to $2.50 per day. We can't get scoopers to put the corn in the sheller. I have seen lots of farmers here after cribbing 2,000 and 3,000 bushels of corn, pile up as much more on t lie ground and it kept nice until after corn picking, when they shelleu it out. Christmas eve a man living one mile from us, went into his house after completing a day's work, and shot his wife through the head and killed her, then turned the gun on himself, the ball striking him in the forehead and ranging upward. He has been unconscious since. It all occurred over the woman wanting some holiday money. The man’s name was William Pointer, and he had stated that he had some relatives in Jasper county by the name of Hansford, but had lost oil trace of them. He also had one brother in Canada. He is not expected to live. Best regards to old friends and to the editor and the many readers of The Democrat.