THE GRAND PARLIAMENT. January 7, 1861, the first county board under the new law providing for one member from each township, met, and organized by electing Andrew Graham as chairman pro tem. On ballott, Hugh D. Downey was elected to serve as chairman during the year. Lots were drawn for one year and two year terms, and the final roll of this first grand parliament of the county was as follows: For some years previous to October, 1870, the county board consisted of one member from each township; but this was found to be too unwieldy, cumbersome and costly a body of men just to do a little county business. Hence, the legislature made a change, providing that the county board should consist of not less than three members; but the people of any county might by popular vote increase the number to five or seven, if they thought best. Accordingly, at the October election of 1870, in Johnson county, three county commissioners, to-wit: M. J. Morsman, L. R. Wolfe and Samuel Spurrier, were elected. But at the same time the people voted on the question, whether the number should be increased to seven, and on this the vote stood 1,164 in favor and 2,005 against the increased number of members. A cold wave of "retrenchment" had struck the county, and it was thought three men could do the work better, or at least at less cost, than seven, and to cut down expenses was now the order of the day, everywhere. At the general election in November, 1872, another vote was taken on a proposition to increase the county board, five being the number proposed this time, and on this question the vote stood, 2,266 in favor of increasing the number of members from three to five, and 821 votes against it. HIGHER POLITICAL HONORS. The following Johnson county men have held state or national offices: Robert Lucas-first Territorial Governor of Iowa-1838-39-40. Joseph T. Fales-first State Auditor, elected in 1846. Morgan Reno-first State Treasurer, elected in 1846; was Territorial Auditor in 1840. James Harlan-State Superintendent of schools in 1846-7-8; United States Senator from 1855 to 1865; then resigned, and Kirkwood was elected to fill vacancy. Harlan was again Senator from 1866 to 1872. Samuel J. Kirkwood-Governor of Iowa in 1859-60-61-62. Elected again in 1875. United States Senator in 1866; again elected in 1877. Secretary of the Interior in President Garfield's Cabinet in 1881; resigned in April, 1882. John Pattee-State Auditor; in 1855 appointed to fill vacancy; elected in 1856 to 1859. Rush Clark-Representative in Congress in 1876; re-elected in 1878. Died in Washington City, April 28, 1879. Wm. E. Miller-Judge of Supreme Court in 1864; Chief Justice, from 1874 to 1876. T. S. Parvin-Register of State Land Office from 1857 to 1859. John Teesdale-State Printer, 1857 to 1861. Wm. Pattee-State Auditor, 1850 to 1854. Martin L. Morris-State Treasurer, 1852 to 1859. SUCCESSIVE POSTMASTERS OF IOWA CITY. From the great heap of historical driftwood, which Col. Trowbridge has kept to mulch his memory with, an old yellowish brown paper was raked out, which furnished the basis of the following sketch: The post-office of Napoleon, Johnson County, Iowa, was established March 2, 1839; and the successive postmasters from that time to this have been John Gilbert-appointed March 2, 1839; Martin Van Buren, president. At this time it was the prerogative of the Postmaster General to appoint the minor postmaters. Amos Kendall was Postmaster General, and his name was signed to Gilbert's commission. It arrived here about the middle or 20th of March; but Gilbert was then in a dying condition (died within a day or two afterward) and the document was never shown to him. Wm. M. Harris-appointed April 18, 1839, by Postmaster General Kendall. This appointment was an episode of the struggle between rival settlements in the county, each striving to secure the county seat-the Gilbert neighborhood standing for Napoleon, and the Harris neighborhood standing for Osceola. A historical Atlas of Johnson county, published in 1870, says the first post-office in the county was in Liberty township, the name of the first post-office was "Osceola," and Wm. Harris was the first postmaster-three firstling errors in as many lines. There was never any post-office here at all named Osceola; Napoleon was not in Liberty township; and John Gilbert was the first appointed postmaster in the county-Mr. Harris the second. He was a young man-had no home of his own, but lived with his father, Pleasant Harris (generally known as "Judge Harris,") and kept the post-office at his father's house. This was on the west side of the river, where it bends to the eastward and so throws the southwest quarter of section twenty-three on the west side, in Liberty township. The house stood a short distance above the mouth of Old Man's creek, just where Sterling Stagg now lives (1882). This was about four miles below the Napoleon town site, and on the opposite side of the river, which was a great annoyance and aggravation to the Napoleonites. But they took measures as quickly as possible to report their case at Washington. In connection with this post-office struggle there were schemes and counter-schemes, and tampering with the mails between Napoleon and Bloomington (Muscatine); but the story is too long and unimportant to be worth the space it would take to tell it in print. Suffice to say, there was soon a change of postmasters at Napoleon, and also at the little post-office called Lucas, where the Bloomington road crossed Cedar river. Here the Napoleon mails had been "doctored." Samuel H. McCrory-appointed by Postmaster-General Kendall, July 4, 1839. McCrory kept the office at his house on section thirteen, Lucas township, right where his fine residence called Virginia Grove now stands, (1882;) but as soon as it was possible to get a room in Iowa City, he opened the post-office there, in the store of Charles S. Foster. Chauncy Swan-appointed by Postmaster General Kendall, Nov. 14, 1839. And at the same time the name was changed from Napoleon to IOWA CITY post-office. And thus Napoleon was snuffed out. James M. Hawkins-appointed Sept. 2, 1841, by Frank Granger, P. M. G. Samuel C. Trowbridge-appointed Aug. 3, 1842, by Charles A. Wickliff, P. M. G. Sworn in, Sept. 20, the same day he resigned the office of sheriff. James P. Bradshaw-appointed April 27, 1849, by Jacob Collamer, P. M. G. Anson Hart-appointed Aug. 13, 1851, by President Millard Filmore. N. K. Hall was now Postmaster General, but the appointing power had by this time been vested in the President direct, instead of his postal secretary as before. George Paul-appointed April, 6, 1853, by President Frank Pierce. James Campbell was the P. M. G. William Vogt-appointed May 10, 1854, by President Pierce. (This was Dr. Vogt, a favorite and influential man among the German people). Arthur B. Stillwell-appointed June 4, 1857, by President James Buchanan, A. B. Brown, P. M. G. Samuel Workman-appointed April 6, 1859, by President Buchanan. Joseph E. Fales-appointed Aug. 31, 1860, by President Buchanan. Joseph Holt was now P. M. G. James R. Hartsock-appointed April 30, 1861, by President Abraham Lincoln. Montgomery Blair was Postmaster General. Mr. Hartsock was re-appointed by President Lincoln, April 11, 1865, only three days before his assassination. George W. Clark-appointed Aug. 22, 1866, by President Andrew Johnson. Alexander Randall was the P. M. G. Edward W. Lucas-appointed May 1, 1867, by President Johnson. James R. Hartsock again-appointed this time by President U. S. Grant, April 21, 1869. N. H. Brainerd-appointed by President Grant, May 17, 1872, and assumed the duties of the office on the 8th day of June. Benjamin Owen-appointed by President Grant, July 24, 1876. Jacob Ricord-appointed by President Rutherford B. Hayes, June 14, 1880, and still holds the office, Oct. 1, 1882. POST MASTERS AND POST OFFICES OF JOHNSON COUNTY, OCT. 1, 1882. All former post-offices not named in the above list had been discontinued prior to Oct. 1, 1882. ships: Lincoln, Scott, There is no post-office within the following town- See the following table by townships for census reports from 1850 to 1880: POPULATION OF JOHNSON COUNTY AT DIFFERENT PERIODS. NOTE.--The cities and villages are printed with their proper townships, but in black type, and also their figures are in black type, and are not included it the footings at the bottom, for they were already counted in the township figures. THIS TABLE WAS PREFARED FOR THIS WORK BY W. H. FLEMING, STATISTICIAN, OF DES Total. 25429 246511 248141 24898 23948 21641 18778 17177 17573 14457 4472 *Up to 1870 Iowa City township included what is now called Lucas township, but in 1873-75-80, it only included the City. +Formerly a part of Pleasant Valley township. Formerly Iowa City township. CHAPTER II.-PART 2. COURTS AND CRIMES. First District Court-First Crimir.al Case (Gregg)—First Court in Iowa City-First Naturalizations-A Gang of Petty Thieves-A $5,000 Robbery―The Boyd-Wilkinson Tragedy. THE FIRST DISTRICT COURT IN THE COUNTY. The act organizing the county, approved June 22, 1838, provided for district court to be held on the second Mondays of August and December. But a new law approved Jan. 21, 1839, changed the time to May and September. The first session of this court was held on the second |