HORRIBLE MURDER IN JONES COUNTY.

On Sunday, the 19th of September, 1858, Sheriff Newton S. Noble received information that an atrocious murder had been committed in Washington Township. The Sheriff immediately repaired to the place of the murder and succeeded in arresting the murderer.

The murdered man was a Mr. Keneily, an Irishman, and Ned Penderghast the murderer. The crime was the result of the too free use of the "ardent." These two men were at work mowing, when, having drank 'too freely, a quarrel ensued, and resulted in the killing of Keneily by Penderghast with a scythe. A Mr. Clancy was badly wounded by the blow that caused the death of Keneily, he (Clancy) standing near at the time. A good deal of excitement prevailed, and there was much talk of lynching Penderghast, but he was taken to Marion by the Sheriff and confined in jail to await trial. There was no jail in Anamosa at the time. In due time, Penderghast was tried in the District Court at Anamosa, convicted of manslaughter, and sentenced to serve at hard labor for two years in the State Penitentiary at Fort Madison. He was taken to Fort Madison by Sheriff Noble, there to serve his time; returned to Jones County and soon after died.

OLD SETTLERS' ASSOCIATION.

According to previous announcement, the Old Settlers of Jones County assembled in the City Hall, Anamosa, on Wednesday, April 4, 1866. The meeting was organized by appointing Dr. N. G. Sales, Chairman. Dr. S. G. Matson was chosen Secretary, and T. E. Booth, Assistant Secretary. The object of the meeting was stated by Mr. Otis Whittemore.

On motion, a Committee of three was appointed to draft a Constitution and By-Laws for the government of the Association, to-wit: C. T. Lamson, Dr. S. G. Matson and Otis Whittemore.

While the Committee was out, Mr. John Merritt, being called upon, gave a brief history of his early life. He came to Jones County in January, 1837. In the June following, he selected a claim near Rome. He afterward returned to New York, and, in 1839, again started West, by water, bringing his family with him. He arrived near where Clinton now is, and had not a dollar in his pocket! Those who are acquainted with Mr. Merritt will appreciate the contrast in his financial affairs at that time and now. After much trouble and delay, he succeeded in reaching his claim, where he, like many others of the pioneers of the county, by perseverance and frugal industry, attained wealth and comfort for his old age. At the conclusion of the remarks of Mr. Merritt, the Committee reported a Constitution and By-laws for a permanent organization, and the following officers were chosen for the ensuing term:

President, S. G. Matson; Vice President, Otis Whittemore; Secretary, J. D. Walworth; Treasurer, C. T. Lamson.

The following gentlemen were elected Vice Presidents at large:

Cass Township, John Powell; Fairview Township, Joseph A. Secrest; Greenfield Township, E. V. Miller; Hale Township, L. A. Simpson; Monticello Township, Thomas J. Peck; Rome Township, Timothy Stivers; Richland Township, Barrett Whittemore; Scotch Grove Township, John E. Lovejoy; Washington Township, Thomas McNally; Wayne Township, Daniel

Soper; Wyoming Township, Thomas Green. (All the townships were not represented.)

The following named persons were present at the meeting: N. G. Sales, S. G. Matson, John Merritt, Henry Koffitz, J. Clark, E. Brown, B. Chaplin, D. Graham, O. Whittemore, G. H. Ford, J. Hutton, N. B. Homan, H. Booth, I. Fisher, W. W. Hollenbeck, J. D. Walworth, C. T. Lamson, S. F. Glenn, A. Sutherland, J. E. Lovejoy, G. L. Yount, S. Kelly, G. Brown, E. Brown, H. C. Metcalf, J. Powell, E. Booth, Benjamin L. Matson, J. Graham, T. E. Booth, H. Hollenbeck, C. W. Hollenbeck, B. Brown.

Another meeting was not held until the 2d of September, 1875. The following are the minutes of their doings at the time:

The old settlers of Iowa, residing in Jones County, met in the observatory of the exhibition hall, on the Fair Ground, to the number of about twenty.

Short remarks were made by Whittemore, Russell, Marvin, Rynerson, Stivers and McKean. On motion of Rynerson, the Secretary was instructed to procure the book and funds of the old organization of J. D. Walworth, of Boston, Mass.

On motion of Pangburn, voted an Executive Committee be appointed, consisting of Whittemore, Russell, Marvin, Rynerson and Moulton, to draft a Constitution and By-Laws for the society, and report at next meeting. The President gave notice that there would be a meeting of the Committee at Moulton's office, on Saturday afternoon, the 18th inst. On motion of Judge McKean, voted to adjourn, subject to the call of the President for a permanent organization.

Names of those present, their nativity, and the year they came to Iowa: B. Whittemore, New Hampshire, 1837; Edmund Booth, Massachusetts, 1839; Thomas Green, Indiana, 1840; Timothy Stivers, New York, 1840; R. J. Cleveland, Massachusetts, 1841; William Brazleton, Illinois, 1842; E. V. Miller, Ohio, 1843; Otis Whittemore, New Hampshire, 1843; William Cline, New York, 1844; Elijah Pangburn, New York, 1845; R. A. Rynerson, Kentucky, 1845; John Young, England, 1848; A. D. Kline, Virginia, 1849; Richard H. Simpson, ; J. C. Austin, Vermont, 1850; John Russell, Scotland, 1852; S. S. Farwell, Ohio, 1852; John White, Pennsylvania, 1852; David Ralston, Virginia, 1853; M. M. Moulton, New Hampshire, 1854; John McKean, Pennsylvania, 1854; Robert Dott, Scotland, 1854; Dr. T. E. Mellett, Indiana, 1855; A. G. Pangburn, New York, 1855; A. H. Marvin, New York, 1855; John Clark, Pennsylvania, 1855.

M. M. MOULTON, Secretary.

OTIS WHITTEMORE, President.

THE ADDITIONAL PENITENTIARY AT ANAMOSA.

On the 8th of May, 1872, the Penitentiary Commissioners, Messrs. Martin Heisey, formerly Warden of the State Penitentiary at Fort Madison, William Ure, of Linn County, and Maj. F. L. Downing, of Oskaloosa, inspected several sites talked of for the location of the Anamosa Penitentiary building. The Commissioners were accompanied by Messrs. John McKean, John Tasker, B. F. Shaw, C. H. Lull, Dr. N. G. Sales, T. W. Shapley, E. C. Holt, G. W. Field, J. S. McClure and others. The tract first examined is the south halfTM of the southwest quarter of Section 3, and at the time was the property of Dr. N. G. Sales, except ten acres owned by R. N. Fowler.

Having made an examination of this tract, the party returned by way of what was known at the time as the thirteen-acre tract talked of for a county fair ground, lying within the northwestern limits of the corporation. An examination of this tract over, the party returned to the Fisher House. At 1 o'clock, a complimentary banquet was given in honor of the Hon. John McKean, Hon. P. G. Bonewitz and Hon. John Tasker, the Jones County members of the General Assembly, as a recognition of their efforts in behalf of the Penitentiary project, and also in honor of the Commissioners, who were present for the first time in official capacity. At the conclusion of the banquet, Senator John McKean called the house to order, and Capt. E. B. Alderman was made Chairman.

Messrs. H. C. Metcalf, C. H. Lull and R. N. Fowler were appointed a committee to act for the city of Anamosa with the Penitentiary Commissioners, in matters pertaining to the location of the Penitentiary buildings, and other things coming within the province of the Commissioners as to the city of Anamosa. T. R. Ercanbrack, Milton Remley and J. L. Sheean were appointed a committee, and reported resolutions expressive of the sentiments of those present toward the Jones County members and others, for their efforts and services in behalf of the penitentiary project. The report was unanimously adopted, after which the meeting adjourned, and the Commissioners took their departure for a tour of observation to the prisons of other States.

About the 4th of June, 1872, the Commissioners met and located the Penitentiary just northwest of the town, on the ground in the angle formed by the Dubuque & Southwestern Railroad and the public highway leading from Anamosa to Fisherville. A subscription of $3,500 was raised by the citizens to purchase such lands as were not donated. Dr. Sales donated twelve lots, and sold two more at $50 each. On the west side of the Buffalo, the Doctor donated thirty-six acres, and sold twenty-five acres for $1,250, the citizens paying for the same. The Doctor also gave the right of way over his land to the quarries, as did also Mr. Israel Fisher. The first quarry bought by the State lies three miles west of the land donated to the State. This quarry includes twenty acres within boundaries, more or less being suitable for the purpose for which it was purchased. The second quarry comprises a tract of eighty acres, a large part of which is underlaid with the finest of buildingstone. The latter was the well-known and valuable quarry of Messrs. Krause, Shaw & Weaver, which had been running for years, and, at the time, was owned by Dr. Sales.

The State has 100 acres of land at the quarries, sixty-one acres of pasture or tillable land in the forks of the Buffalo, and fifteen acres for the Penitentiary buildings-in all, about 175 acres. The State paid to Dr. Sales for the quarries, $15,000; the citizens paid to him, $1,250; Orrin Sage, of Ware, Mass., donated one block of ten lots for the buildings, and other lots were purchased by the citizens to the full amount of their subscriptions, and donated by them to the State. The State thus secures more than was called for in the bill for its location, to wit: Ten acres of stone quarry, at a cost not to exceed $15,000, and seventy acres for penitentiary and other purposes. The pledges of the citizens to the State were fully carried out, we are glad to record, to the honor of the people of Jones County.

The plan of the new Penitentiary was the work of L. W. Foster & Co., and the proper authorities approved the same, at Des Moines, about the 1st of September, 1872.