Anamosa - A Reminiscence 1838 - 1988

“All this will account for the different drunken places
that have sprung up lately in this place. The law says
that all peace officers shall abate these nuisances and
that drunken men shall be taken up and fined under a
penalty of fine and forfeiture of office. Has any been
abated? Has any been taken up? Not onel
What then? Shall we elect one of these peace officers.
when he will not discharge his office now for fear of
losing a liquor vote?
“We leave the good citizens of Jones county to say
whether liquor, with all its drunken brawls and
consequent crimes, shall be triumphant or not.
"The wrong ‘boys’ were apparently put into office as
it wasn't long before the editor was informing the
public that. “taking the number of saloons into
consideration, Anamosa ought to be a ‘right smart‘
town. There are no less than seven in operation at
present and as a consequence. drunken men are plenty.
It is time an effort was made to close up some of these
watering holes.“
An effort was made, but one Saturday evening.
during the progress of the trials of several ‘nuisance’
suits. a crowd of rowdies assembled in and around the
courthouse and disturbed the court by loud talking.
coughing, and hooting.
After the court adjourned, the rabble-rousers
surrounded Mr. Marvin, one of the attorneys for the
state. and commenced throwing eggs at him. Mr.
Marvin was compelled to take refuge in the Waverly
House (hotel on South Main, at the time), where he
remained all night.
The ruffians proceeded to the Wilcox Jewelery store
and pelted the wooden building with eggs and tore
down his sign. J.H. Snow was also visited and eggs
thrown against his store building. before running out of
eggs and interest. Lack of their arrests caused some
indignation and some rejoicing in the small
community.
In 1860, the ladies of the nearby town of Wyoming
also had their fill of drunken men upon the streets of
their town. Many of the ladies had fathers, sons and
husbands who frequented the drinking and gambling
saloons. Finally, the point was passed. ‘where
forebearance ceases to be a virture'. and one evening
more than 30 ladies made a call upon a ‘vile shop‘.
They broke up a gaming table. and resolutely spilled
everything in the semblence of liquor that could be
found.
Someone had tipped off the proprietor that the visit
was coming and they managed to have ‘secreted most
of their vile property‘ but enough was destroyed to
show the current feeling against the whole business.
The constable was on hand and commanded the
woman to disperse and gave them five minutes to do so.
But, for once. the constable found a company who
weren't frightened. Neither his commands nor the
oaths, threats and ‘vulgarities' of the shop keepers and
their patrons could stop them until they had carried out
their intentions.
The temperance leaders in the county gave credit to
the ladies actions. and commended them for their
heroism. The Anamosa editor wrote simply and
profoundly. ' Women have some rights as well as men:
and surely no money-loving scoundrel in the shape of a
man has the right to treat his family as beasts. The
right to do that does not exist.“
In 1889 T.R. Ercanbrack. addressing the Farmer's
Institute on temperence matters, told of an early
county resident. and later mayor of Monticello. who
related to him that the first time he ever saw Anamosa
he found the clerk of district court and the postmaster
both sitting on the same whiskey barrel (Author's note:
this activity has been discontinued.). and the barrel
was partly empty. He said, quoting the early resident.
‘At the time the chief products of the town were fever.
ague, rattlesnakes and vagabonds. “
He quoted T.E. Booth, at a temprance meeting the
week before. as saying, “I have seen a judge brought to
town to hold court in such a state of intoxication he had
to be held in the seat of his buggy, and it was a common
occurrence in later years. to see him maudlin
drunk."(Author‘s note: fortunately this practice, too,
was discontinued.)
“At that time,“ Mr. Ercanbrack continued. “liquor
was sold in almost every business place. even in dry
goods stores and ladies were sometimes compelled to
smell whiskey while taking their letters into the post
office."
At the same meeting the week before, referred to by
Mr. Ercanbrack, he recalled comments made by Dr.
Skinner, who was reported to have said that, when he
purchased the drugstore that he then occupied in
Anamosa, he found that many of the men came
unbidden into the back door and helped themselves to
his liquors. “but very few of them insulted him by
paying anything for their drinks. These imbibers gave
no heed to his objections to that kind of procedure. and
on one occasion when he undertook to assert his
rights, they promptly and good naturedly put him out
of the room and locked the door on him."
Mr. Ercanbrack continued, “In the year 1855 the
legislature of Iowa passed the first prohibition laws
enacted in this state. The enforcement of them was not
so well provided for as it is now. But mild as they may
have been, Anamosa gave them no heed whatever. This
city was no more law abiding than the city of . . . is
today, and continued in this state of insubordination if
not rebellion for eight years.
“In the spring of 1867. without any previous design
that anybody ever heard of, the elections of Anamosa
placed in authority a nobler class of men than they
intended to. For no sooner were they installed in office
than the 14 saloons in town were taxed a $100 license.
“This action was followed by the greatest excitement
in the history of Anamosa. The old landlord of the old
Fisher House closed his hotel and nailed a board across
the front door. and swore that he would never receive
another guest until he could run a free saloon in the
basement.
“Thirteen other saloon men stood in the street in
front of their closed doors and made their awnings blue
with profanity. The reign of terror was upon us.
“ln Fairview, at a large indignation meeting held. the
city council of Anamosa was denounced with vigorous
English. and it was unanimously resolved not to buy
another dollars worth of merchandise in the town until
that offensive license ordinance was repealed.
“Another furious gathering of fellow citizens was
held in a hail, now occupied by J.W. Miller,
photographer, which the assembled multitude agreed.
that in their opinion, unless that odious law was
abolished. Anamosa would be doomed to the demnition
bow-wows. or words to that effect.
“The men who raised this terrible tempest were
Mayor J .C. Dietz. and councilmen E.B. Alderman, S.G.
Matson and M.H. French. All of these gentlemen have
departed hence. but they still live. And here and now I
give to these gentlemen my heartiest thanks. Had their
numbers been one less. they would have been unable to
adopt the ordinance.