the river: Iowa, Wisconsin, 1,288; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 781; Brown, Wisconsin, 325; Crawford, Wisconsin, 68; total, 4,376. Dubuque city alone now casts a vote nearly equal to the whole vote—only forty—four years ago, in what now constitutes the three states of Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa. Such is the progress of the west and of our city. Though the election was held on the tenth of October, the official returns were not published until the sixteenth of November in that early time of slow stage coaches, with no western railroads and no telegraph lines anywhere. It appears that Iowa county was the most populous east of the river, Dubuque had the most voters on the west side. The citizens of Fort Snelling did not then vote, and the present great cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis and nearly a hundred Iowa cities and prosperous towns were not then even prospectively thought of. The neighborhood of our state capital was then occupied by Indians, though Keokuk, Burlington, and Davenport had already been settled permanently by the pioneer voters.—(Dubuque Times.)
There are in the United States 6,000 posts of the Grand Army of the Republic containing a membership of 280,000 men which in the year just ended disbursed $500,000 for benevolent purposes. In the state of Iowa there are 415 posts with a membership of 17,000. The mortality for the year was: National, 2,500; State, seventy-three;—a marvelously low record for a class of men who have been subject to the privations of war.—(April 1, 1886.)
Sheriff' Banks brought back from the Insane asylum at Independence last week James Hoffman who has been confined there the past two years. His insanity seems to be of a harmless nature and he will be kept at the Poor farm for the present. The Independence asylum is full.—(March 31, 1886.)
Will Moran has sold Jack Ziegler, of Iroquois, Dakota, another car load of horses, including his stallion, Merry Tom. They will be shipped to-day.—(March 31,1886.)
The county attorney bill requires the board of supervisors to fix the salary at their June session, and in counties of the population of Story the salary can not be more than $900.—(April 21,1886.)
CYCLONES.
The cyclone season came in with a rush last week. The first reported was that at Story City, Tuesday night. The barns and out houses at Kittel Olson's, east of the river, and the house and other buildings at Tollef Ericson's were destroyed. The loss was about as reported last week, $1,800. Ericson had some insurance.
Wednesday evening there were much worse storms in southwestern Iowa, in the vicinity of Bedford, Atlantic and Coon Rapids. A great deal of property was destroyed and at Coon Rapids a boy was killed and a freight train was capsized except one car containing Milwaukee beer.