EARLY MANHOOD IN THE MIDDLE WEST 137 



the Baptist Church in Mount Pleasant, expecting 

 to return on Monday. On coming out of the 

 church after the Saturday evening service we were 

 met by Patrick, our tenant, and told that our 

 house and all its contents had been burned up. 

 There was no insurance the house was hardly 

 worth insuring but we had hoped it would serve 

 until a new one could be built. 



How did it get on fire? That will never be 

 known. Bridget, the wife of Patrick, was what 

 we called " a rank Copperhead," and I had given 

 her great offense by hiring two colored boys who 

 had drifted over the Missouri line into Iowa. On 

 the night of the fire Bridget's son by a former mar- 

 riage, a deserter from the army and said to be a 

 professional bounty jumper, was at home. On 

 this night they had on tap a jug of whiskey and 

 had held high carnival, Bridget as usual taking the 

 lead. On the following Monday a neighbor 

 brought us some cooking utensils which had been 

 found in a fence corner near Bridget's house. 

 When questioned, Bridget said that she had 

 rushed into the burning house and got them and 

 being frightened, had left them by the fence. But 

 the neighbors who first arrived at the fire reported 

 that no one was able to go farther than into the 



