LIFE SKETCH. 1 3 



smaller scale than formerly. At Orange, where he 

 made his home, he met with great success, so that in 

 1868, at Millington, Mass., he opened the large brick 

 hotel known as the Millington House. This he fur- 

 nished in the most expensive manner, and the hotel 

 became well known as the horsemen's headquarters. 



Avery interesting event occurred here one day dur- 

 ing my father's absence. At that time the liquor 

 law was strictly enforced. Detectives were " nosing 

 around," seeking for what they could devour, and 

 called at the Millington House. My mother suspected 

 at once who they were. Telling me to look after their 

 horses, she went to the room where the demijohn was 

 kept, and taking in her apron some crackers as well as 

 the aforesaid article, carried it out from under their 

 noses, plunged it into the soft soap barrel and pushed 

 it to the bottom. On my father's return the next day 

 it was hard work for three men to pull out that demi- 

 john. On that occasion I remember receiving two 

 dollars for taking care of the detectives' horses. 



When a young man my father was badly gored by 

 a bull, from the effects of which he never fully re- 

 covered. He also was much troubled with inflamma- 

 tory rheumatism, which complaint he thought was ag- 

 gravated by our long, cold winters. Impressed with 

 the idea that a life in the West might benefit him, he 

 disposed of his hotel in Millington, and removed his 

 family to Dakota, Humboldt County, Iowa, about 

 ninety miles above Fort Dodge, on the west branch of 

 the Des Moines River, where he bought a large stone 

 mansion one and a half miles from the village of 

 Springville. Here he built an extensive meat-market, 

 a large hotel, restaurant, and several houses, going 

 largely into the live-stock business, his butchering 

 averaging about five carcasses a week for the local 



