Sioux City Academy of Science and Letters. 113 
there also, and it was said she had a small bag of jewelry, 
presumably that which had been given up in the sacrifice 
by the women. She seemed to set great value on this 
collection, much beyond its real worth. When Thompson 
took a drive up to Sioux City and Sergeant Bluffs, Wood- 
bury county, Iowa, at all times he seemed to be in great 
fear of personal violence, and would start at every sound. 
This ended the unity of the colony and the religious 
organization. A suit was brought in behalf of the colo- 
nists against Thompson and those to whom he had con- 
veyed the property in the nature of a bill in equity, to 
declare the colony a partnership, and Thompson a trus- 
tee, holding the title in trust for the members, and to set 
aside the conveyance from him to his wife, brother and 
Barnum. 
Thompson’s defense was that so far as the people 
had put any property in his hands it was in payment for 
his services as chief teacher and that this was expressly 
understood between them and that the written contracts 
he made with them established these facts. 
The case went to the Supreme Court of Iowa, and the 
people won, and there was an order for an accounting 
between the members as to what they had put in, and a 
division of the property was had. Addison Dimmock and 
Isaac Parrish, of Onawa, and Pat Robb and Wm. L. 
Joy, of Sioux City, represented the people, and in differ- 
ent stages Addison Oliver, B. D. Holbrook, of Onawa; 
Wakely & Test, Polk & Hubbell, and Thos. F. Withrow, 
of Des Moines, appeared for the defendants. 
J. C. C. Hoskins was appointed under the order for 
apportionment, (Mr. Hoskins being from Sioux City), as 
referee to take the evidence as to what each one had con- 
tributed, and report the facts, and finally a distribution 
was made among the numerous persons entitled to it. 
Though the litigation began in 1859 it did not end until 
about 1867. The decision of the Supreme Court of Iowa 
is found in 21 Iowa Supreme Court Reports, page 599, 
Scott vs. Thompson. 
In the trial of this cause the records, the news- 
papers, publications, contracts, bonds, notes, bills of sale, 
during the continuance of the colony with much oral 
