THE 1880’S IMMIGRATION AND OUTLAWS

It is very interesting that in 1886, when two Rainsbarger brothers were in their graves, Nate in the penitentiary, and Frank in jail in Marshalltown awaiting trial for the murder of Enoch Johnson, the horse thieving in Hardin county went on.

It is ironic that the crimes continued even though those thought responsible were either dead or in jail?

This is born out in an article that appeared in the Eldora Herald, September 1, 1886. In part it might convince us that the Rainsbargers had to be completely innocent. However the Rainsbarger name is not left out of the newspaper account. One could say that Editor Ross was just making sure that the Rainsbarger name remained connected since Frank was still awaiting trial. Or we can conclude that perhaps one Rainsbarger brother was in some part involved with a lesser crime than what he died for.

The article recounted how William Ayres, who lived three miles east of Eldora, had, on Wednesday of the previous week, had a horse stolen, and the night before his neighbor, E.J. Fenton had a buggy and harness taken. These actions aroused a great many in the county to once again take matters into their own hands to round up the horse thieves once and for all.

On the following Saturday afternoon a posse of fifteen men left Steamboat Rock about 2 o’clock in the afternoon and headed for the vicinity of the farm of Mrs. Finn Rainsbarger. This area was then known as “the big woods.”

The Herald said, “This area is the reputed den or rendezvous of thieves both for hiding property stolen in this vicinity and as a stopping station between other points. The deep ravines covered with a dense growth of trees, underbrush and vines make it a capital place for hiding.”

As those in the posse approached Mrs. Rainsbarger’s home place, they saw her daughter and a young man with a “powerful physic” named Bill Scott, who lived with Mrs. Rainsbarger and her daughter, leaving just ahead of their arrival. They were heading north in a wagon, and while there was no evidence to connect Scott with the theft of Mr. Ayres horse, the posse followed.

It seems that Scott had a bad reputation, and he had allied himself with other known horse thieves. The previous spring, he and the Rainsbarger daughter had been accused of mutilating Albert Leverton’s horse. They had looked for Scott for several days at that time but he had eluded capture.

As soon as he was sighted a chase was on, and a messenger was sent back to bring up those who had fallen behind. When they neared the Johns farm, the pursuers began to overtake Scott and the young Rainsbarger girl. Scott jumped from his wagon started running through an orchard toward the Johns house. He was commanded to halt but instead of doing so he pulled out a pistol and began firing on those following.

They now returned fire, and several shots were exchanged. Scott now being more closely pressed, raised a shotgun and fired twice at his would be captures. The second shot passed between Ross Horner, and Walter Boyd. Horner had seen him taking aim, and sprang to one side in time to avoid being hit. He was missed, but it was so close that some of the shot passed through his overalls. A single piece of shot struck Boyd in the forehead, but made only a slight wound, while another took away the nail of his forefinger.

At this point everyone needed to reload, and Scott seized the opportunity and disappeared behind the barn.

Some of those who were too far behind to take part in the gunfight, rapidly made their way around in front hoping to seal off Scotts escape. They soon had three or four acres around the house surrounded. Thinking they had their quarry guarded, they sent word to Abbott for sheriff Meader, who had come north on the noon train to join in the search. Another messenger was sent to Steamboat Rock and Eldora for more men and guns.

The shooting had taken place about 3 o’clock in the afternoon and by 6 o’clock over 100 men had converged on the Johns farmstead to thoroughly search the barn buildings and woods surrounding for Scott. It was all a waste of time however. Scotts tracks left northwest of the barn into the timber, and it was generally concluded that he had made his escape before the farm had been fully surrounded.

At dark it seemed fruitless to continue the search so it was abandoned, and everyone retreated to Steamboat Rock to plan for resuming the search the following day.

Early the next day (Sunday) a company of 600 men met in Steamboat Rock. 300 men were placed under the lead of John Link, set out to search west of the river while another 300 under Captain Campbell took the east side. Both groups thoroughly searched as far north as Eagle City. No sign of Scott were found, but several places where horses had been kept and persons had camped were uncovered. A stolen sheep was found dead tied to a tree behind Mrs. Rainsbargers house. A small wooden building was also found on her property that looked like a granary. It had only one small door. This building was broken into, and a new covered buggy was found inside. It was concluded that the building had been built around the buggy since there was no other way it could have gotten inside, the door being as small as it was. A short way behind her place a cave was found that was large enough to stable ten horses. It had four exits, but it was obvious it had not been used for some time.

The party on the west side found an old man by the name of Flick. He was said to live down in the hills by the river, and had a reputation for harboring “hard cases.” He was interrogated and shown a rope and threatened with death if he did not tell what he knew. He gave them nothing, and was later released and given four days to leave the county.

The company had been looking for Flick’s place in hopes of finding a Julius Allen, a man who had the previous spring written a letter detailing a plan to kill a number of citizens in the county for a reward that had been offered by the gang of horse thieves. Allen was known to stay with old man Flick, but had evidently become aware that he was in danger, and had taken off and was not to be found.

Tired and disappointed by the fruitlessness of their work, the company abandoned their search late that Sunday afternoon. Plans were made to order all suspicious characters to leave the county, and a number of persons were listed to receive such a notice.

At 3 o’clock Monday morning Tommy Nott and his family, living in the north part of Steamboat Rock, were singled out for such a notice.

He was given 4 days to leave the county, and evidently took the warning seriously, because within four days he had sold everything and was nowhere to be found.

The Committee of Citizens for the Protection of Life and Property, reported that Tommy Nott had confessed that he had been harboring horse thieves for 12 to 15 years. He also admitted that he had harbored a horse thief by the name of Thompson, and his own son, Don Nott, who had been in the penitentiary for stealing, and was now out and up to his old tricks. He admitted to knowing and harboring the notorious Jack Reed, and a great many other known criminals. Nott’s confession was made on August 31, 1886 and printed in the following weeks issue of the Herald.

Similar notices were given to others of like character around the community. They were told to leave the county or “be faced with hemp or lead” meaning that they would be hanged or shot. We can assume that it must have worked. By the end of 1887, there were few reports of horse theft in Clay, Jackson, and Hardin townships which up to that time had the highest rate in the state.

The conclusions can be drawn from this that the name Rainsbarger was strongly involved with horse thieving in Clay township, and it was still going on even after the death of Finn and Mance. From the account just given it seems that Finn’s wife was even involved and continued to be after his demise.

Information available, “biased” as it may be, one must consider that one brother, Finn, may have been involved, in horse theft, possibly with his brother Mance to a lesser degree. One can find little to link Frank or Nate to any crime.

It may well be that one black sheep in the family, Finley, could have had enough reputation for murder and horse theft in his short life to drag down an entire family. He could well have died for a crime he did not commit, but may have been quite guilty of bringing condemnation on himself and his brothers by crimes that he did commit.

To the contrary Mr. Herman Last who lived in the area where most of this took place recalled what had happened in a different light.

Last remembered how the Rainsbargers son-in-law Bill Scott really got into trouble.

He recalled that William Ayres decided to frame Scott. So Mr. Ayres took one of his horses down into the timber and then reported that Scott had stolen it.

A posse was formed and Last remembered that Mr. Ayres came to his farm looking for Scott. Scott was hiding in the timber on Henry Johns farm near the river. Scott reported later that he got behind the cliffs in the river and could have shot every man in the posse if he had wanted to.

Scott later went to Nebraska and acquired some guns. When he returned to Steamboat Rock, he walked up and down the streets displaying his guns. Herman said, “They didn’t bother him after that.”

The following spring, in March 1887, Frank Rainsbarger finally came to Trial. His trial had been delayed because his attorneys had repeatedly filed motions of continuance while they searched for witnesses willing to testify for the defense. They could not and to no one’s surprise he too was found guilty. Because of a technicality Nate had to be retried in 1887, but the results were the same. Both men were imprisoned in the state penitentiary at Anamosa.

As a final defense of Finley Rainsbarger, it was noted earlier that the horse thieving pretty much ended by the end of 1887. Could it be that the stories stopped after the cases of Frank and Nate were put away by the courts.

It is certain that Herald Editor Ross, was less than factual in his accounts when it came to the Rainsbargers. If Finley was a horse thief we may never be sure. Was his wife and daughter involved with these men? Perhaps. Perhaps not. If the Herald implicated innocent women in the 1886 case this too we may never know.

In the decade that followed a different story did circulate from Steamboat Rock and Eldora. Those who had harbored doubts especially about the attack on doctors Underwood and Rittenour, began to speak more freely.

When Underwood died in 1894, and William Hiserodt passed on just a few weeks later the Ackley World wrote, “It is more noticeable that the death of William P. Hiserodt should follow so close upon that of Dr. Myron Underwood as they were the most prominent characters in the lynching of the Rainsbargers. Dr. Underwood as the party who was supposed to have been assaulted by the Rainsbargers and Mr. Hiserodt as the principal leader of the lynching party. There is no doubt that Dr. Underwood believed he had been shot at while returning from Steamboat Rock through the timber. But the curious part was the fact that there was no harm done to the doctor even though there was nothing to prevent those responsible from carrying out murder if they truly desired to do so.

In the same decade some members of the vigilance committee confessed to having lied about the Rainsbargers. John Bunger is said to have confessed with tears and sobs that he had killed his own horse, which was an old one, and shot himself in the leg. He said it was all planned by parties in Steamboat Rock to incite people against members of the Rainsbarger family.”

Nevertheless two brothers were now in their graves, two more were in prison and Henry Johns was also dead. The balance of the Rainsbarger family had been shamed for something neither they or their family had been responsible for. All were victims, and the real guilty parties were never brought to justice.

Some of the guilty may well have been haunted by conscience however. Ash Noyes, president of Steamboat’s Farmers Exchange Bank, was one who exhibited some twinges of a guilty conscience. His daughter died shortly after the matter was seemingly settled. He feared that her grave might be vandalized by some of his enemies, as sometimes happened back then. As a result he had a guard posted on her grave in the Steamboat Rock cemetery, day and night for a year after her death.

Though Noyes was never charged with any crime, when he left the area for Colorado, it was rumored that he feared being exposed.

Ash Noyes moved to Colorado where he supposedly attempted unsuccessfully to locate a silver mine. He died there and his body was cremated and brought to Steamboat Rock where his ashes are buried in the local cemetery.

There is no doubt that many of the “upstanding” citizens of Steamboat Rock, were involved with the counterfeiting ring.