in our country's history, would listen, he never tired of fighting his battles over again. He had been at Trenton and Valley Forge, and that battle and Washington's considerate care of his men were often the subjects of his rehearsals.

In 1843 Shepherd removed to the east side of Skunk River and built a cabin in the bottom land, some mile and a half up the river from the present Millspaugh's mill. Here he lived until April, 1845. The summer of 1844 had been a very rainy one, and in consequence of the high water, John Crawford, who had begun a mill, had been unable to construct the dam. Early in the spring of 1845 he had employed a number of young men, with ox teams, to get the material together for the dam. At night the oxen were turned loose, to pasture on the wild grass, already springing up, for the spring was unusually early. One morning a young man, George W. Crawford, in collecting the oxen, called at Shepherd's cabin and found the old man very ill; returning at night, he watched by the bedside until death came, and he afterwards, with the assistance of Isaac Shoults, dug a grave and buried the neglected old man.

Shepherd was buried on the hill that rises just beyond where his cabin stood in view of the river. The grave is in a patch of weeds and briars, in a meadow, onto which a pile of huge tree stumps have been rolled. From the hill a beautiful prospect is spread before one of the river, of farms near and beyond the river, of hills and valleys and scores of farm houses. in the eastern part of Jefferson County. Some years ago a move was made by Crawford and other gentlemen of Henry County, to place a monument to Shepherd's memory at this place, but through want of interest the project failed. George Crawford, the man who helped to bury Shepherd is yet living in the neighborhood of Rome, but when he shall have gone and the pile of stumps shall have been burned and the field. shall be entirely smoothed, the place of the grave of Charles Shepherd, perhaps the only grave of a revolutionary soldier within the bounds of the State of Iowa, will have been lost. Glendale, Iowa.

STATE BOUNDARY DISPUTES.

E have already published two articles upon disputed boundaries and the final settlement of the same in the July and the October numbers of THE HISTORICAL RECORD for 1896-the first concerning the contest between Pennsylvania and Delaware, the second between Michigan and Ohio. It is a pleasure to be able to present the report of a commission entrusted with the final settlement of a line which more nearly concerns the State of Iowa.

In the year 1808 the Osages ceded lands to the United States. In 1816 it became important to Illinois that the northern boundary of the Osage cession be established. Colonel Sullivan, after conference with the Indians and with United States Commissioners, surveyed and marked a line, referred to in the report below.

When Missouri was admitted as a State the "Sullivan line" was designated as her northern boundary. After the "Black Hawk Purchase," in 1832, settlers in Iowa became familiar with the fact that the parallel of latitude extending eastward from the northwest corner of Missouri would not intersect the rapids of the Des Moines River, as the statute fixing the northern boundary of Missouri declared. In the year 1837, one Joseph C. Brown, acting for Missouri, established a line known as "Brown's line." This last line gave to Missouri a strip of land of more than 2,500 square miles to the north of "Sullivan's line."

By Congressional act approved June 18, 1838, the President of the United States was authorized to ascertain and mark the southern boundary of the Territory of lowa. An examination was made by General Lea. The matter was brought into court and the Supreme Court of the United States issued a decree at the December term 1849, under which Hendershott and Minor established and marked a line called the "Hendershott

and Minor line." A permanent monument was set each ten miles, and others less durable were set for each mile. For a strip of five miles between the fiftieth and sixtieth miles from the beginning of the Hendershott and Minor survey the posts had decayed or had been removed, and for a narrow strip Missouri and Iowa claimed jurisdiction. The Supreme Court of the United States again had the matter under advisement, and issued a decree February 3, 1896, demanding a re-survey and a re-marking of the Hendershott and Minor line. A Commission consisting of a representative, each of Iowa and Missouri, and of some third man, upon whom the two State Representatives should agree, was constituted by the Court. The Commission as constituted was James Harding, of Missouri; Peter A. Dey, of Iowa; and Dwight C. Morgan, of Illinois. Their report follows. EDITOR.

To the Honorable, the Supreme Court of the United States:

The undersigned Commissioners appointed by the decree of your honorable Court, dated February 3, 1896, to find and re-mark with proper and durable monuments such portions of the boundary line between the States of Missouri and Iowa, run, marked and located by Hendershott and Minor, in accordance with decree of your honorable Court, dated, June 3, 1851, as have become obliterated, especially between the fiftieth and fifty-fifth mile posts on said line, etc., respectfully submit the following report:

On the 27th day of February last, the Commissioners met in the City of Chicago, and fully discussed matters pertinent to the proper performance of the duties imposed upon them. Construing the decree as applying to all portions of the boundary line in question, the Commissioners decided to advertise in newspapers, published in counties in Missouri and Iowa adjacent to the boundary, for information regarding such parts of said line as were in dispute, or had become obliterated. This was done and considerable information elicited, but as the officials of one of the States interested declined to authorize

the work necessary in retracing the line, excepting where directed in the decree, nothing was done beyond the finding and re-marking "with proper and durable monuments," such portions of the line as was necessary for its proper re-location between the 40th and 60th mile points, as shown hereinafter. Atter careful consideration, it was decided to apply to General W. W. Duffield, Superintendent United States Coast and Geodetic Survey, for a detail from his corps of assistants to perform all field work necessary in carrying out the instructions of the Court. It was decided that the employment of expert officers of the Geodetic Survey Corps for the service required would result more satisfactorily to the States concerned than would the selection of any private parties, as the high professional attainments of these officers, and their freedom from any possible bias regarding the boundary line to be established were ample guarantees for the entire reliability and impartiality of any work done by them.

Correspondence was accordingly had with General Duffield, who consented to detail two of his assistants, and also to supply them with a complete outfit of all instruments and appliances necessary in the prosecution of the proposed work. This offer was at once accepted. A meeting was afterwards had in St. Louis, March 11th, ult., when it was decided to meet at Lineville, Iowa, a point immediately upon the boundary line between Missouri and Iowa, for the purpose of personal investigation as to the proper point or points at which to commence operations. Two of the Commissioners accordingly met at Lineville, on March 18th, ult., and spent three days in the examination of the boundary line, and of points on said line claimed to have been established by Hendershott and Minor in 1850. The first step taken was to decide regarding the proper points between which our work of re-location of that part of the line designated in the decree of your honorable Court, namely, from the 50th to the 55th mile points on the Hendershott and Minor line, should be commenced. It appeared to us that the cast iron monuments placed by Hendershott and Minor at intervals of

ten miles would naturally be more reliable than any traditional points, and the first investigations were made as regarding the 40th, 50th and 60th mile points, these being originally marked by Hendershott and Minor with iron monuments, as stated. After careful examination and much inquiry, the Commissioners were satisfied that the monuments marking the fortieth and sixtieth mile points were in their original positions. As regarded the monument at the 50th mile point, whilst no positive evidence could be had as to its removal from its original position, the rumors and statements made were such as to render its reliability a matter of doubt, and it was, therefore, determined to use the monuments at the 40th and 60th mile points as fixed points between which to relocate the boundary line.

It was subsequently arranged for the Commissioners to meet at Davis City, Iowa, a point on the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy railroad adjacent to the fortieth mile point, where it was proposed to commence work. General Duffield was accordingly notified, and on Wednesday, April 8th, ult., the Commissioners reached Davis City and met Messrs. W. C. Hodgkins (in charge of work), and A. L. Baldwin of the United States Geodetic Survey Corps, detailed as per arrangements made with General Duffield. These gentlemen brought with them a very complete outfit of instruments of the best description used in geodetic work, including all necessary equipment for astronomical observations, as well as field work. We proceeded to the 40th mile point on the afternoon of April 8th, ult., and arranged for the commencement of work the following day. On April 9th, ult., a party for field work having been organized and the necessary teams and wagons hired, the entire party proceeded to Pleasanton, Iowa, a point situated immediately on the boundary line just east of the 45th mile point. Pleasanton and Lineville subsequently became the bases of operation, our parties changing from one of these points to the other as the necessities of the work required.

Work was commenced at the 40th mile point as arranged.