February 22, 1987
Years ago, 1910 to be exact, Darlington Copeland built the large vault in the west end of the Chariton Cemetery. It was built to hold six bodies: Mr. and Mrs. Darlington Copeland, his sister Mrs. Witcher and her husband, and the Howard Copelands. Howard was Darlington’s son. All passed away in time, but only five are buried there. Mrs. Howard Copeland was the last to die and she made her daughter promise not to bury her there, but out beside her parents. Her wish was carried out. Her daughter, Harriet Holman, told me her mother felt the vault might fall down in a thousand years and she wanted to be in the ground.
Ten or twelve years ago a bullet shattered a pane of the colored glass window in the west end of the vault. The bullet was a deer slug that hit the other wall and fell to the floor. Investigators reasoned that someone had shot at a deer and the stray bullet hit the window. Dr. Holman, Harriet’s husband, was quite an expert on building stained glass windows. This one had to be taken out, frame and all. They discovered the window had been put in as the stones were layered up. Thus it would be necessary to move the huge stones to remove the window.
Dr. Holman consulted a stained-glass-window company in Des Moines, who in turn referred him to a company in Wisconsin. They came and cut the frame out after removing the glass. It was taken to the factory and the frame was put together again in one piece. When it was brought back, they brought along equipment to heat the frame so that it could be bent in a slight curve. It was put in place and as it cooled it snapped into the grooves in the stones. Then the stained glass was leaded in. All of this I got from Dr. Holman. The stained glass window now has a bulletproof glass on the outside. I never learned the total cost of this window repair, but he did say it was very costly. Insurance on such structures is almost prohibitive.
Dr. Holman, who now lives in Arizona, is a skilled wood carver and stained-glass worker. The animals he carved were so life-like. He built a carousel. He saw this merry-go-round in the National Geographic magazine. He was intrigued by the picture and sent to Italy and got the measurements so he could build it to scale. The chaperones, the horses, the children and the music were authentic and the whole thing operated electrically.
I hoped that he would leave some of his works here, but the only thing he left was a twenty-inch high statue of myself. It is carved from good old seasoned catalpa wood. He got the catalpa log from an old barn on the Mallory farm. Could have been from a tree Mrs. Mallory had planted as she was fond of the catalpa tree. Dr. Holman’s daughter, Susan Davis of Ottumwa, was in the other day and asked me if I knew of any seasoned catalpa wood that could be sent to him. That tells me he is still working.
Susan Davis is head of the blood department at the Ottumwa Hospital. Some years back her father held this same job along with other duties. Dr. Holman was one of the founders of the Ottumwa Clinic which is part of the Ottumwa Hospital. Dr. Lister, formerly of Chariton, worked closely with Dr. Holman in his work.
An early morning episode -
I was lying in bed one Saturday morning when I heard Howard drive in. I had been awake for some time, realizing that Howard had not come home. I heard him tiptoeing up the stairs and at the same time Father got up. Howard heard him coming and ducked into the bathroom. Father entered the room and said to Howard, “What are you doing with your good clothes on?” Howard said he was going to the country to eat breakfast and then bring this boy and several others to Sunday school. Father said, “This is Saturday.” Howard said he was mixed up, but since he was up he had just as well change his clothes and go to work. Howard came into our room and talked it over with me. At that time we both felt Howard had gotten by OK. In later years we both felt Father was wise and saved Howard from Mother’s wrath. It was summertime and we were still in high school, working for Father like dogs. We had nearly everything and were very appreciative. We did not work for money, but to make the whole business successful. I remember Howard’s job that morning was at the bakery. The bakers heard his story and let him take a nap on the bags of flour.
Dead people I have seen around the depot area as I went to school or was delivering daily papers -
Boots Emil was the first. He was shot by a railroad detective. He was harmless and there was no need for it. He was lying on the platform as we went to school. We heard one morning there was a dead man down in the yards. Of course, we had to check it out. It was J. P. Davison, a car cleaner, who had gotten caught between cars. We were selling papers one late p.m. when a man named Kanimer fell through one of the huge windows while washing it. We were going south up the tracks to school one a.m. when a man coming from the other way said a dead man was up by the jail. That was on our way so why not look. It seems a tramp was riding on the water tender of a huge engine which had a hydraulic scoop that raised up and pushed the coal forward. As the scoop raised, the man fell beneath and was crushed when it came down. Mrs. Steinbach was run over by a train as she hurried home from church one Sunday a.m. This was George’s mother. One morning we heard that Marshand who ran the Triangle Grocery had shot himself. That was two blocks out of our way to school, but still close enough that we should check it out. This we did, and afterwards wished we had not gone over there.
Our ride -
George, Charles and myself left here at 2 p.m. Sunday, Charles driving. We went to Osceola, then to Murray and south to Hopeville, then Ellston. Here we found the lake we were looking for, the five hundred acre lake at Sun Valley. Beautiful permanent homes are there, somewhere around one hundred homes. A lovely golf course, according to Jack Palmer. We came back through Grand River, Garden Grove, Humeston, Derby and home. Still see lots of stock on feed. Got back home at 7 p.m.
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