terests. He saw and participated in its growth from a little hamlet of forty insignificant houses, to a populous and wealthy city. In the same year he built, on the southeast corner of Fourth and Columbia streets, not only the first brick building in Burlington, but in what is now Iowa. At that time it was a part of the Territory of Michigan; later it became a part of Wisconsin Territory, and in 1838, the Territory of Iowa. In the building of this house he laid the first brick himself, saying to the mason, "Let me show you how a lawyer can lay a brick." It was perfectly in accord with his quaint and lively characteristics. A picture of this house is in possession of the Historical Department of Iowa. In the following year the next brick building in the Territory was constructed at Dubuque. In 1841, he built the old homestead at the corner of Fourth and Washington streets.

As already stated, he was identified with the history of Burlington from its inception. The first meeting to incorporate the town was held at his office. He drew the first charter of the city. He assisted in laying out and naming many of its streets. He also drew the first ordinances, and in various ways aided in the organization and development of the city.

In 1839, he gave to and impressed upon Iowa the sobriquet of "Hawkeye." How this was brought about was clearly shown by an article in The Burlington Hawk-eye of November 21, 1878, in reply to an inquiry made by a correspondent on the subject. The inquiry and the article of The Hawk-eye will be found in the accompanying note.

To the Editor of The Burlington Hawk-eye, Mount Pleasant, November 21, 1878.

Will you oblige one who has not the time to look it up. and who has asked a number of people and found them all unable to tell, by advising him why Iowa is called the Hawkeye State. Respectfully yours, T. The following is the article in The Hawk-eye replying to this inquiry: "The name 'Hawkeye' was first given to the residents of Iowa in 1839, and was first suggested by Judge Rorer of this city. The first mention of the name was in the Fort Madison Patriot, in 1838, a paper published by James G. Edwards, the founder of The Hawk-eye, at the suggestion of Judge Rorer. Mr. Edwards proposed in his paper that the people of Iowa adopt the name of 'Hawkeye.' This was done to prevent citizens of other states giving us a more opprobrious title, something similar to that by which the people of Missouri are frequently designated, even to this day. The name was not adopted at this time, however, but early in 1839, after Mr. Edwards had moved his paper to Burlington, the ques tion was again discussed, and it was decided to write a series of letters to the papers then published in Iowa, and in which the people of Iowa were to be called 'Hawkeyes.' The first letter appeared in The Dubuque Visitor, the others in the several papers then published in the Territory. As these letters contained many criticisms of prominent men, including the public officers of the Territory, they created much interest, and the name 'Hawkeyes' was ever after adopted to designate the people of Iowa.

In a short time after this, Mr. Edwards changed the name of his paper to The Hawk-eye, in honor of the people of Iowa. This history of the name was procured from Judge Rorer, who had the honor of giving Iowa the title of the 'Hawkeye State.'

While living in Little Rock he married Mrs. Martha Martin (nee Daniel). She died after their removal to Burlington, in 1838. They had two sons and two daughters, Daniel, Claiborne, Martha and Frances. Daniel became a lawyer, and died in Worthington, Minnesota, in 1902. Claiborne joined Walker in his expedition to Nicaragua, and was there killed in battle, in 1856. Martha married William Garrett, a pioneer of Burlington, and died there in 1893. Frances married Davis J. Crocker, a lawyer, and is now living in New York City.

In March, 1839, he married for his second wife, Delia Maria Viele, a sister of Philip Viele, who was one of the distinguished lawyers of Lee county and early Iowa. Mrs. Rorer died in November, 1888. Two daughters survive, Miss Delia M. Rorer. and Mrs. Mary Louisa Remey, wife of John T. Remey, of Burlington.

As hereinbefore stated he appeared in the first reported case heard in the Territorial Supreme Court, as the representative of the slave Ralph. In the first volume of the Iowa Reports (Morris) his name is attached to thirty-five cases. Thus commencing, it unceasingly runs through all the reports down almost to the date of his death-from 1839 to 1884-a period of forty-five years. As thus traced, his professional career was more lengthily continuous and his name attached to more cases, than that of any other lawyer who has appeared before the Iowa bar, and figured in its highest court. For the last twenty-five years of his life, his practice was more especially devoted to railroad litigation. He became the solicitor of the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad Company in 1858, and after its consolidation with and absorption by the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company, he was continued in the same position by that company; and as counsellor, down to the day of his death. He was regarded as an expert in railroad law, and the publication of his work on that subject served to make his fame in that respect national.

Judge Charles Mason, in a communication addressed to me, January 23d, 1882, thus refers to him:

Among my earliest acquaintances in Burlington, where I commenced housekeeping, in 1837, were David Rorer and James W. Grimes, who, as nearly as I can now remember, were the only members of the bar then residing there. The streets were full of stumps and brush, and surrounded by the primeval, unbroken forest. Mr. Rorer has always been a hard and devoted legal student, and though of late years he has withdrawn himself from the general practice, he has, during his time, devoted his talents to the preparation of works on different branches of the law, which I believe possess a high degree of merit. Gifted with a very acute mind, and possessing a more extensive library than most of his competitors, he has generally appeared in court provided with a copious list of authorities. I know of no one who seemed more fully to enjoy an investigation which taxed to the fullest extent his thoughtfulness and his industry, nor do I know of any who devoted himself more unreservedly to the interests of his clients.

His life came suddenly to an end in Burlington twenty-three years ago. The newspapers of the State paid proper homage to his memory as one of its principal founders. The Chicago Tribune thus spoke of him: "In the death of David Rorer who died suddenly at his home in Burlington, Iowa, Monday July 7th, at the ripe age of seventy-eight, the State of Iowa has lost one of her noblest citizens, and the American bar one of its ablest lawyers and most learned law writers."

His daughter, Miss Delia M. Rorer, to whom I had written for certain data, writes:

I well remember his frequent reference to you and the long-standing friendship that had existed between you. You ask me for suggestions in regard to his private and domestic life, and for the circumstances attendant upon his death. Love of home, family, friends, and his dear country, were the key-notes of his existence, and these were never heard to vibrate more appealingly than when seated with his family by the blazing logs of his own fireside. His sense of hospitality was large, and he was never more happy than when he and my mother entertained their friends in the old homestead. He often repeated the old lines:

"The world has little to bestow,

'Tis from ourselves our joys must flow,

And that dear cot our home."'

The

He loved nature, the waving fields, trees, flowers, birds and music. show and glitter of life had little attraction for him, but the beauties of nature and of art, touched him deeply.

His life was ended so suddenly, after one day's illness, that it seemed more like a transformation than real death. The sun that rose for him on the morning of July 7th, 1884, set with his dying breath. The previous week, when in apparently perfect health, he had twice said to me, how perfectly happy he was-such intense happiness that it seemed like a premonition.

Thus peacefully passed one of the most remarkable men the State has ever produced, in the glow of a mellow sunset that imperceptibly mingled with the horizon that separates the visible from the unknown.

TO DES MOINES.

BY TACITUS HUSSEY.

There has ever been a strong bond of friendship between the early settlers of Des Moines and the city of Keokuk, Iowa. This friendship began when that city on the Mississippi was a young and bustling town and Fort Des Moines was a little, muddy, smoky hamlet at the "Raccoon Forks of the Des Moines river." Keokuk, in those days, was our Chicago; for there we used to get our supplies. There come up in our memory the capacious warehouses of Chittenden & McGavic, Conable, Smyth & Co., B. B. Hinman & Co., Foote & Co., J. B. Carson, Stafford & McCune and others, perhaps, situated on or near the levee, where consignments of goods were stored intended for the interior of Iowa, waiting transportation by boat, during the boating season on the Des Moines river, or by wagon during the dry seasons over a wild prairie, in summer's heat, autumn's haze and through winter's snow-drifts.

A very

Keokuk bears the name of the "Gate City." appropriate cognomen; for through this gate nearly all the shipments to Des Moines passed for consumption here and for distribution to the scattered villages and sparsely settled country which surrounded them. There was another bond of friendship which united these two cities. In the beginning of the dark days of 1861, with tears and prayers, we followed some of our young men who had sprung to their country's call, to that city, where they were uniformed, armed and drilled for the bloody work to which they were called, and watched them as they were carried away by boat and rail to the front, amid tears, cheers and streaming banners.

It was there that Miss Allie Smith, a little Keokuk girl twelve years of age, with an upturned barrel for a platform sang war songs to the soldiers, cheering the homesick ones, causing the hearts of all to throb with renewed patriotic resolves. As Mrs. Allie Smith Cheek, of this city, her voice has

lost none of its sweetness and flexibility, as every army post and camp-fire in Iowa will gladly testify.

There is another bond of friendship between these two cities which will never be forgotten by the pioneers of Des Moines. In January, 1857, the Constitutional Convention met in Iowa City and formulated a new constitution which was to be submitted to the voters of Iowa in August of that year. In order to make the location of the Capital at Des Moines doubly sure, the following clause was inserted at the instance of some of the prominent Des Moines citizens: "The seat of government is hereby permanently established as now fixed. by law, at the city of Des Moines, in the county of Polk, and the State University at Iowa City, in the county of Johnson." For jealousy, or some other reason, the various counties of the State opposed the adoption of this Constitution and voted against it vigorously. The people of Polk county being intensely interested, raised a subscription of $100,000 to aid the Des Moines Valley Railroad, and gave a majority of 1,500 for the new Constitution. Lee county, in return for this very high compliment to its pet railroad line, gave an immense majority for the Constitution-and saved the day! But it was a tight squeeze; for the entire State majority was only about 1,600.

On a high, rocky bluff, now overlooking the canal and the Mississippi river to the east, the writer stood alone one sunny afternoon in June, early in the fifties, and was so charmed with the beautiful prospect spread out before him that it has been retained in his memory ever since. He remembers saying to himself. "What a magnificent view! What a spot this would be for a mansion fronting the west, with a wide. porch looking to the east. What a place for a man who has successfully fought the battle of life, gained a competency and upon whose shoulders life's cares rest lightly, to sit and dream away the remaining hours of life!" But my reminiscent pen has run away from the subject I set out to tell "How the Des Moines Valley Railroad came to Des Moines.'

It took nearly twelve years to build this railroad from Keokuk to Des Moines. Four regular sessions of the Legislature had been held here, and another was almost due, when the