Nodaway County, Missouri - Chapter 26: Chronicles of the West, 1882

The original manuscript, of which the following is a verbatim copy, was written in 1845, by John Mills Lamar, who died in Nodaway County in 1877.

It is a brief history of a difficulty, which occurred between two pioneers, who came to the west in 1842, and located on the Nodaway River just within the state of Iowa, and before the line between the states of Missouri and Iowa had been definitely located.

This ancient document entitled, "Chronicles of the West," is a very ingenious production, being not only fashioned after the manner of biblical composition, but is replete with biblical phraseology, and shows that its author was familiar with bible lore.

The dramatis persona, so to speak, excepting the two chief actors, were residents of Nodaway County, each of whom were given fictitious names ; their significance, however, will be explained by notes at the bottom of the page.

In the county of aI-o-ty, along the waters of "Nodi, there was much beautiful land, both timber and plains, the land being unsettled, many people from different countries and cities were enticed to come and make their farms and houses along the river Nodi, and it soon came to pass that one cHanoch, a son of dGyhor, came from a far country, and with him came also one eWillti, whose tribe was not known, but it was supposed that he was of the tribe of Ishmael, whose hand was turned against every man's, and every man's hand against him. Now Willti was small of stature, but his heart was big with evil, and his tongue was an unruly member, full of deadly poison, and his greatest delight was in defaming the people and gathering that which was not his own. Now Willti had four sons ; these were their names : The eldest was fDato, the second 8Samidah, the third hOHtah, and the fourth j Jonidah. Now Dato had a wide mouth, which reached from this side of his face to that side of his face, arid his tongue was like the tongue of a serpent, and he looked upon himself to be some great one, and desired the people to give him promotion, but his. mouth was too wide to deceive the people. Samidah was younger than Dato, but more fiendish than Willti, his father, for he took delight in slandering and abusing all that he met with, both men and women, and when he spoke a lie, he spoke after the manner of his father, for Willti took much pains to train up his sons to walk in his own steps. Olitah was not so full of gab and abuse as Samidah, but Willti, his father, had taught him to lie and to gather things that were not his own, *,rhich things Olitah was very handy to use. Now Jonidah was the youngest of the four sons of Willti and had not learned to do much evil, but he was daily taught to walk in the steps of Willti, his father.