started on the Stillman's Run expedition. Major Williams had 206 men, all told. They started from Dixon's ferry, and the 2nd day discovered moccasin tracks. The men were much excited and threw away many of their accouterments, so as to lighten their burdens. Mr. Dixon lightened his wagon load by issuing ammunition and whiskey to the men. The men filled their powder horns and some of them tied up powder in their handkerchiefs. They filled their canteens, coffee pots and bottles with whiskey, but were not able to take it all, and during all the afternoon whiskey was free as water. Mr. Dixon was not at the battle of Stillman's run, being detained by duty elsewhere, but the next day assisted in burying the dead. He was at Ottawa, to assist in defending that place from the Indians, and shortly afterwards returned home. They talked of building a fort at Bloomington, and did build one at Pekin, and for some weeks the settlers kept armed and watching for Indians. In 1833 Mr. Dixon moved onto what is now the Dan Kring farm. He has many stories to tell of them.

In December 1836, when in five minutes the weather suddenly changed from quite warm to the severest cold. Ducks and geese were frozen in the mud before they could get out. A man riding on horse-back killed his horse, cut him open, and crawled into the warm carcass, only to be frozen to death. Another man and his daughter who lived north of here went out to feed the cows and before they could get back to the house were frozen to death. Hundreds of animals and many persons were frozen to death during this sudden change. Like most of the pioneers Mr. Dixon was a great hunter, and columns could be filled with interesting stories of his hunting adventures in those early times. On Jan. 1, 1885 he died in Joplin, Mo., at the residence of his son, Allen. Smith Dixon of Kappa, Mrs. Sam Snavely of Oak Grove, Mrs. Ross and Mrs. Wilcox of Browning, Illinois, Mrs. King Geer of Oronogo, Mo., and Allen Dixon of Joplin comprise his family.

James Pearson was born in 1806 and came to Illinois in 1832 from Ohio. He settled at Pekin. In 1847 he moved to Palestine (all the country round about including brush and timber, was then called Palestine Prairie). While living

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