USA > Minnesota > Waseca County > Child's history of Waseca County, Minnesota : from its first settlement in 1854 to the close of the year 1904, a record of fifty years : the story of the pioneers > Part 25
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OLD SETTLERS ORGANIZE.
No attempt was made to create an old settlers' organization un- til November 10, 1875, when a number of the early settlers joined in the published call for a meeting to be held at the eourt room in Waseea on the evening of Nov. 19, 1875. At that time twenty-five men came together and made a preliminary organization. The following officers were elected: James E. Child, president; H. A. Mosher, secretary ; Geo. R. Buckman, treasurer ; H. P. Norton, O. Powell, and George P. Johnson, executive committee.
A constitution and by-laws were adopted and it was determined that a public meeting and a picnic supper should be held at Tur- ner Hall, Dec. 15, to which all persons who settled in the county prior to 1865 should be invited. Pursuant to this determination, the executive committee issued its call, and on the evening of that day two hundred persons assembled and participated in the festivities of the occasion.
After adding a large number of new names to the member- ship and calling the roll, some slight amendments were made to the by-laws. The entrance fee was 25 cents and the annual dues, 50 cents. The following was the published program :
1. Music by the band.
2. Calling of the roll, adding new names thereto, and the consideration of propositions for the more nearly perfect organization of the associa- tion.
3. Music by the band.
4. Address by the president, giving a history of the first year's settle- ment of the county by white people.
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5. Music by the band.
6. Refreshments.
7. Volunteer addresses and historical sketches of frontier life.
EXTRACTS FROM THE PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS.
"We have met here to-night for a twofold purpose-that of pleasure and that of perpetuating the early history of the county. Ancient history is more or less shrouded in mystery; and in all the accounts of the origin of the older nations, cities, and empires, fiction is so interwoven with facts that it is difficult to separate truth from fable. Even the his- tory of one of the greatest nations and empires of the world commences with a statement more fictitious and romantic than truthful or sensible.
It relates that a daughter of a certain king who had been appointed by that king priestess of Vesta, in which capacity she was to lead a life of single blessedness devoted exclusively to religious services, final- ly became the mother of twins-two bouncing boys. The king, fearing that these little fellows might some day dethrone him or his, ordered one of his servants to murder them. Pursuant to this order, the servant put the little fellows into a sap-trough and went down towards the river with a design to cast them in; but seeing that it was very rough and running with a strong current, he was too much of a coward to approach it. He therefore deposited the two boy babies near the bank of the river and hurried away. The flood increasing continually set the trough afloat and carried the children gently (of course they went gently, the historian says they did) down to a pleasant place where they were landed safe and sound.
Under the guidance and influence of the goddess Rumina, who presid- ed over the nurseries of the ancients, and whose rites were celebrated without wine or whisky but only with libations of sweet milk, the infants. as the story goes, were suckled by a she-wolf and fed and taken care of by a woodpecker. These animals were sacred to Mars; and the wood- pecker was always held in high honor and veneration by that nation of great warriors, orators, and statesmen.
Such wonderful events, say the historians, contributed not a little to give credit to the mother's report that Mars, the god of war, was the father of the children.
I shall not follow the history of these boys, real or fictitious, this even- ing. Suffice it to say, that they were the fonnders of one of the great- est empires of the earth. Rome and the Roman empire owe their name and origin to Romulus and Remus, and these were the twin brothers whose early lives were so shrouded in darkness that the historian could only give this ridiculous legend of their early lives.
The early history of Waseca county of course, will not be embellished with the story of any such fabulous or miraculous ovent: yet the record of its early settlement and the experience of those who came here at all early day to make homes in the prairlo wilderness will not be entirely destitute of interest nor wholly without a touch of the romantic. I shall
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this evening confine my remarks to the first settlement made within the limits of the county. It was made during the summer of 1854." [Then followed an account of the settlement of Mr. Sutlief and family as detailed in chapter two of this history .- Author.]
IIon. Win. Brisbane was called out and gave a graphic de- scription of the company that went from Wilton to the Winne- bago ageney, in 1862, to protect the white settlers from a threat- ened massacre by the Indians. IIe closed with an eloquent plea in behalf of virtue, morality and Christianity.
Hon. S. B. Williams, Mr. J. W. Wheeler, Hon. Joseph Minges, HIon. Job A. Canfield and others were called upon and made appropriate remarks. There were over two hundred in attend- anee and the occasion was one of much enjoyment.
The following vice presidents were chosen at this meeting: Wm. Lee, of Iosco; W. H. Harmon, of Vivian; Job A. Canfield, of Otisco; C. H. Newell, of Byron ; George H. Woodbury, of Wilton ; J. R. Davidson, of Blooming Grove; W. D. Armstrong, of Free- dom; Hon. Wm. Brisbane, of Wilton; Samuel Remund, of Bloom- ing Grove; Thomas J. Kerr, of St. Mary.
Mr. Wm. Lee, of Iosco, favored the audience with a descrip- tion in rhyme of his early experiences.
The organization continued for some three years, when it was allowed to die out. The last record of the organization to be found by the author shows the following as its officers: Hon. Warren Smith, president; Eri G. Wood, Austin Vinton, Job A. Canfield, Michael Anderson, J. D. Andrews, J. W. Tefft, J. H. Wheeler, William Lee, J. R. Davidson, Samuel Remund, Wmn. Hover, W. H. IIarmon, H. K. Stearns, E. E. Verplank, A. E. Crumb, C. H. Newell, G. H. Woodbury, Hon. William Brisbane, Thomas J. Kerr, John White, and W. D. Armstrong, vice presi- dents ; II. A. Mosher, secretary ; H. G. Mosher, treasurer. Of the foregoing, only five are now living.
DEATHS OF 1875.
The following deaths are noted : Mr. Fred W. Kittredge died of heart disease Jan. 6. Mrs. Fetterly, a very aged woman, died in January. Mrs. A. L. Taylor, wife of Mr. G. N. Taylor, died quite unexpectedly Feb. 2. She had been ailing for three weeks, hut was not considered dangerously ill until about an hour before her death. She was born in August, 1835; married Mr. Taylor
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in 1852; came with him to Rochester, Minn., in 1855, and to Wa- seca county in 1865. She was one of the pioneer Baptists of the city of Waseca. Mrs. H. J. Carlton, of the town of Wilton, one of the very early settlers of the county, died of apoplexy after an illness of only a few hours. She and her husband were among the oldest settlers of the state. She died Feb. 21, 1875. Mr. John L. Werdin, of Iosco, father of Mr. H. J. Werdin, of Alton, after several weeks' illness, died Jan. 24, 1875. He was among the early settlers and highly respected.
Mrs. John Boucher who, at an early day, settled in Blooming Grove with her husband, died March 9, 1875, leaving a large family to mourn her departure.
Miss Minnie Farrington, daughter of Mr. S. A. Farrington, of Woodville, who was born in Otisco, Sept. 4, 1857, died December 10, 1875, of measles. She was taken ill at Mankato, where she was attending school, and, not knowing the nature of the dis- ease, started for home. Arriving at Waseca, she went to the residence of her aunt, Mrs. Blatchley, where she went into con- vulsions from which she never recovered. Her death cast a gloom over the whole community.
MARRIAGES.
There were marriages near the close of the year 1874, reported in January 1875. The following are noted: John F. Preston to Miss Etta M. Taylor, of Waseca, Dec. 30. 1874; Martin E. Par- melee, of Waseca, to Miss Ada C. Dearborn, of Lowell, Wis., Dec. 28, 1874; G. W. Soule, of Blooming Grove, to Miss Nancy B. Can- field, of Otisco, Jan. 2, 1875; E. A. Erwin, to Mrs. M. F. Wil- son, both of Wilton, Jan. 18, 1875; Aiken Myene and Addie Har- mon, both of Vivian, Nov. 25, by Rev. A. Cressy ; Walter Hunter, of Dakota county, and Miss Phoebe Coulthart, of Waseca, Nov. 23, 1875.
COUNTY POLITICS.
The interference of railroad managers in the local polities of the county, in 1874, aroused a feeling of opposition in the county which took definite form in 1875. The agitation had continued since the election in 1874, and took form Sept. 15. 1875, when a number of prominent citizens of both the old parties joined in a
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call for a county convention to be held Oct. 9, 1875. As soon as this call appeared, the republicans called a convention and the democrats followed. Excitement ran high and discussions re- sulted in some bitterness of feeling that has not been entirely effaced, even at this day, in the minds of the implacable.
The delegates that attended the convention of the Reform Party were the following: Edward Brossard, D. A. Erwin, Gus- tus Brossard, and W. A. Erwin, of St. Mary; W. H. Stokes, J. J. Headly, A. J. Hurlburt, Jerome Dane, A. R. Willsey, and C. B. Allen, of Janesville; Henry Gray, L. D. McIntosh, A. Blatchley, J. E. Child, S. A. Farrington, Samuel Hawkes, B. H. Taylor, A. II. Wellman and Nathan Wood, of Woodville; Thomas Barden, Peter Burns, John Kenehan, Hale Kinyon, and John Campbell, of Wilton; I. D. Beaman and E. R. Conner, of Blooming Grove; and M. L. Devereaux, of Alton. The following candidates were nominated : for representatives, Samuel Hawkes and Kelsey Cur- tis; for treasurer, Warren Smith; for sheriff, M. F. Connor; for register of deeds, E. G. Pierce; for clerk of court, James Vander- made; for county attorney, Lewis Brownell; for surveyor, C. E. Crane; for coroner, Dr. L. D. McIntosh; county commissioner, first district, H. Vincent. The following central committee was chosen : Capt. A. H. Wellman of Waseca, T. D. M. Orcutt of Free- dom, Capt. J. J. Headley of Janesville, Thomas Barden of Wilton, Dr. H. D. Cobb of Vivian, S. W. Franklin of New Richland, E. G. Pierce of Alton, Albert Remund of Blooming Grove, H. P. Cham- berlain of Iosco, L. E. Francis of Byron, and Samuel Leslie of Otisco.
The following platform, after considerable discussion, was unanimously adopted :
"In severing our connection with the Republican and Democratic par. ties, we give the following as some of the reasons therefor:
1st. That these parties, acting in unison, have repealed the only railroad law of the state, that of 1874, which has ever given protection to the people by requiring the companies to do business at reasonable and uniform rates, and in its place have substituted a law which per- mits the companies to resort to extortion and unjust discriminations, affording to the public no adequate remedy for the wrongs which the companies may see fit to perpetrate, thereby practically denying the right of the people to be protected from the grasping avarice of wealthy corporations.
2d. That these parties, at the last session of the legislature, repealed
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that portion of the tax-law of the state which provided for the collec- tion of back taxes upon the lands of the Winona & St. Peter railway company, whereby Waseca county has lost about $8,000 and other coun- ties in proportion.
3d. That the older parties, hy their platforms and by their legislative acts, stand pledged to the liquor-dealers of the state to perpetuate one of the worst monopolies of modern times, viz: the exclusive right to make drunkards. For a paltry sum of money these parties authorize a few conscienceless men the legal right, by the use of alcoholic poison, to rob weak men, their helpless wives and children and to spread broad- cast crime and pauperism for the support of which the people are burdened with taxation.
4th. Throughout the state, almost without exception, the old parties elect men to office that neglect or refuse to execute and enforce the laws that prohibit the sale of intoxicating liquors on Sundays, to minors, stu- dents, or intemperate persons.
5th. The old parties of this state, in nearly every locality, resort to corrupt practices to control caucuses, conventions and elections. Wealthy men and corporations join hand in hand with the liquor dealers, and money and whisky are freely used to influence the weak, the mercenary, and the corrupt.
In view of these facts, we believe the time has fully come when every voter, who is opposed to these wrongs, should unite in the organization of a Reform party for their overthrow: therefore,
Resolved, That we fully endorse the platform, and cordially support the nominees of the State Reform convention held at Minneapolis, June 16th, 1875.
Resolved, That it is the duty of the legislature to pass a law for the control of railways, embodying the principles of the railroad law of 1874, with such modifications in detail as experience may have demonstrated to be necessary.
Resolved, That it is the duty of the state to protect its citizens from injury, and the people from unjust taxation, and that to accomplish these, the legislature ought to pass a law requiring dealers in intoxicating liquors to pay the damages resulting from the sale and use of such liquors.
Resolved, That common fairness requires the legislature to extend the local option law, now applicable to municipal townships to all cities and villages, thereby giving to the voters of every locality the right to vote no license.
Resolved, That it is the duty of the next legislature to provide by law for the levy and collection of all back taxes on the railroad lands of this state, not especially exempted by chartered law sustained by the decision of the supreme court.
Resolved, That we are unalterably opposed to the sale and use of alcoholic liquors as a beverage, and denounce, as unworthy of our suf- frages, any man who engages in the sale or use of such liquors; and we
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believe that the best way to discountenance intemperance in the com- munity is by a refusal of all good citizens to support intemperate and liquor-guzzling men for official positions or places of trust.
Resolved, That, in our opinion, a more efficient law should be passed for the prevention of bribery and corruption at elections; and that any elector, offering or accepting a bribe, be disfranchised and disqualified for office for a term of years."
The Republican convention, which had been pushed in one day ahead of the Reform convention, nominated a mixed ticket- saloon and anti-saloon men.
The Republican convention nominated the following ticket :
For representatives, Robert Earl and Gullick Knutsen; sheriff, J. D. Andrews; treasurer, Warren Smith; register of deeds, H. A. Mosher ; clerk of court, B. A. Lowell; judge of probate, J. A. Can- field; county attorney, M. D. L. Collester ; surveyor, C. E. Crane; coroner, Dr. McMahan; county commissioner first district, H. Vincent.
The Democratic convention was held on the 16th of October, 1875, and the following candidates were named :
For representatives, Kelsey Curtis and Wm. Brisbane; sheriff, Daniel Murphy; treasurer, Thomas White; register of deeds, George Hofeld; judge of probate, Caleb Halleck; clerk of court, James B. Hayden ; county attorney, M. D. L. Collester (Republican nominee) ; surveyor, Frank Hoffstott; coroner, Dr. McMahan; county commissioner first district, Patrick Healy.
The campaign, though short, was hissing hot. The following appeared in a local paper Oct. 27, 1875:
"Last week the Whangdoodle vomited forth the following:
"Oh! James E. Child, the venomous, blackhearted and utterly dishonest demagogue, it astonishes ns, even us, who have studied your slimy, treacherous course for years, that you can have the cheek, the brassy impudence to stand up before this people to proclaim and practice your vileness. Does your conscience never flatten you to the dust and rend you? does not the shadow of that dark time pass before you, when you will pray for the rocks and mountains to fall upon you and forever con- ceal you from the eyes of an avenging God? But, we feel thankful that some of the people are getting their eyes open to your political chicanery. You were plainly invited by the people last fall to take a back seat, and we are sure the day is not far distant when you will inhablt the by- ways and back streets of life, shunned by all true men, an outcast from, and a byword in society, as other blatherskites have done and been before you."
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To which the author replied :
Poor "us!" It is to be hoped that he feels better since getting so much bile off his stomach. Why, bless your poor soul, when you came down to Waseca about a year ago on a drunk, you shunned us, and we expect that "all true men" of your habits of life, and your way of thinking, will shun us simply because their deeds are evil; but that is really no reason why you should make a blackguard of yourself, and call us pet names. You are not of half as much importance as you seem to think; for, ever since you wilfully, maliciously. and knowingly published the slanders of "One who knows" against Warren Smith, without cause or provocation, simply as the hireling dog of the railroad and whisky ring of Waseca county, and recommended the liar as a man "strictly reliable and eminently respectable," your falsehoods and blackguardism are estimated at what they are worth.
We have long hoped that you might lay aside your selfish ani- mosity toward us, and that you might learn wisdom in your ad- vancing years. In fact we could wish that you might be happier.
Last fall you witnessed our political defeat, on the Republican ticket by the railroad and whisky ring, which you are kind enough to refer to occasionally, and you got the little post office as a reward for your political treachery and self-stultification. Why, with all this success, are you not happy and contented? Is it because that now, as of old, "the wicked flee when no man pursueth ?""
Your calling us a "venomous, blackhearted and utterly dis- honest demagogue," may be pleasing to the little ring of politi- cians by whom you are employed, but to the people at large it sounds very much like the hissing of a slimy serpent pierved with a sharp instrument. Why should a little truth concerning your real character make you hiss out such vileness ? Keep cool,. dear one, and be a little more truthful. Quit forever those base practices which have brought sorrow upon the gray hairs of your parents, have pierced with grief the heart of her whom you swore to cherish, and have brought to shame those whom you have begotten.
"While the lamp holds out to burn,
The vilest siuner may return."
We know very well that it is not of your own free will and
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accord that you make these false and brutal assaults upon our character, but simply because you are the hired tool of a little gang of unprincipled and unscrupulous politicians. Now, why do you not break away from these men and paddle your own canoe? Why do you not purchase the material with which you print your paper, and become a free man once more? How much better you would feel then, and how much easier it would be for you to be a decent man.
The county was thoroughly canvassed by local speakers and the Republicans brought in a number of, prominent speakers from abroad in order to counteraet the reform movement. The reform leaders were handicapped to some extent for the reason that the Republicans had nominated-with one exception-a most excellent tieket, and the Democats had nominated two of the reform candidates. However, the battle was fought to a finislı with the following result :
Governor, Reform vote 334, Republican 547, Democrat 546; rep- resentatives-Kelsey Curtis 820, Robert Earl 587, Gulliek Knut- sen 562, William Brisbane 541, Samuel Hawkes 266; treasurer- Warren Smith 886. Thomas White 523; register of deeds-H. A. Mosher 821, Geo. Hofeld 453, E. G. Pierce 145; elerk of court-J. B. Hayden 646, B. A. Lowell 374, James Vandermade 302; sher- iff-S. W. Long (Ind.) 466, J. D. Andrews 429, Daniel Murphy 399, M. F. Connor 127; judge of probate-J. A. Canfield 649, Ca- leb Halleek 626; county attorney-M. D. L. Collester 712, Lewis Brownell 680; surveyor-C. E. Crane 937, Frank Hoffstott, 489; coroner-Dr. J. C. MeMahon 1,098, Dr. L. D. MeIntosh 321; coun- ty commissioner-H. Vincent 281, Patrick Healy 214. The straight Reform or prohibition vote was 334, the number received by Prof. Humiston.
JOSEPH A. WHEELOCK.
In the contest of 1875 the following was quoted as from the pen of Mr. Wheeloek, then editor of the St. Paul Press :
"We consider tippling houses, saloons, or retail groggeries where rot- gut whisky; or whisky of any sort, is sold by the glass or dram as public nuisances, schools of intemperance, and fruitful sources of vice. We are inclined to believe that, upon grounds of public order and decency, the lawmaking authority has the right to prohibit the exposure and sale of
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spirituous liquors in this most seductive and dangerous of forms, and to abolish this nuisance and snare of tippling houses and groggeries.
"If it be not criminal, it is, to say the least, infernally mean business, and a full grown man who cannot find a better avocation than to stand behind a bar and pander to a vicious custom of idle tippling, that soon grows by what it feeds on, into a scorching curse-is a nuisance to so- ciety, and the sooner his avocation is abolished the better. There is however, a case in which liquor selling is, upon every principle of ethics or of law, unquestionably a crime-and that is when the seller commits the twin crimes of fraud and slow murder upon his customer, by selling various forms of poison under the names of whisky, brandy, &c."
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES.
The winter of 1874-5 was more than usually stormy. On Jan- uary 8, there was a blizzard and on Feb. 2 and 3, and again on the 16th and the 23d days of the month occurred severe snow storms. On the 16th railroads and wagon roads were badly block- aded. The weather during harvest was especially bad for har- vest work. There were heavy rainstorms August 3, 8, 14 and 31, and much of the grain was injured in both shock and stack. One of the local papers of September 8, said :
"The recent rain storms in this section have been enormously destruc- tive. What was once the best wheat crop ever produced in this section is now so badly damaged that very little of it will go number one. Along the LeSueur river bottoms the crops are nearly all under water, and much damage has been done to crops and fences. It is simply impossible at present to estimate the amount of damage that has occurred. We learn that much of the wheat in stack is badly damaged."
The weather cleared the first week in September and the fall months were pleasant, enabling the farmers to do their fall work in good shape.
Turner Hall, now Ward's opera house, was built in 1875, and dedicated the 2d and 3d of December. Dr. Schmidt of Jordan, M. D. L. Collester of Waseca and Col. Pfaender of New Ulm; delivered addresses; Mrs. Wm. MeIntosh and Miss Gerlicher pre- sented a flag, the latter making the presentation speech. The hall was built by subscription, but owing to poor management. it was not a financial success and finally became the property of the late IIon. W. G. Ward.
At the October term of the district court, Frank Conway, of Elysian, having stolen horses from II. A. Waggoner, was con- vieted of horse-stealing and sentenced to five years' imprison-
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ment in the Stillwater prison. Frank was a peculiar man. He was possessed of many good qualities. When sober he was a good neighbor, a kind husband, an affectionate father. He was a man of fair intelligence, and, for a number of years, was one of the county commissioners of LeSueur county. But he had a craving for liquor, and was, no doubt, afflieted with both dipso- mania and kleptomania.
And now the year draws to a close. Old Boreas has come down from his frozen home in the unknown North. The birds have flown. The trees are stripped of their foliage. The grass and the flowers of the prairie are dead. The white mantle of the Snow King covers the land and the year has passed into eternity. "All ends are hid in God."
CHAPTER XLIV, 1876.
CENTENNIAL YEAR-DEATHS OF JOHN HOFFER, MRS. WM. ROD- DLE, MRS. S. W. LONG, ELDER SMITH, CHRISTIAN KRASSIN, ROBERT MURPHY, MRS. ECKENBECK, MRS. JANE SOULE, MISS MURRAY OF RATTLESNAKE BITE, JOHN DUNN, MINNIE YOUNG -B. H TAYLOR DROWNED-SHOOTING OF YOUNG FULLER- HOT CITY ELECTION FOLLOWED BY LIBEL SUIT-GOPHERS IN BLOOMING GROVE-BRISBANE'S CENTENNIAL ADDRESS- NORTHFIELD BANK ROBBERY-CAPTURE OF THE YOUNGER BROTHERS-RAILROAD BONUS OF $30,000.
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