History of Otter Tail County, Minnesota: Its People, Industries and Institutions, Volume I, Part 72

Author: John W. Mason
Publication date: 1916
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 765

USA > Minnesota > Otter Tail County > History of Otter Tail County, Minnesota: Its People, Industries and Institutions, Volume I > Part 72

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After sleeping about two days, Bert came forth and declared that he had enough of Alexandria hospitality.

In an election contest he was accused of illegal voting under an assumed name, when, like the Arab, he "quietly stole away," and was never heard of more. Drink made a wreck of his bright mind and moral sense. When in

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his sober moments, he was one of the most entertaining of men. He would sit the evening through, recounting his experiences, most of which, no doubt, were imaginary, but a vivid imagination is what adorns a tale and makes it worth the telling, and Bert had all the qualifications of the excellent raconteur.

JIM SPENDLOVE.

Spendlove, commonly called Jim, was an H-englishman, long, lank and lean. He belonged to the humbler walks of life and was a carpenter by trade, which made him useful in secular affairs, while his ability to play the flute admitted him into social and religious circles. He played flute to George Nichols' fiddle in the choir on Sunday, and on Saturday nights, after choir meetings, accompanied George's fiddle for the regular dance which always followed the practice of the sacred hymns.

Jim was a member of the church, in good and regular standing, but lia- ble to succumb occasionally to temptation somewhat common to life on the frontier. His great length made a drink much more enjoyable to him than to a man of ordinary height. The taste in transit was longer and the after- effects more lasting.

Jim's falls from perpendicular were not of very frequent occurence, but quite noticeable when they did take place. One of them happened at a choir meeting on a Saturday night. The lapse in his rectitude was not so fatal to the choir pratice, but was very distressing at the post exercises. The dancers in the first quadrille were in position; the deacon at the head of the set, with the soprano for a partner; the "caller's" voice rang out the "change;" Nichols' fiddle struck up the tune, but, O goddess of Terpsichore! the scandalous notes of Jim's flute murdered harmony, stopped the dance when some irreverent "cuss" cried out : "Jim, go wet your flute." Jim answered: "Hi did that a couple of times before hi came hup."

Jim, becoming matrimonially inclined, was paying his addresses to two different girls. One, Mary, was very comely and good to look at, but didn't know much. The other, Liza, was getting on in years, extremely plain, but well educated and an accomplished singer. Jim felt sure that he could have his choice, but hesitated long in making it. Finally, the thought of Liza's voice and the cozy evenings at home when he could accompany it with his flute won the day and fixed his choice on Liza.

The first morning after the wedding, Jim awoke and looked over at Liza. Liza was lying on her back ; mouth open; false teeth removed, and her frontal wig hanging on the back of a chair. After gazing on this picture for a moment, Jim groaned: "Oh, sing. Liza, sing; for heaven's sake, sing."

JACOB AUSTIN.

The late Jacob Austin, who died in June, 1914, in the state of Washing- ton, at the advanced age of eighty-five, was for about a quarter of a century

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one of the most prominent citizens of Fergus Falls and no history of the city would be complete without recounting some of his peculiar traits. It is safe to say that as a private citizen and as a public official he stamped his life on the city in such a way as to show that he was a man of extremely varied attainments.

Mr. Austin moved here from Alexandria in the summer of 1871 and entered the hardware business in a building he erected that year, on the lot now occupied by the Desky building. The firm of Couse & Hammer were his competitors and located just across Lincoln avenue. Mr. Austin could not see many virtues in a competitor. In the winter season he annexed to the hardware business the fur trade, buying mink, fox, skunk and rat skins- mostly rats. In this line he had for competitors nearly every merchant in town and the "rat war" constituted one of the interesting bits of local history. That "war" was described some years ago in an address before the Century Club of Fergus Falls and published in the Journal. All of these different industries were side lines to the main and over-shadowing activities of Jake. Everbody called him Jake. Politics, local, state and national, were his prime object in life.

Austin was never "astride of the fence." No one was ever in doubt about which side he was on. If he changed frequently, it was a decided change, with no lingering, half way between two positions. He was never in doubt about anything. With him there were no two sides to any question, and he was always on the right side.

Such a character could not be otherwise than positive, and being thus to a marked degree, it followed as "night the day" that he had staunch friends and bitter enemies.

Fergus Falls has always been a town of factions. Some have been called one thing and some another, but there was never but one "Austin faction." That kept its identity, individuality and name through all the varied vicissitudes of local wars, until the sachem left the Fergus reservation and moved to the Pacific coast. Rumor tells us that it was not so pacific shortly after Jake got there. We are unable to record anything definite as to this, but the rumors are not difficult of belief.

The purpose of a sketch of this kind should be to give some insight to the character described. All the good and all the bad sides of a so-many- sided individual cannot be set down within a limited space. We are no Bos- well, to record minutely the likes, dislikes, opinions, sayings, ambitions, motives, triumphs and disappointments of the character under consideration. A few of the things he did must serve to convey an idea of the man, with no attempt at a detailed account of those things which so impressed his individ- uality upon the community ; the effect of which is felt to this day, and may be

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CLIFFORD L. HILTON.

JOHN W. MASON.

HON. E. E. CORLISS.

ANTON THOMPSON.

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for years to come. Such an account necessarily introduces other person- alities, but they are used only as sidelights to the main one.

Mr. Austin was mayor of the city twice at least. The first time back in 1881, I think, and one term some years later. As may be imagined, he was never elected unanimously. It was a scrap royal from the moment he announced his candidacy. His last contest was a particularly bitter one. Mr. Jim Brown was his opponent.

At that time there was another "character" here-Sam Diamond by name. No one thought him a "first-water diamond." He was a policeman and largely used to collect bad debts. He had gained a most unsavory reputa- tion through his harsh and bulldozing methods of extracting money from indignant debtors. Probably no man who ever lived in Fergus Falls had the distinction of being so universally despised as Sam. The mayoralty contest between Austin and Brown was a hot one from the start. Much, it was con- ceded, depended on the fourth ward, where Brown lived. Then as now, it was noted for its moral ideals. The Austin supporters greatly feared that Jim would "strike below the belt," and that it would be too late to call a "foul" after the vote was once cast. Jake managed his own campaign and made a coup in the fourth ward which not only won his election, but demonstrated his strategetic resources at the same time. The night before the election Austin sent for Sam. Sam was an Austin man, but that was to be changed. Jake supplied him with a great abundance of Brown tickets-this was before the time of the Australian ballot-and promised to give him ten dollars, to take the tickets, go into the fourth ward and work all day for Brown, telling the voters that if Austin was elected mayor, he was to appoint him (Sam) as chief of police.

It worked as the master mind had foreseen. The fourth ward went strong for Jake, but on the final canvass by the council there were found to be what was claimed two defective ballots. These ballots as I recollect had "Austin" on them without the initial "J" or the name "Jacob." The Brown side claimed that those two ballots should not be counted, which would give their candidate a majority of one. On the other hand, if they were counted for Austin it would give him a majority of one. The council postponed the canvass until the next day. They wanted time to decide the momentious question.

At that time Bert Rawson was city attorney. A description of that official might be interesting, but I resist the temptation to go into that. He was a Brown adherent in this contest. Early the next morning. before the canvas- sing board met, Jake and one C. F. Clark came to my office. Both were extremely anxious that Jake should be "counted in." Clark, like Artemus Ward, was willing to sacrifice all his wife's relations to accomplish the end

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desired, but he was not so constituted that he was willing to part with any cash for the end in view.

When they came in Jake said: "I am elected and want to be so declared. Is there any way that that can be done?" I answered: "Yes, there is a way, but it will take some money to do it." At the sound of "money" Clark bolted for the door. Jake looked disgusted, but he was made of different stuff. "How can it be done, and how much do you want," he asked. I told him that personally, I wanted nothing, but that the thing for him to do was to "see" the city attorney. That ended the consultation, and he left as suddenly as had Clark, but wearing a smile instead of a frown. The canvassing board met and, under the advice of the city attorney, counted the two ballots for Jake and he was declared elected mayor. He afterwards told me how he changed the city attorney's opinion, but that is no part of this sketch.

Jake was militant within every shade of meaning of that word, but always showed great discrimination in the selection of those to attack. At a legislative district convention in 1873 he knocked down Louis Stevenson, of Detroit ; later he paid ten dollars fine for hitting Hon. Soren Listoe. At another time he slapped Haldor E. Boen. This was before the latter became Honorable, and then, on another occasion he hit old John Zaiser. This caused some criticism of Jake, as Zaiser was old and decrepid. The local poet, an anti-Austin genius, unburdened himself as follows:

"Let dogs delight to bark and bite, For God hath made them so; Let bears and lions growl and fight For 'tis their nature to. But, Jacob, you should never let Your angry passions rise ; Your little hands were never made To scratch John Zaiser's eyes."

John's injuries were not so serious that they had to be "treated" in court.

Like most positive characters, Jake made a good witness. His only fault in this capacity was a slight excess of partiality for the side that retained him. A single instance will illustrate this.

In 1879 when the St. Paul & Pacific railroad-now Great Northern railway-was building through the city, it cut off a corner of a twenty-acre tract of land belonging to K. O. Harris. The amount of damages awarded Mr. Harris by the commission was not satisfactory to him, so he appealed from the award and the case came on for trial in the district court.

The writer was attorney for Harris, and the railroad was represented

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by Hon. Knute Nelson. Jake was witness for Harris. His knowledge of values was accurate; his testimony direct and positive. After helping Harris all he could, he was turned over to the defense for cross-examination. The record ran like this :

"Cross-examination by Mr. Nelson :

"Q. 'Mr. Austin, you say that the land in question, without the railroad running across this corner, is worth $100 per acre?'

"A. 'Yes, sir.'

"Q. 'What is it worth an acre with the railroad running across it as now located ?'

"A. 'Not a d-d cent sir."

Though not what may be termed a religious man, he took a lively inter- est in church matters, particularly when there was a denominational fight on, and there generally was. In those religious (?) wars, Jake was a volunteer. He never waited to be drafted. At the first scent of a scrap, he was out with war-paint and feathers, the chief of his band by common consent. As a leader he could out-Pankhurst Mrs. Pankhurst. She, I believe, is rather willowy and conciliatory in manner-a pent-up volcano, resisting eruption. Jake was a volcano in full eruption, belching forth fire, smoke, ashes and destruction; not fighting for "civil rights," but religious liberty. He was an unscorched martyr, with all the vituperative powers of a Jeremiah. There was no feder- ation spirit in Jake.

Space, and not lack of material, admonishes me to draw this to its close. Let no one think from the above characteristics that Jacob Austin was a man devoid of good and commendable traits. The incidents related are but rugged points of land extending out into a sea of generous impulses and moral worth. He was a public-spirited man, progressive in everything he conceived to be for the public welfare, though he wanted such changes to be along lines marked out by himself. He was a generous man without ostentation. No one in distress ever appealed to him in vain. If a charitable act were needed, then he never stopped to consider whether the recipient was friend or foe, and the latter often received his aid without ever knowing the source from whence it came. Requiescat in pace.

CAPT. H. S. COLE.

Captain Cole, an early pioneer, won his title in a regiment of Maine cavalry in the Civil War. When first known in Otter Tail county, in the early seventies, he was a traveling salesman for the John C. Oswald wholesale liquor house of Minneapolis. He had certain mental and physical charac- teristics very important to success in many callings. He was large, portly, with piercing black eyes; silent, mysterious, and with an air of wisdom so profound that the god-like Daniel himself could not have surpassed. No

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man could be as wise as he looked. None could excel him in the use he could make of bits of gossip, incidental remarks dropped in his hearing anent business, social status or politics; and by a look, word, and silence, even, he could convey the impression of profound and unfathomable infor- mation too important and valuable for revelation. His manner of assent- ing to or dissenting from a proposition conveyed an impression of his intimate acquaintance with the subject, and all the while he was mentally filing away casual and incidental statements for future use. These qualities were of great service to him in his work as a lobbyist, a calling to which he devoted his time and talents every two years while the Minnesota Legisla- ture was in session.

After quitting the employment of John C. Oswald, he came to Fergus Falls and went into the farm machinery business. In this he was very suc- cessful, and finally bought a large farm on the south side of Horseshoe lake, which he made a model, but his great triumphs and title to fame rest on his record as lobbyist.

For years, just prior to the sessions of the Legislature, he would go to St. Paul and take a suite of rooms on the first floor of the old Merchants' Hotel, which was the political headquarters of the state for years. These rooms, always the same, became historic. His personality inspired con- fidence, and no corporation with a scheme to work through the Legislature, or to be defeated there, but availed itself of the Captain's services. He was the general disbursing agent of every interest having a scheme to come before the solons of the state. Money without limit was entrusted to his keeping when occasion arose for placing it "where it would do the most good," and it ought to be stated here that no claim of dishonesty or breach of trust was ever made against him. This cannot be said of some of the - satellites he made use of in his operations.

A Democrat in politics, but non-partisan in his manipulation of legis- lators, he would corrupt a Republican or Populist with as much satisfaction and impartiality as a Democrat. All was grist that came to his mill. A resolution of the Legislature excluding lobbyists from the floor of the Senate and House did not affect Cole: he was never seen on either floor. It was not necessary. His room at the Merchants' was the most popular resort in the city. and the law makers much preferred to gain "information" there than at the capitol.

His acquaintance was extensive. Before the Legislature convened he had the history of every member. and his "Black List" showed just who was susceptible to influence and how reached: whether by cold cash, political favor, social attention or otherwise. He was resourceful and adroit. In all investigations of bribery he was never involved or his name mentioned,

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but with all his shrewdness there was one man in whom he was partially fooled.

This man, Rellim Trebor, was a sort of henchman for Cole. The leader in any great enterprise is obliged to rely on subordinates for the execution of details. This is as true with captains of industry as with generals of an army. Trebor had many qualifications desirable in a subor- dinate. He was deferential to his chief; had a nose for news; could insin- uate himself into the good graces of a certain class of people who had to be considered in legislative undertakings. He was competent in clerical work, but, notwithstanding all these qualifications, there was something in his general make-up which barred him from the full confidence of his chief. Cole let him into the secrets of any particular undertaking just so far as was necessary and no farther. For this reason he was not allowed to handle any of the "slush funds." His pickings were doled out by the Vestibula Rex in such amounts from time to time as deemed prudent by His Majesty.

But important occasions will sometimes arise when subordinates must be trusted beyond the usual wont. In such emergencies the chief is not to be held responsible for failure of the subordinate if he has done the best possible in making the selection.

Such an occasion arose away back in the eighties, when a bill was pending in the Legislature to forfeit a certain land grant of one of the rail- roads of the state. This land grant was valuable, and the roads interested were bent on the defeat of the proposed bill, regardless of cost. Human vultures flocked to the capital from all parts of the state, there to watch for such share of the "pickings" as might drop into their craws. Many were enabled to tide over a hard winter by the exchange of influence (?) for railroad receipts. King Cole's rooms at the Merchants' was the great soup house where the hungry clamored for gruel. Cole was manager and custo- dian of the funds. The night before the final vote on the bill, he had in a large safe in his rooms, it is said, most of the available currency of the banks of the city, and this safe was guarded by four plain-clothes men, detailed from the police force for that purpose.

In this emergency Cole was obliged to rely on some one for aid and, selecting Trebor as one of the "trustees." gave into his keeping the sum of five thousand dollars. It was a small amount under the circumstances, but all that Cole would consent to risk with that depositary; but small as it was, it looked big to Trebor. It was far and away beyond any sum theretofore entrusted to his keeping, and the lure of riches led to his fall.

The big debauch was about to close. Tomorrow would end the car- nival of corruption; the harvest would be garnered. Trebor realized the

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situation and determined to reverse the old adage and make hay before sun-up. The next morning he was missing-likewise his wife. The police force was called into requisition. Search disclosed the fact that Trebor and his wife had purchased tickets by early trains for a Southern city; the wife going by one route on the Wisconsin side of the Mississippi river, while Trebor had taken a train on the Minnesota side.

A telegram led to the apprehension of Trebor before he reached La Crosse, and he was brought back to St. Paul. Before parting on their Southern flight, Trebor had given his wife two thousand five hundred dollars of the five thousand dollars, and retained two thousand five hundred dollars himself. This he restored to the eleemosynary fund from which it was abstracted, when he was released. Certain delicate circumstances connected with the accumulation of this fund made the losers very considerate, and no attempt was made to punish Trebor, or to recover the two thousand five hundred dollars which went down on the Wisconsin side of the river. The parties have all long since gone to their reward, and each contributed to the political history of our fair state.

SAM H. NICHOLS.

Sam H. Nichols, who died on April 5, 1913, in Everett, Washington, was one of the pioneers of Fergus Falls, and intimately connected with events that made early Fergus famous as a political center. He was eighty- three years of age at the time of his death.

In 1871, when George Head settled at this place, Mr. Nichols was a clerk in the United States land office at Alexandria. He came here soon after Mr. Head. and there was talk of his going into the banking business with Head. Head was loaning money at the rate of five per cent. a month. and the business seemed attractive. The location selected for the proposed bank was the site at the foot of the hill on Lincoln avenue now occupied by the new Fergus Falls National Bank. For some reason (possibly the low rate of interest) the project fell through and nothing was done further than the delivery of a load or two of lumber for the bank building.

Mr. Nichols was chief clerk of the House of Representatives from 1872 to 1876, inclusive. In the latter year he became clerk of the supreme court. He was a man of great clerical ability; wrote a splendid hand. and that so rapidly that he could report a speech in long hand much more fully than many stenographers can do it in shorthand.

Sam, as he was known and called far and wide, was a natural politi- cian and took to its schemes as a babe to its natural nourishment. He had a personal acquaintance with every public man of the state and, in speaking of them, always called them by their first name; Governor Horace Austin was "Horace," William S. King was "Bill," Cushman K. Davis was "Cush."

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Senator Ramsey was "Aleck," and William Windom was "Bill." He could look volumes of information, but gave out only so much-and this by hints and innuendoes-as served to leave in the minds of his hearers a firm belief that he knew wonders if he chose to impart them. He belonged to what was called the Austin faction, but maintained reasonably friendly relations with the opposition. On one occasion, surrounded by a group of his admir- ers and speaking of the disturbed political conditions of Fergus Falls, he said: "Bill Windom wanted me to come up here and harmonize the ele- ments." His success in his mission was not altogether what he wished it. and some irreverent dubbed him "Ole Harmony."

In 1874, a young lawyer by the name of Charles Norgaard was nom- inated on the Republican ticket for register of deeds. He was an outspoken opponent of the "Austin ring." as it was called by those who belonged to the "Wright ring." His nomination was very distasteful to the Austin faction and his defeat was "devoutedly to be wished." The opposition met in solemn conclave, where it was decided to preserve the liberties of the people by putting Sam in the field and running him as an independent candidate. Both factions were Republican, but honor was more sacred than party, and revenge to be preferred to either. Here was the germ which in late years developed into the Bull Moose party.

Nichols was counted in by a very close majority and Norgaard's friends always claimed that it was fraudulently done, and that the fraud was in the town of Aurdal, the home of Ole Jorgens, who was county auditor.

Some amusing things happened in that campaign too. A man by the name of Springen, a farm machine dealer, had a homestead in the town of Aastad. He was supposed to be for Nichols, and possessed of great influ- ence in the town where his homestead was located. On the morning of elec- tion, Sam equipped him with team, tickets, and so forth, and sent him to Aastad to vote and induce others to do the same, for him-Sam. He returned that night and duly reported at Nichols' headquarters. When asked how the election went, he said: "Well, it's hard to tell. I know Nichols got one vote;" but when the returns came in and were counted. behold, Sam didn't get even one vote in that town. Some one suggested that evidently Springen went down and "harmonized the elements." Sprin- gen was the man for whom Springen avenue was named.

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History of Otter Tail County, Minnesota: Its People, Industries and Institutions, Volume I, Part 72

Author: John W. Mason Publication date: 1916 Publisher: Number of Pages: 765

Author: John W. Mason
Publication date: 1916
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 765