USA > Minnesota > Stearns County > History of Stearns County, Minnesota, Volume I > Part 18
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A three-days' special session began January 13, at which road and bridge appropriations were made, as follows: Crow river, $100, Crow river and Lake George road; Lynden, $200, bridge at Plum creek; Millwood, $150 for bridge over Getchell creek on Millwood and Oak road; Rockville, $300 for bridges over mill creek and on Maine Prairie and St. Joseph road; St. Joseph, $100 for St. Joseph and Avon road; St. Wendel, $150 for bridge on St. Wendel and St. Joseph road.
Another special session of two days began February 24, at which resolu- tions were again adopted requesting the Stearns county delegation in the legislature to oppose the repeal of the special law of 1877 making paupers a town charge in Stearns county. Theodore Bruener was engaged as special
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counsel to assist the county attorney in the continued prosecution of the case of the County Commissioners of Stearns county against the St. Cloud, Mankato and Austin R. R. Co., for which service he was later allowed $250.
At the regular session May 10-13 a number of highway petitions were granted. The application of Paynesville to be incorporated as a village was granted, an election to be held June 28, at Sherrin and Webb's store, with R. P. Gilbert, J. P. Richardson and W. M. Mccutcheon inspectors. The appropriation of $500 made January 7, 1886, for a culvert on Jefferson ave- nue, in the city of St. Cloud, was revoked and the money covered into the county revenue fund, while the same amount with $1,100 additional was appropriated for a stone culvert across the ravine at Seventh avenue. The following appropriations for roads and bridges were granted: Ashley, Farm- ing, Oak and Zion, $100 each; Brockway and Raymond, $150 each; Paynes- ville, $120; Lake Henry, $200; Melrose, $225; Lake George, $250. The act of May 8, 1887, for the destruction of gophers and blackbirds was accepted. A bill of $30.40 for 38 gallons of paint indicated the low price paid at that time for flaxseed.
The board of equalization occupied three days, from July 18-20. The county board met July 25 for a three days' session. The tax levy was one mill for schools and $30,000 for county purposes, of which $9,800 was for schools and $7,000 for roads and bridges. From this fund $125 was appro- priated to the town of Munson, and $150 each to Getty and St. Cloud. At a special session, August 22 and 23, an appropriation of $400 was made for the Munson and Zion road, leading to Roscoe.
The regular session in September began the thirteenth and adjourned the fourteenth. An application of the St. Cloud Motor Line Company for the use of the St. Cloud and Rockville and St. Cloud and St. Joseph roads, on which to construct, maintain and operate a motor line railway to be propelled by steam, electricity, cable or motor power, was read and laid over.
At the session December 20 and 21 the liquor license was raised to $500 as required by the general laws of 1887. An application from the St. Cloud City Street Car Company for the right to construct, maintain and operate a single or double-track line of railway on the St. Cloud and St. Joseph and St. Cloud and Cold Spring county roads was laid over until the next session.
1888. . The board met January 3 for three days, with P. R. Griebler, N. Keppers, B. Pirz, Jos. Scheelar and A. A. Whitney present, B. Pirz being re-elected chairman. The applications of the St. Cloud Street Car Company and St. Cloud Motor Line Company were again laid over. The following appropriations for road and bridge work were made: Ashley, $175, for Sauk Centre and Westport road; Farming, $112.50, Albany and St. Martin road; Luxemburg, $100, Luxemburg and Cold Spring road; Maine Prairie, $300, Maine Prairie and Rockville road; St. Wendel, $150, St. Wendel and St. Cloud road; Spring Hill, $137.50, St. Martin and Oak road. A special ses- sion, January 26 and 27, was devoted to routine business. A special session was held March 6 to elect a sheriff as successor to M. Mickley, deceased. J. P. Hammerel was chosen on the second ballot.
At the regular session March 20-22 an appropriation of $600 was made
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for a bridge across Sauk river in Wakefield on the road from Munson to Luxemburg. A session was held May 8-10 at which the resolution adopted May 12, 1887, offering a bounty for the killing of blackbirds and gophers was rescinded, and an appropriation of $500 was made to Wakefield for a bridge over Watab river.
The work of the board of equalization was completed July 16-20, and when the county board met July 23, it fixed a tax levy of one mill for schools and $40,000 for county purposes, of which $11,830 was for the fees and salaries of county officers, and $8,000 for roads and bridges. The county attorney was instructed to bring suit to compel the St. Paul, Minneapolis and Manitoba R. R. Co. to put into passable condition the Rockville and Wake- field county road as per agreement. An appropriation of $200 was made to Crow River for grading a slough. Adjourned July 25. Bridge appropria- tions as follows were made at the session September 11 and 12: Lynden and Spring Hill, $200 each; St. Joseph, $300; Wakefield, $350; Holding, $150; St. Martin and Zion, $105 each.
Petitions for the incorporation of two villages, Cold Spring and Albany, were received and granted at the meeting December 18-20. The election to vote on the Cold Spring incorporation was set for January 26, 1889, at Daniel Friedman's store, with Jacob Harriman, John Kiewel, and Jacob Friedman inspectors. The Albany election was set for the same day, at the school house in District No. 59, with George Kulzer, John Martin and Mathias Nett inspectors. A resolution was adopted appointing James Biggerstaff in the First commissioner district, William Doty in the Second, D. J. Hanscom in the Third, J. H. Biler in the Fourth, and H. S. Doty in the Fifth district as persons whose duty it should be to cause to be decently and honorably interred the body of any honorably discharged soldier, sailor or marine of the army or navy of the United States or who served in the campaign against the Indians in the State of Minnesota in 1862, who shall die without having sufficient means to defray his funeral expenses; these appointments being made pursuant to chapter 150 of the general laws of 1887. Twenty-one liquor licenses were granted during the year at the $500 fee.
1889. The board met January 1, with B. Pirz, P. R. Griebler, N. Keppers, Joseph Scheelar and A. A. Whitney present, B. Pirz being re-elected chairman. The county printing was awarded to the Journal-Press and Nordstern com- bination, on the same basis as it had been awarded in previous years to the Times and Nordstern, but this arrangement had but three years continuance. The St. Cloud, Mankato and Austin and the St. Paul, Minneapolis and Manitoba railway companies were released from all damages by reason of the taking of a certain part of a county road in the towns of Rockville and Wakefield, the pending suits to be dismissed, conditioned on these companies paying to the county treasurer $335.54 and to Joseph Scheelar $150 to be used by him in repairing the St. Cloud and Cold Spring road in the town of Rockville. A. A. Whitney was appointed a committee to prepare and have presented to the legislature a bill authorizing the board of county com- missioners of Stearns county to contract for the making or purchasing of a set of abstract books for the use of the county. Adjourned January 3.
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A special session was held January 18 and 19 when the following among other and smaller bridge appropriations were made: Farming, $125; Lake George, $150; St. Augusta, $160; Wakefield, $100. For the first time was authorized the employment of a janitor for the court house, "to take charge and care for the public offices and do and perform such other duties as from time to time may be required," at a compensation not to exceed $30 per month, which was afterwards increased to $35.
At a special session February 15 and 16 another petition from Albany for permission to vote on the question of incorporating as a village was received, and an election set for February 15 at Jolin Wellenstein's board- ing house, with George Kulzer, C. Scheibel and John Auer inspectors. A McBride, John A. Zapp and B. Vossberg were appointed to prepare a tract index set of books for the register of deeds office, at a compensation not to exceed two cents per description. A bridge appropriation of $200 was made to Getty and $140 to Zion.
Another special session was held March 25 and 26, at which the act of the legislature approved March 23, 1889, authorizing the county board to have a set of tract indexes made at a cost not to exceed $1,500, was read. The letting of the contract for the work aroused much discussion, with criminations and re-criminations, the awarding of the work at the previous meeting being an object of attack, and attorneys for and against appeared before the board. The following bids were opened, C. P. McClure, $1,075; McClure and Whitney, $1,100; L. T. Troutman, $1,500. All were rejected and it was ordered that new bids be advertised for. Bridge appropriations were made to Albany, $200; Collegeville and Crow River, $100 each; the village of Melrose $3,000 for a bridge across Sauk river.
The tract index matter was an important feature of the session of May 14 and 16. The bids opened ranged from $1,050 by P. J. Seberger and W. H. S. Kemp to $3,000 by Jacob Mainzer, the work being awarded to P. J. Seberger for $1,050, with a protest filed by Messrs. McBride, Zapp and Vossberg. The contract for building the bridge across Sauk river at Mel- rose was awarded to the South Park Bolt and Bridge Company of St. Paul. Bridge appropriations were made as follows: Lake Henry and St. Wendel, $150 cach ; Maine Prairie and Raymond, $100 each; St. Martin, $175; Paynes- ville, $400; City of St. Cloud, $800 for culvert on Seventh avenue.
The July session, the eighth to the tenth, fixed the annual tax levy at one mill for schools and $43,500 for county purposes, including $14,000 for salaries and fees of county officers, $8,000 for roads and bridges and $6,000 for district court expenses. The board of equalization was in session July 15-17. A special session for routine business was held August 1.
A session was held September 10-12 at which Judge of Probate Brnener, County Attorney Taylor and Commissioner Whitney were appointed to investigate the facts connected with the death by suicide of Lambert Lenz, an insane patient from Stearns county, in the St. Peter hospital, it being represented that this suicidal death was only possible through gross neglect on the part of the officials at the asylum. St. Joseph received an appropria-
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tion of $112.50 for bridges. Among the bills allowed was one of $570.84 to John F. Jerrard for plumbing at the court house and jail.
At a session beginning December 17 and continning for three days a number of petitions for the incorporation of villages were acted on. January 17, 1890, was the date when, and the Fire Company's building the place where, the citizens of Richmond should vote on incorporating, William Kichner, John Schneider and Nic Cordie being appointed inspectors. The citizens of St. Joseph were authorized to hold an election on the same date at S. A. Parish's harness shop to vote for or against incorporating, with Casper Casper, J. H. Linneman and John M. Walz inspectors. The election for Albany was set for January 18, at John Wellenstein's hotel, H. T. Mayer, Fred Hecklin and Joseph Weitzel being appointed inspectors. Petitions from J. C. Haines and others for an election to vote on the incorporation of Paynesville was rejected, as was a petition from A. J. Caswell and others to attach the townsite of Karonis to the village of Paynesville.
The committee in the matter of the suicide of Lambert Lenz made its report, which was accepted and on motion a copy was sent to the Governor of the state for such disposition as to him might seem proper. The substance of the report was that Lenz had been taken to the asylum the evening of September 9, 1889, and delivered to Superintendent Bartlett and his assistant, Dr. McIntyre; that he had been put in a room with two other patients and during the night had committed suicide by hanging himself with a strip torn from one of the sheets on his bed. Beyond this there was a conflict of testimony. Superintendent Bartlett informed the committee that he had not been advised of Lenz's previous efforts to commit suicide, and that if he had been he would have taken precautions against it. On the other side were affidavits from the sheriff and the two assistants who had accompanied him stating that they had definitely and distinctly advised the superintendent and his assistant of Lenz's suicidal mania; that when delivered he was securely strapped and bound for the purpose of preventing his attempts at self- destruction, and that the reason for this was explained to the asylum officers who had assisted in removing the straps when they took him in charge. What action the Governor took, if any, in the matter is not stated.
1890. The board met January 7, adjourned the ninth, with P. R. Griebler, John Schwinghammer, Joseph Scheelar, B. Pirz and A. A. Whitney present; B. Pirz being re-elected chairman. The salary of the county attorney was increased to $1,500 and of the superintendent of schools to $1,600. Road and bridge appropriations were made as follows: Fair Haven and Inxem- burg, $150 each; St. Augusta, $175; Munson, $700; Oak, $2,000; Melrose village, $555; City of Sauk Centre, $4,000-the latter three being for bridges over Sauk river. The sum of $35 was appropriated to purchase a flag and fixtures for the court house.
At a session held March 17-19, the contract between the Wisconsin Bridge and Iron Company and the town of Oak for the bridge across Sauk river was approved. A petition for another clection to vote for or against annexing certain territory to the village of Paynesville was granted, the election to be held April 25 at Dominick Lutgen's hotel in the town-site of
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Karonis, with D. Lutgen, John Murphy and R. Kinney inspectors. The county superintendent of schools was instructed not to issue any more orders for state text books. At the session May 13-15, a committee consisting of L. J. Rocholl, county superintendent ; B. F. Wright, Melrose; M. K. Nelson, Maine Prairie; S. S. Parr and O. F. Carver, St. Cloud; H. F. Mayer, Albany ; Lucas Gertken, Richmond; O. F. Woodley, Sauk Centre, and Theo. Loben- mueller, Farming, was appointed to select suitable text books.
At a special session held May 27 and 28 Public Examiner Kenyon, who upon request had made an examination of the records in the county auditor's office, advised the board of commissioners that he would report the condition of affairs as he found them to the governor, with a recommendation for the suspension from office of Robert Lutz as county auditor of Stearns county. The board instructed the deputy auditor, P. J. Gruber, to take charge of the auditor's office and discharge its duties pro tem, the sureties on Lutz's bond being notified of the action taken. Another special session was held June 25, at which the resignation of Robert Lutz, dated May 24, 1890, was received and accepted. On the fifth ballot B. Vossberg was elected to the vacancy, the other candidates being E. P. Barnum and P. J. Gruber.
At the regular July session of three days, from the fourteenth, the tax levy was fixed at one mill school tax and $43,000 for county expenses. The grand jury having censured the board of commissioners for having permitted the county auditor to conduct his office without first executing a bond and with having allowed bills contrary to the advice of the county attorney, resolutions were adopted, declaring that the charges made in this report were "wholly untrue" and that the jury was presuming to meddle in matters which were none of its business. The board of equalization met July 21 and was in session for five days.
The regular September session began the ninth, adjourning the eleventh. The plat of the incorporated village of St. Joseph was received and ordered to be filed. A. McBride and F. J. Weisser were employed to check over the tract indexes made by P. J. Seberger, at salaries of $100 and $75 per month respectively. An appropriation of $3,797.30 was made to the City of Sauk Centre for the completed bridge over Sauk river, and a bill of the Wisconsin Bridge and Iron Company, $1,740.50, for the Sauk river bridge in Oak was allowed.
The closing session of the year was held December 16-18. The bond of the county auditor was fixed at $5,000; treasurer, $100,000; coroner, $1,000. An appropriation of $500 was made to Paynesville for a bridge over Crow river. Jenz and Schmaig having paid $50 January 24, 1887, for a license to sell liquor in the town of Crow River, and the people of the town having voted "no license," an order to refund the money was passed.
1891. The January session opened on the sixth, the members present being B. Pirz, John Schwinghammer, Edward Miller, Joseph Scheelar and David Cleveland, the three last named being new members; B. Pirz was again elected chairman. The following road and bridge appropriations were made: Lake George and Luxemburg, $100 each; Le Sauk, St. Wendel and Zion, $200 each; Wakefield, $250; Brockway, $175.
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At a three-days' session beginning March 12, road and bridge appro- priations were made as follows: Albany, $204; Ashley, $175; Crow Lake and Getty, $200 each; Melrose, $150; St. Cloud, $125; Sauk Centre, $100; for opening a judicial road on the line between Stearns and Morrison coun- ties, ranges 30 and 31, $150, provided Morrison county appropriated an equal amount. The bonds of Drs. W. L. Beebe, A. O. Gilman and J. M. McMasters as deputy coroners were approved. The county auditor was allowed an additional clerk at $60 per month, and the clerk hire in the county treasurer's office was fixed at $150 per month. A. McBride reported that the work of checking over the tract indexes had been completed, and the books were accepted by the board. As an effort was on foot to have the law making paupers a town charge repealed, resolutions were adopted asking the county delegation to oppose the repeal, and County Attorney Taylor was appointed a committee to attend the legislature and labor for that result. May 12-14, a session for routine business.
At a meeting July 13-15 the contract for building an iron bridge, with tubular piers, across Sauk river in the town of St. Martin was awarded to the Wisconsin Bridge and Iron Company for $7,050, one-half to be paid by the town and one-half by the county. A tax levy of one mill for schools and $45,000 for county purposes was made. Among the bills allowed was one to the Western Granite Company, $737.50 for the granite curbing around court house square, and another of $1,239 to F. I. Stiles for the tile sidewalk. Seven of the county banks were designated as depositories for county funds, the rate of interest being three per cent on any sums up to $20,000 and one per cent on the excess. An appropriation of $700 was made to the city of St. Cloud, being one-half the cost of grading on the road from St. Cloud to St. Augusta, and $4,000 for the St. Martin bridge. The board of equalization was in session July 20-23. A session of the county board held July 24 and 25 transacted simply routine business, as was the case with a session Sep- tember 8-10.
At a special session November 9 and 10 a petition from the Northwest Thomson-Houston Electric Company and from the St. Cloud City Street Car Company asking the right to run the line along the Rockville road after leaving the city limits, extending it at present as far as the Willmar branch of the Great Northern road and extending further along the Rockville road in the future was received and referred to the county attorney. After full consideration of the matter the petition was granted, the limit of extension to be one mile beyond the Willmar branch. A session for routine business was held December 15-17.
1892. The regular session opened on the fifth, continuing for three days, with Edward Miller, J. Schwinghammer, B. Pirz, Joseph Schcelar and David Cleveland present, B. Pirz being re-elected chairman. A petition for an election to vote for or against incorporating the village of Brooten was granted, the election to be held February 13 at the school house in district No. 145, with B. M. Anderson, Peter O. Roe and H. A. Ellingson inspectors.
A special session was held March 15-17, at which S. S. Chute was engaged to make copies of 72 maps and plats in the register of deeds' office (to be
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afterwards bound) on paper to be furnished by the county, for $325. An application from the council of Cold Spring to build a court house was received and placed on file. Road and bridge appropriations were made as follows: Crow River, $350; Fair Haven, for bridge over Three-mile creek, $315; Luxemburg and Maine Prairie, each $310; Zion, $500; Melrose, $305; Millwood and Krain road, $305.
The following road and bridge appropriations were made at a session May 10-12: Albany, $325; Avon, Brockway, Lake Henry, Raymond and St. Joseph, $305 each; City of St. Cloud (for culverts), $990. At a session held July 11-13, a levy of one mill for schools and $43,000 for county purposes was ordered, $15,820 being for salaries and fees of county officers, $9,000 roads and bridges and $7,000 district court expenses. In compliance with a petition for an election to vote for or against incorporating the village of Freeport, the date was set for August 18, the voting to be at the school house in district No. 102, with Joseph Buttweiler, Henry Koopmeiners and Lorenz A. Thull inspectors. Appropriations of $305 to Holding and $301 to North Fork were made. The session of the board of equalization continued from July 18 to July 27. A session given to highway and school petitions and other routine business was held September 13-17.
At a session held November 17 and 18, Oscar Taylor's resignation as county attorney was accepted and John D. Sullivan appointed to succeed him. The bonds of county officers were increased, the auditor's to $10,000, treasurer's to $125,000 and coroner's to $2,000. A special session was held November 25 to approve the bond of E. P. Barnum as clerk of the district court, appointed by the judges November 21, to succeed A. L. Cramb, resigned. A session for routine business was held December 20 and 21.
1893. The board met January 3, with Edward Miller, Joseph Scheelar, David Cleveland, Frank Benolken and B. Pirz present; B. Pirz was re-elected chairman. The salary of the county superintendent of schools was increased to $1,680. At a special session held February 7-9, a petition for an clection to be held March 20, at Gunness & Opitz's store, to vote on the matter of incorporating the village of Waite Park was granted, and J. M. Smith, Henry Buschman and James H. Johnson were appointed inspectors. March 21-23, routine business session.
At the regular session May 9-11, the following road and bridge appro- priations were made: Albany and Brockway, $400 each; Eden Lake, Crow River, village of Cold Spring, Krain, Melrose, St. Augusta and St. Wendel, $305 cach; Holding, Lake George and Maine Prairie, $310 each; Rockville, $301; Paynesville and Zion, $325 each; Spring Hill, for Sauk river bridge, $2,500. It was voted to accept the provisions of the act of April 1, 1893, providing for a wolf bounty, the county to pay one-third of the minimum sum named in the act.
The July meeting was held July 10-13, at which the contract for the construction of the Sauk river bridge in the town of Spring Hill was let to the Gillette-Herzog Manufacturing Company, of Minneapolis, for $3,297, of which amount one-half was to be paid by the county and one-half by the town. The tax levy was the usual one mill for schools and $35,000 for
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county purposes. This was a reduction of $8,000 from the previous year, $6,320 of which was in the items of salaries and fees of county officers, $13,500; roads and bridges, $8,000, and district court expenses, $4,000. Appropriations of $305 each for roads and bridges were made to the towns of Crow Lake, Farming, Lynden and Sauk Centre. Sessions for routine business were held September 12-14, October 31-November 1, and Decem- ber 19-20.
1894. The board met January 2, with Edward Miller, Frank Benol- ken, B. Pirz, Joseph Scheelar and David Cleveland present. B. Pirz was re-elected chairman. After transacting routine business the board adjourned January 4. A special session was held February 7 and 8. The salaries and fees of the county officers for the previous year were reported as follows: B. Vossberg, county auditor, $2,600; B. Mueller, treasurer, $2,711.80; J. M. Emmel, register of deeds, $3,253; J. P. Hammerel, sheriff, $5,243.41; J. D. Sullivan, county attorney, $1,500; Theo. Bruener, judge of probate, $2,073; A. B. Barnum, clerk of court, $2,999.10; L. J. Rocholl, superintendent of schools, $1,690.50.
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