USA > Minnesota > Faribault County > The history of Faribault County, Minnesota : from its first settlement to the close of the year 1879 : the story of the pioneers > Part 5
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and development of the country, as well as the bettering of their fin- ancial condition, induced this determination.
The first intention was to go into Freeborn county, but on ex- amining the map of southern Minnesota, the valley of the Blue Earth river, fixed the attention of the company The buffalo and elk hunter, the trapper, the Indian and the explorer, had already told their stories, of the beauty and fertility of the Blue Earth valley. Thomas Holmes, heretofore mentioned, had talked in glowing language of the forks of the Blue Earth river, as an eligi- ble location for a town and so to the head-waters of the Blue Earth river, our company decided to go.
The winter had been long and cold. It was now the beginning of February and the snow lay twenty inches deep on the level and great drifts were piled in every direction, but what are such difficultes to western energy, bent on great projects?
Our little company nothing daunted, hired one Huffman, with his team and sled, which might have been named the Argo, and gathered together a few provisions, consisting of flour, pork, beans, some culinary utensils and a ten gallon keg of a peculiar fluid extract of rye, which latter article had been recommended by solicitous friends, as a valuable medicine in cases of frost-bites. snake-bites, chills, or general prostration, and well armed with guns, pistols and plenty of ammunition, they started for the forks of the Blue Earth, across a trackless region, like the Argonauts in pursuit of the golden fleece, across unknown seas.
The cold was intense and the roads, where there were any, were blockaded. South of Mankato no roads existed then and after a tedious journey, on the 6th day of February, 1856, our company near evening crossed the lands where Blue Earth City now stands, and proceeded about a mile further south, to the cabin of Moses Sailor, the first settler, whose hospitality they claimed for the night.
Having travelled all day over trackless prairies, plunging through deep snow drifts, sometimes breaking the way for the team, our pioneers were well nigh exhausted and they enjoyed the hearty welcome, the warm fire, the corn bread and bacon of the first settler. Having fully explained their designs to Mr. Sailor, the next morning our pioneers, with Mr. Sailor in the lead, entered upon the lands where the future city was to be built and Mr. Sailor. knowing the ground well, pointed out to them in glowing language. the beauty and adaptability of the location for a town-site. But few words are necessary with men of business and it was forthwith decided, here on the north-half of section seventeen in township one hundred and two of range twenty-seven, to found the town. This decided they were shown the small log cabin spoken of in the pre-
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FARIBAULT COUNTY, MINNESOT.1.
ceding chapter in which they stored their goods and took up their abode for the present.
On the following day Wakefield and Spencer started out with the team, on their return to Shakopee, leaving Constans and Hibler to hold possession of the country.
The weather, as before intimated, was cold and the snows deep, but in all countries "business is business" and delays are said to be dangerous. Certain matters of great importance required immedi- ate attention and hence the hurried return of Wakefield and Spen- cer. The Eden of Minnesota had been found, a town was to be built, a county organized, a county seat located. The territorial legislature was then in session at St. Paul, the capital, and thither Mr. Wakefield proceeded.
Constans and Hibler were left alone and went to work to render themselves as comfortable as possible in their cabin. Their usual amusements were chopping wood and carrying it up the steep bank of the river, to their cabin, keeping fire and cooking their victuals. Frequently informal visits would be made to Mr. Sailor's, where they would get a warm meal, which visits would be kindly returned by Mr. Sailor in a day or two, and these courtesies were usually, according to the strict etiquette of the times, rendered mellow and agreeable, by "a little something to take." All times have their follies and fashions and there are many things easily excusable, in the ways and manners of the pioneers of a new country.
Thus the time passed until about the seventh day of March, when Mr. Wakefield returned with a pocketful of official commissions and accompanied by another new settler, George B. Kingsley. Mr. Spencer did not return. During Mr. Wakefield's absence, he secured the passage of an act by the legislature, dated February 23rd, 1856, organizing the county of Faribault, of which the following is a ัะพัั:
ORGANIZATION OF THE COUNTY.
AN ACT TO ORGANIZE THE COUNTY OF FARIBAULT AND TO ESTABLISH THE COUNTY SEAT OF SAID COUNTY.
(Passed February 23, 1856.)
SECTION 1 .- Be it enacted by the legislative assembly of the territory of Minnesota: That the county of Faribault be, and the same is hereby declared to be, an organized county, and invested with all the rights, privileges and immunities to which all organized counties in this territory are entitled by law.
SEC. 2-That "Blue Earth City," situated between the forke of the Blue Earth river, as laid out and named by James B. Wakefield and others, be and the same is hereby declared to be the temporary county seat of said county and
HISTORY OF
the county commissioners to be appointed, as hereafter provided, shall have full power to locate the county building thereon.
SEC. 3 .- That the Governor shall appoint and commission three sultable persons, the same being qualilled voters of said county, to be a board of county commissioners for said county, with full power and authority to perform all acts and discharge all duties devolving upon the board of county commissioners of any organized county in this territory. And that he shall also appoint and commission one sheriff, a register of deeds, and two justices of the peace for said county, who shall hold their offices respectively until their successors shall have been duly elected and qualified.
Sec. 4. The said county of Faribault shall be attached to the county of Blue Earth for Judicial purposes.
SEC. 5 .- That at the next general election, the inhabitants of said county shall determine by vote, where the county seat of said county shall be located and all male inhabitants of said county, over the age of twenty-one years, who have acquired an actual residence in said county, shall have the right to vote on the location of said county seat.
SEC. 6-This act shall take effect from and after its passage.
OUR FIRST MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATURE.
This county was first represented in the legislature, after it was named and its boundaries defined in 1855, by Charles E. Flandran, of Traverse d' Sioux, a lawyer, in the council, and by Parsons K. Johnson, of Mankato, a tailor and Aurelius F. De La Vergne, of Le Sueur, a shoemaker, and Geo. A. McLeod, of Traverse d' Sioux, a merchant, in the house of representatives, they appearing as the representatives of the tenth district (of which this county was a part) in the seventh territorial legislature which assembled Jan. uary 2d. 1856.
THE FIRST COUNTY OFFICERS.
In pursuance of the act above mentioned, his excellency, W. A. Gorman, then territorial governor, appointed and commissioned the officers provided for in the act as follows:
For County Commissioners-James B. Wakefield, Chairman; Henry T. Stoddard, Moses Sailor.
For Register of Deeds-Samuel V. Hibler.
For Sheriff-Henry P. Constans.
For Justices of the Peace-George B. Kingsley and Newal Dewey.
The commissions of all these officers bear date Feb. 25th, 1856. They all qualified, except Mr. Dewey, and entered upon the dis- charge of their official duties, which, it should be remarked, were not specially burdensome, nor were the emoluments great. The county was now organized, the county seat located and officers ready for business.
It is true that at the time of the organization of the county, there were not probably more than fifteen voters in the county, nor
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FARIBAULT COUNTY, MINNESOTA1.
was Blue Earth City in existence when the county seat was located there, nor was there any county business to be done, but these were small matters to men of large and liberal views and comprehensive purposes. All these things were to come and these energetic pioneers looking into the future went ahead in these little formal matters to prepare the way.
It is a little remarkable, that no record now exists of any meet- ing of this board of county commissioners during the year 1856. It is well known, however, that the board took no action worthy of historic record.
But to resume the narrative: our pioneers, now four of them, Wakefield, Constans, Hibler and Kingsley, all living in the small cabin, decided that their quarters were too small and uncomfortable and determined at once to build a larger house. This they proceeded to do and, after a week or two of hard work and the assistance of the Sailor boys the result was, "The Elkhorn," erected on the proposed town-site of Blue Earth City. It was the first house on the town- site. The building was constructed of rough logs and was very roomy, being sixteen by twenty-two feet, one story high, large chimney, puncheon floor and one civilized window. As soon as com- pleted they removed into this commodious tenement and it became the general rendezvous, and head quarters of the county for some time.
Spring set in about the middle of March and the snow soon entirely disappeared, but it was still cold, and right about this time we reach in the history of these pioneers, one of those "times that try men's souls." Provisions had run very low and our Sailor friends had also exhausted their store. The weather continued cold-the ice in the streams was breaking up-the waters getting high and traveling was impossible. Day after day even weeks passed but no one came bringing provisions, nor could anyone go after a supply. Starvation stared the company in the face. They were at last reduced to buckwheat "slapjacks," the flour being stirred up with water, and as a rarity occasionally seasoned with ground cinnamon bark. This was the only article of food for some weeks, except that on several occasions some wild game-a squirel or a rabbit- was shot by the nimrods of the party.
And to add greatly to their miseries, their stock of tobacco became entirely exhausted-not a crumb left. Oh for one chew! just one smoke! was the repeated exclamation. Barks and roots were tried but gave no relief-pockets were worn out with the in- voluntary search for the weed and in the silent hours of the night weird dreams came to them of jolly "plugs" of pure "Cavendish," great smoking Meerschaums and Royal Havanas, dancing in the air. How strange that people will subject themselves to such habits!
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During this trying time, however. an event occurred which threw the company into great excitement-a fine fat coon was dis- covered in a tree top, at a short distance! Here now was some- thing of real importance. It had of course to be taken by some means-"they were out of meat." It was one of those great emer. gencies, where presence of mind, steady nerves and skill alone triumph. So the mighty hunter Constans, by far the best marks- man in the party and a dead shot, was deputed to bring down the coon. He approached the game with that silence, stealth and cunning, known only to the skilled hunter. He took deadly aim with a rest, he fired-the coon did not stir. Quickly loading again with great care and circumspection, he shot again but strange to say there were no signs of trouble in that tree top. The coon did not say as Crockets did "I'll come down." And now. alas, it was found that the shot were all exhausted. What was to be done? Our nimrod wore a vest, on which were some round buttons, out came his knife and off came the buttons-this thing was growing serious-no more fooling Mr. Coon. The gun was reloaded heavily. Mr. Constans concentrating his powers, took another deadly aim- fired and down came the coon and down also came the hunter. The gun killed, or nearly so, at both ends. It had kicked him fair on the nose, knocking him over, and that useful organ, being quite prominent, was badly smashed and dilapidated. But they got the coon and had a fat time.
Life in Fairbault county during the times of which we write was not specially attractive and began to hang heavily upon onr pioneers. No amusements-but few neighbors, no mails, nothing to do, except the cooking of their meals and carrying in their wood and water. Their stories had all been told a dozen times, inven- tion even was exhausted, no reading matter but that which had been read and re-read until it had become disgustingly stale. A vocal band was organized and much time spent in singing. Quiet games of cards were played, with no other purpose than to kill time, or as was often the fact to determine definitely who should bring in the next bucket of water, or back in the next load of wood. The last days of the month arrived and with it the occurrence of a great and long hoped for event.
NEW SETTLERS APPEAR.
Wm. M. Scott, Levi Billings Jr., Albert Billings and Zimri Butler, arrived from Iowa at this time, with a load of stores and provisions. Daniel L. Harrington, Levi Billings Sr., with Mrs. Bill- ings and Mrs. Scott, were several days behind, with another load of stores. This latter company, however, had got lost and wandered off to Walnut Lake, and not arriving as expected, a party consisting
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FARIBAULT COUNTY, MINNESOTA.
of J. M. Sailor, Constans, Scott, Albert Billings and Butler, went in search of them. They were found and brought in, except Mr. Bill- ings Sr., after a number of days of terrible suffering from cold and hunger. Mr. Billings Sr., in feeble health and almost blind, when he found that they were lost, had hired an Indian whom they met, to bring him to the forks of the Blue Earth, to get assistance to bring in the others, but the Indian proved treacherous, or ignorant, and they wandered about some days and nights on the prairies, when at last he too arrived at Blue Earth City. A new order of things were now inaugurated. Mr. Billings and family took possession of the old cabin on the north bank of the river, until a new house could be built, while Mr. Scott and wife commenced housekeeping in the "Elkhorn," taking our four pioneers as boarders, the Elkhorn thus becoming the first boarding house in the city.
We must here break the chain of this personal narrative, to re- late, in the order of time, a tragical event.
THE FIRST HOMICIDE-A MYSTERY.
"Blood has been shed ere now i' the olden time, Ere human statute purged the general weal; Ay, and since too murders have been performed Too terrible for the ear."-Shakespeare.
During the month of April. 1856, three young men came to Blue Earth City, remained a short time at the Elkhorn, and then pro- ceeded, by way of H. T. Stoddard's, in Verona, a settler of the pre- ceding year, where they remained several days, to the vicinity of Mapleton.
Their names were J. C. Ackley, a young merchant from Con- necticut, who had come west to Caledonia, in Houston county, in this state, and Frederick Fisher, who had been a clerk in a store at Caledonia for several years, and E. C. Young, a farmer and resi- dent of Houston county for some years. They were looking for land, desiring to take claims. Ackley took a claim somewhere on the Maple river and went to work. Fisher and Young concluded to look further, and, finally, returned to the house of Mr. Stoddard.
After prospecting several days, Young took up a claim about a mile south of Stoddard's, and Fisher found a tract to suit him, about two-and a half miles northwest of Stoddard's, in town one hundred and four, of Range twenty-eight (now Winnebago City township). They boarded with Stoddard, and worked on their claims together, until Young accidentally sprained his right knee, very seriously, and was confined to the house for a week or more. During this time Fisher worked on his claim alone.
On Friday, the day preceding the date of the death of Fisher, while Stoddard's family, including Young and Fisher, were at din-
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ner, a number of Indians came to the house. The company com- prised a few Sioux, several Winnebagos and a half-breed of bad repute. It appears that these Indians, with quite a number of others, had a large camp near Fisher's claim.
While the Indians were staring in at the door and window. dur- ing the dinner, Fisher jokingly made a remark to one of the Indians, which greatly insulted him, but he did not. at the time, seems to specially resent the insult. Fisher went to work on his claim after dinner. About noon of the same day, three white men. named respectively Benson, Humphrey and Sinclair, also came to Stod- dard's, looking for land. They went away in the evening, going as they alleged to their boarding place, Tobias Miller's, just over the line in Blue Earth County, but returned the next Wednesday to Stoddard's, when Stoddard hired Benson and Humphrey, and Young hired Sinclair to work. During the afternoon the Indians returned to their camp.
Fisher returned home in the evening as usual. The next morn- ing. Saturday, May 10th, Fisher, accompanied by one Brace, a boarder at Stoddard's and a claim holder, who was going in the same direction, some distance, started for his claim to split rails, taking his dinner, axe and wedges with him. Fisher did not return in the evening as usual, and after waiting until quite late, Stoddard and H. R. Walker on foot, and Young on horseback, went to Fisher's claim, in search of him, but found no traces of him.
On Sunday morning. they with several others, went out again but found nothing of him, except the beetle and wedges. No rails had been split. It was then evident that Fisher had given up his intention of splitting rails, or that something had happened to him on Saturday morning. It was suggested that he might have gone to Ackley's. for clean clothes, where he and Young had left their cloth- ing. But Fisher not returning on Monday, Young sent his hired man, Sinclair, to Ackley's place, to see if Fisher had been, or was then there. It appeared that he had not been at Ackley's and Ack- ley returned with the messenger to Stoddard's, when another search was made for Fisher, but no further trace of him was found.
The disappearance was unaccountable and foul play began to be suspected. The question arose, naturally, did he have any money with him ? It was known that he had a gold watch. Some persons alleged that he had considerable money, as much as three thousand dollars in gold.
It was even said by some, that he had as much gold as would fill a shot bag. But others, who had the best opportunity of know- ing, said he did not have more than five dollars, if so much, and that Ackley had loaned him some money, at Austin, on their way coming west. Some days passed, but no tidings came of the missing man.
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FARIBAULT COUNTY, MINNESOTA.
The man Benson then took Fisher's claim, on condition, that if Fisher appeared, the claim would be given up to him.
Ten days residence on the land was required by law, at that time, and certain improvements, before title could be perfected. Benson completed the improvements and Fisher still not being heard from, Benson, Ackley and Young proceeded to the United States Land Office, then located at Brownsville, Houston County, in this state, and "proved up" on their several claims. Young ad- vanced the means to pay the Government for Benson's claim. Ben- son, after proving up, sold the land to Young for fifty dollars ad- vance on the cost.
Young remained in Houston county until the last of August, when he returned to Stoddard's' and he became a permanent resi- dent of the county. In the meantime, and about the 10th day of June, or perhaps a little later. Fisher's body was found in a small ravine, on his claim, by Patrick H. Allen. Fisher had been mur- dered. It was plainly evident how it had been done. He had been stabbed twice in the neck-once in the side and once behind- and was thrown into the ravine and covered with dirt and leaves, lightly, and several small willow withes, sharpened at the ends, were bent over him, in the form of a bow, the ends being stuck into the ground.
Mr. Allen immediately reported the finding of the body, when a small burial party, consisting of Mr. Allen, A. D. Mason, H. H. Bigelow, J. Roberts, T. Maxson, N. Dewey, H. T. Stoddard, H. R. Walker, J. M. Stow, the Rev. J. G. Whitford, most of whom were new settlers in the vicinity, repaired to the locality of the body, and buried the remains near by.
It may be stated as a singular fact, that the gold watch, which Fisher owned, was still on his person, but his boots and hat were gone. Col. Samuel McPhail, of Caledonia, was subsequently ap- pointed administrator of the estate of Fisher, and the watch which had been placed in Stoddard's care, was, by order of the adminis- trator, delivered to Young and was sent to Fisher's brother, resid- ing in Rochester, N. Y.
Suspicion attached to several persons, as the perpetrators of this foul murder, but the most careful and impartial investigation but proved that the suspicions could not be correct, and were but the suggestions of mistake, or malice. Within four months after the homicide, a committee of citizens carefully investigated the affair, and some four years afterwards, the grand jury of the county formally inquired into the case, through all the obtainable witnesses to the facts kuown, but neither the committee nor the grand jury could learn anything as to the murderer, or any ac- cessory to, or instigator of the crime.
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Many circumstances connected with this sad affair, indicated that an Indian did the deed, probably the one offended by Fisher. Nearly a score of years have passed away, but notwithstanding the old adage that, "murder will out," yet no further light has ever been thrown upon the horrible crime and the perpetrator will prob. ably never be known, until the great books shall be opened in the last day. The details of this case, have been given, as they were learned from those who knew most about it.
In the spring of 1874, being some years after the above article was written, a statement appeared in the Mankato Review, which was copied into the Blue Earth City Post, that a rumor was cur- rent to the effect that a short time before that date, a man had died. in Colorado, who, just before his death, confessed that he and an- other person had committed the murder of Fisher, at the instiga- tion of a person whom he did not name. Several weeks after the above statement was made, the Review said that it had learned that the person who was alleged to have made the confession and died-Tobias Miller-was alive and well and that "the whole thing proves to be only a sensational story."
In justice to Mr. Miller, it must be said, that there were never any suspicions, in the early days, that he had anything whatever to do with the crime, and no evidence that he was implicated in it has ever appeared since that time.
The incidents attending this great crime are given so fully here, because it was the first known homicide occurring in the county and has always been a great mystery and, lastly, because at least two lives, besides that of poor Fisher, have been wrecked by asper- sions growing out of the event.
And now to resume the story of our pioneers: Good weather had fairly set in, in May. Our company began to prospect the country and make their arrangements for laying off the town and building certain houses, or pre emption shauties, which were neces- sary under the pre-emption laws, to hold the town-site lands.
THE FIRST MAIL SERVICE.
The want of communication with the outside world was severely felt and it was determined to have, among the first things, regular weekly mail service between Blue Earth City and Mankato. The government was applied to and Mr. Kingsley was appointed post master-the first one in the county-and an arrangement was made with one Simon Dow, who had first come into the county, to carry the mail weekly, for a stipulated sum per trip, to be paid out of the receipts of the offices on the route and such additional sum as the settlers might be induced from time to time to contribute. This plan continued in force until late the next year, when the govern-
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FARIBAULT COUNTY, MINNESOTA.
ment assumed the entire business of carrying the mails. The mail was carried on horseback most of the time and this means of com- munication proved a great convenience, as the first mail carrier was a man of a trafficing turn of mind and always returned from Man- kato loaded with coffee, tea, pork, cordials, tobacco and many other small articles of prime necessity. Passengers by this line "footed" it. but had the company of the mail carrier, who occasionally gave the passenger an opportunity to ride. The writer came into the county by this conveyance.
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