Waseca County, Minnesota - Chapter 18, 1905

It is perhaps Avell enough to say here that the plan of this worli is to give the names of all the very early settlers, for a few years, and then, each year, give the events that are deemed of public interest as thej' transpired.

One of those outrages that sometimes stir the indignation of a whole community, whether large or small, occurred early in the summer of 1856. About the first of that loveliest of months in Minnesota, June, two brothers, calling themselves John and William Jaques, came wandering through the county, evidently bent on mischief. They said the.y came from Iowa, and pretended to be in search of government land - something at that time everywhere present in northern Iowa and Southern Minnesota. Upon their first entrance into the county, they camped near A. G. Sutlief 's farm, in "Wilton. They were very inquisitive as to claims. They enquired who had pre-empted? Who claimed more land than the law allowed? Who had claims to sell? Who had lived up to the requirements of the law, and who had not ?

They seemed anxioixs, too, to find out who had horses to sell, what kind of horses they were, what kind of men owned horses, etc. They lost no opportunity to ply their inquisitiveness as they passed along through the settlement. Going thus from house to house, they became acquainted more or less, with the affairs and condition of each settler, from Otisco and Byron to St. Mary. In St. Mary they found, what they supposed to be a fine opening for a display of their innate meanness. As before stated in this history, several of the Krassins and U\o of the Prechels had settled in St. ]\lary, the previous year. Gottlieb Prechel had taken a claim on section thirty -two, adjoining- the reservation then occupied by the Winnebago Indians. In the latter part of the winter of 1855-6, Prechel and the Krassins had proved up and entered their lands, but this was not generally known in the settlement. This Prechel land was about three-fourths of a mile down the river from the old townsite of St. ilary. During the summer of 1855, Prechel had built a comfortable log house, with a thatched roof, and broken about ten acres of prairie. At the time he had crops growing iipon the plowed land and wa.s engaged in fencing it. Owing to the proximity of Indians, and the timidity of his family and himself, he moved into the house with ilartin Krassin, after having entei-ed his land, ilartin's house was on section thirty-four, neai-ly three miles further up the river, iladara Rumor had iuformed these roving Jaques that Prechel was not living on his land and that his claim could be .jumped. "Only a Di^tchman" claimed it; he could be easily driven off; there was a comfortable house ready made; there were breaking and fencing already done ; there were fine timber, pure water, rich prairie; there was a glorious chance to take the product of other people's labor without paying for it, and why not improve their opportunity 1 These men Jaques thought this a fine opening and so moved on to the premises and took possession. Prechel soon became aware of the fact, and proceeded at once to see about the matter. Accompanied by his brother-in-law, ilartin Krassm, he took his team, proceeded to the farm, and commenced cutting and hauling fencing. The two Jaques heard the chopping, soon came out where they were at work, and, with much assumed authority, ordered them off the premises. Krassin and Prechel could neither speak nor understand much of the English language, but tried to make the Jaques understand that^the land belonged to Prechel and that he had paid the government for it. But the :\ressrs. Ja(|ues would not listen, and Avere peremptory in demanding that the Germans sliould leave the claim. Prechel was sonu'what timid, said but little, and desired to retreat; but Jlarliu Krassin, being of a dift'erent make and mind, maintained that he had a better right there than tlie Jaques and ordered them to leave. John Jaques at once commenced an assault upon Martin, and pounded him about the face and head in a most brutal manner. :Martin was badly bruised and, for the time, driven from the land. All the German settlers were aroused and justly indignant at this brutal outrage; they concluded to try what virtue there was in law. There was no lawyer at hand, but, after some study, an affidavit of the facts was made before John Jenkins, Esq., who issued a warrant that was placed in the hands of John G. Greening, then acting constable, for the apprehension of John Jaques. Constable Greening summoned a posse and proceeded to perform his official duty.

]May live to fight another day." The posse then went to a neighbor 's and got sight of him, but he (lid not purpose to be caught. He ran; the constable and posse pursued; they chased him into the LeSueur river, in water shallow, constable on one side, posse on the other; the constable ordered him to surrender; he refused ; the constable drew a pistol, and Jaques a club ; Jaques threw his club at the constable ; the constable shut his eyes and dodged; Jaques jumped past him, got into the woods and escaped. After an unavailing search for John Jaques, the constable arrested Wm. Jaques and brought him before the court. Of course he was not the man and was discharged. They had some property with them and a suit was commenced against them for willful and malicious trespass upon the premises. A lawyer, named McCarthy, who had recently come to St. Mary, was employed to prosecute the cause. "Wm. Jaques was arrested and required to plead to the charge of trespass. Jaques entered a plea of not guilty and plead his own cause. The prosecution made out a clear cause and judgment was rendered against the defendant for treble damages.

John Jaques spent considerable time skulking about the country to avoid arrest ; "William was being troubled with lawsTiits ; finally the twain made up their minds that the people of "Waseca county did not desire their company any longer. In a short time, they packed their personal eii'ects upon their wagons and traveled westward. They settled on the Minnesota river in Brown county, Minnesota, and soon became the terror of that section of country. It was reported more than twenty years ago, that at one time, they were mobbed by the citizens of that section for horse-stealing, and one of them was forced to leave the county for a long time. John Jaques, many years ago, made an incursion into the town of Blooming Grove and stole a span of horses from Patrick J\IcCullough. A warrant was issued for his arrest, but he was never found. His brother, William, was arrested on the same charge and brought to Wilton, where he finally settled with McCuUough for the horses.

What finally became of them is not known, but their exit from this county, after so brief a stay, was highly satisfactory to the whole settlement.

Early in the spring of 1856, ilessrs. Waters and Chamberlain bought the claims made the year before by George and William Robbins, on the east side of the Le Sueur river over against Wilton. They put in a small country store, and made believe that they would start a village in opposition to Wilton, and even went so far as to name their place Waterlynn. They supplied the settlers with groceries and other goods during the summer, but for want of either money or enterprise, or both, they failed to accomplish anything of importance.

The village of Empire - a more extended notice of which is elsewhere given in this work - was started in the summer of 1856, and a number of its prominent citizens took an active part in the local polities of that year.

St. Mary also received its name that summer, and preparations were made by Chamberlain, Bailey & Co. to start a city the next spring. These men had bought out Patrick McCarthy, the original claimant, who gave the locality its name.