Waseca County, Minnesota - Chapter 38, 1905

Chapter 38

At iin e;i,rly date in tin; ses.sion, lie also iiilj'oduced a bill anthorizinff tli(^ villa^(^ (d' Waseca, to issue bonds in the ,snni of ^.l, 000. 00 tor the er'cction ol' a, (^lurt lioiisi^ to he doiuited to tin; county of Waseca, in ease (he county seat should h(! removed troni Wilton to Waseca,.

"It has become almost an axiom in this state that every village or city must bleed or die, and Waseca can not expect to escape entirely the lot of others. In order to obtain the county seat, it will be nec?ssary for this village to offer a bonus to the county. A bill has already passed the legislature authorizing the people to issue bonds for this object.

"Harmony among ourselves is essential to strength, and passion should have no place in the considerations of matters pertaining to local interests. So far as we are able to learn, it is generally conceded that the county seat will be removed to this place, this fall, by a large majority.

"It is much better for the farmers of this county to settle this question now, than to have it hanging in the balance of uncertainty for several years to come, with the certainty of its removal to this place eventually."

On the 7th of ]\Iareh, 1S70, the board of trustees of the villa ue of "Waseca ordered a special election for the voters of the village to be held at Bennett's hall on the 19th day of ilareh to vote upon the proposition to issue the bonds of said village in the sum of ^."i. 000. on. bearing interest at the rate of 1'2 per cent, for the purpose of erecting county buildings in said village for the use of the county of AVascea, as authorized by an act of the legislatiire approved February 24, 1S70. The resolutions to be voted upon n-ad as follows:

"Resolved, that bonds of the village of Waseca, with interest coupons attached, be issued for the purpose named In the act, in the sum of $5,i>iio, bearing annual interest at the rate of 12 per cent, per annum.

"That the denominations of said bonds, and the time or times when the same shall be payable, be such as the board of trustees may hereafter direct, provided that no bond shall be issued running more than 10 years from the date thereof: and the faith and credit of the village are pledged to the punctual payment of the interest and principal of said bonds."

Minneapolis And St. Louis Railway

During the early months of this year thi> question of the building of the Western railroad, now known as the AI. i^ St. L. rail- )-oad, was very thoroughly discuss(>(l. At that time the writer in the Waseca News said: and anything that they can do to assist in its early completion will be cheerfully done. The city of ilinneapolis by a vote of its people has decided to issue bonds to aid in the construction of the road to the amount of $300,000.00. The business men of that city have also subscribed $100,000.00, making a total of $400,000.00 from Minneapolis. The whole stretch of country through which this road will pass is unsurpassed In richness and fertility of soil, and is as densely populated by thrifty farmers as any. portion of the state. By means of this road, Minneapolis, with her large flouring mills and manufacturing establishments, may command a larger trade than any other city in the state, and we are glad that the people of that city so view it. Take, for instance, the matter of pine lumber, the villages along this road can get lumber transported from Minneapolis to Owatonna, for $16.00 per car load, but from there to Waseca, a distance of 15 miles, we must pay $20.00 a car load, virtually driving the Minneapolis lumber from our market, and, for that matter, driving our lumber dealers out of business. Besides, the wheat market is far behind what it would be if this north and south railroad were built.

In connection with this railroad matter, the citizens of Waseca met at Bennett's hall, :\Iarch 11, 1870. H. P. Norton was called to the chair and Esquire Bennett was chosen secretary. Hon. S. B. WiUiams stated the object of the meeting, and made some remarks upon the great importance of the road to this locality. Short speeches were also made by Messrs. Latham, Brownell, Lewis, Bennett and others. Messrs. Williams, Everett, and Trowbridge were appointed a committee to confer with the officers of the railroad company in regard to the location and building of the road. :Mr. Latham then offered the following resolution which was unanimously adopted :

"Resolved, that we, the citizens of the village of Waseca, consider that this railway, running from Minneapolis to Albert Lea, through this village will be of great benefit to us, and we are willing to do everything in our power to further the interests of said road."

The Then New Court House

THE THEN NEW COURT HOUSE. The contract for building the court house was let to ]\Iarble & Dresser of Owatonna early in the spring, and the management of the business, at the election of :May 3rd, was somewhat in issue. Wm. Everett and S. B. Williams were elected trustees, who, with H. P. Norton, elected in 1869, constituted the board of trustees for the ensuing year. At the first meeting of the trustees, after election, it was "Resolved, that the bonds of the village, (to be) issued for the building of county buildings, be issued so as to be payable, one thousand dollars in three years, and one thousand dollars in each year thereafter until the whole $5,000 shall become payable, and that they be issued in denominations of not more than $1,000, nor less than $100 each." The same day the board issued "Bond No. 1" due three years after date, for $1,000, bearing interest at 12 per cent. Bond No. 2, for $500, due four years from date, and bond No. 3 for $500, due in five years, with coupons attached, were issued to Marble & Dresser, of Owatonna, who had entered into contract to construct the court house for $5,000. But before the bonds were delivered. Bond No. 1 was surrendered or rescinded and bonds numbered i and 5, for $500 each, were issued in lieu thereof, ilay 10, 1870. At the same time, bonds numbered 6 and 7, for $500 each, were issued to the same persons. On July 1, the third installment of bonds was issued - the same being bonds numbered S and 9 for $500 each. On July 12, the court house being completed, the last two bonds were issued, the same being for $500 each, and due in seven years from the date thereof.

Drowning Of W. B. Morris

ilr. ilorris was one of the early settlers of Alton township and an energetic, enterprising citizen, highly respected by all who knew him. He was drowned 'Mny 25, 1870. It was a time of high water and he attempted to swim his horse across the Le Sueur river, near IMr. ilarkham's place. But when the horse reached the north bank and attempted to ascend it, he fell back into the boiling flood, throwing Mr. ilorris into the stream, where he soon drowned. He was an upright man, and his loss was deeply felt. His widow, a highly I'espected lady, still resides on the farm at this writing, 1904.

Attempted Hanging Bee

There was great excitement in the cmmty about the first of June, 1870, in regard to horse-stealing. Two hoi-se thieves from ^Yinneshiek county, Iowa, had been traced through this county and "rounded up" at Waterville, where two of the horses were also found. Many of the people of the county suspected that "Date" Smith and Frank Waters were connected with the gang of horse thieves which operated in Iowa and Minnesota. It was of frequent occurrence pinor to that time for men with stolen horses to congregate in Waterville where for many years these two men resided. But at the time we speak of, "Date" Smith and family had resided in Waseca for about a year. At the time of the arrest of the two thieves from Iowa, near Waterville, both these men fell under suspicion, and a large number of farmers from the northern and western portions of the county got together in a body and visited Waseca with the avowed intention of hanging Smith and Waters to the nearest tree or telegraph pole. Whether the crowd really intended to hang them, or only to give them a scare, has never been determined to this day. But certain it is the crowd caught both men and took them out on the railroad track, near the old round house, east of the depot, and had rope enough to hang half a dozen men. James E. Child was at the time justice of the peace and knew nothing of the mobbing until a lady friend of Mrs. Smith went to him with much anxiety and implored that he do what he could to save the men - especially Smith. Mr. Child did not find it an easy matter to get citizens to face the mob and release the prisoners ; but he finally secured the volunteer assistance of H. A. :\Iosher, M. H. Helms, Asa Mosher, C. A. Wright and Henry Willyard, and proceeded to the place where the crowd had assembled. Without saying a word, these men elbowed their way through the excited crowd until they reached the accused men who were entirely surrounded. Mr. Child, as justice of the peace, then ordered the crowd, in the name of the state of Minnesota, to fall back and allow the men to pass out. The crowd at once fell into a hubbub, some being in favor of law and order, and others demanding that the men should be hanged. One farmer of giant frame, flashing black eyes, and a fog-horn voice, said: "We ought to hang the whole

The rescuers, without parleying or awaiting the action of the excited masses, at once pushed through the crowd with the trembling men to Second street, thence down Second street to what was then the Vincent hotel, where Smith and Waters were rushed upstairs, and guards placed at every door and stairway. Mr. Child, as justice of the peace, warned the excited crowd that any man that should attempt to force an entrance or that should aid and assist in disturbing the peace, would be arrested and punished to the full extent of the law. He appealed to their love of law and good order and implored them to disperse and resort only to lawful means for the punishment of crime. Every man of the rescuers presented a bold front, and the excited crowd soon discovered that Smith and Waters would not be given up without a struggle in which some men M^ould get hurt. The cooler heads and more reasonable ones in the crowd soon prevailed upon their companions to disperse. It certainh^ was a time of much excitement, and had the men been armed with guns or revolvers, there might have been very serious results. As it was, about a half-dozen determined men prevented what might have been a double murder. Smith and "Waters, although the latter indulged in some drunken bravado the next day when there was no danger, undoubtedly realized the seriousness of the situation. Smith sold his property here, and both he and Waters soon after left this portion of the state. This episode, too, served the purpose, no doubt, of frightening thieves from this section; for it was generally believed that there would be a hanging bee should any more horse thieves venture this way for some time to come.

Fourth Of July

Waseca celebrated the Fourth of July, 1870, in a formal and enthusiastic manner. It was then considered the great day of days in this republic. It was seldom that a Fourth of July passed without appropriate public exercises during which the great, underlying principles of the equal and inalienable rights of all men to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness were rehearsed and emphasized. This year, Hon. Gordon E. Cole, of Faribault, delivered a very able address.

The First Bank Robbery

After the Baldwin-Kittredge bank failure of Jan. 29. 1869, Kinyon Bros., of Owatonna, opened a liank in Waseca. On the '24t\\ of August, 1870, some burglars broke into the bank, lilew open the safe by means of gunpowder, and stole the sum of $:l()00 in cash, besides valuable papers. They left, as mementos of their visit!

a linen coat, some whisky in a bottle obtained from a druggist, a piece of bologna sausage, and a variety of tools used in their burglarious operations.

Sheriff Toher, of Steele county, with D. L. Whipple, who was sheriff of this county, orgMnized a detective force and soon found one of the burglars, tracking him to St. Peter, and back to Alankato, thence to Janesville, and back through Waseca, to Owatonna. The evidence upon the examination disclosed the following facts in connection with the arrest of John T. Howard, alias Thomas Gale, charged with the robbery of the bank :

He first came to the Arnold House, at Owatonna, on Sunday evening, August 21, and remained over night. The next morning he left, and returned in the evening with a span of horses which he put into Hastings' livery stable. On the next Tuesday morning, by depositing $200 with Mr. Hastings, he obtained a team and carriage and drove to Waseca, arriving here about 10 o'clock in the forenoon. He got a ten dollar bill changed at Kinyon's bank, reconnoitering the premises, and then drove on to Janesville, arriving at the Baldwin House about noon, where he took dinner. The same evening he arrived at ^lankato and put up at the Clifton House. He ordered his team to be ready the next morning at four o'clock. In accordance with this order the team was i-i^-ady, but the acf'us(;d man was not there. After waiting half an hour, the team was again put into the stable and fed. About this time Howard came to the barn consideialily out of breath, with perspiration on his face, as though he had been exercising violently. He then remained until after the early breakfast, and finally started away at 5.30 alone. About 10 o'clock in the forenoon of Wednesday he ajiain appeared in Janesville, in company with another man designated as the "gray -bearded man." The two drove to the ex[)ress office, and the latter took a valise into the office and expressed it to one Hubbard, of ()saf;e, Iowa. They then went to the Baldwin House and took dinner - the oijiybearded man paying the whole bill. They left Janesville about noon together, and were next seen and noticed by Mrs. Julius Ulrich and Mrs. Pat. Mc(.'arthy, of St. :\Iary, a few miles west of Waseca, with another stranger, there bein^ three in the carriage when the women saw them. Dr. Brubaker saw them the same afternoon near W. II. Gray's farm, about a mile west from "Waseca. A short time after this, ]\Ir. Ed. Bennett saw the team, with Howard alone, pass his slaughter house, west of town, coming towards Waseca. Howard was next seen hy ]Mr. Terwilliger near Clear Lake, gong towards (;)watonna with the Hastings team, which was well known to many of our people. Soon after passing Mr. Terwilliger, he was seen to stop near the Woodville cemetery, and a man came up to the Iniggy. Howard was next seen at Owatonna that evening, where he delivered the team and put up at the Arnold House. He went to bed about 8 o'clock, remarking that he was very tired.

That night the bank at Waseca was robbed ; and the next morning about 5 o'clock, he was seen on the sidewalk near the Arnold House. About one o 'clock in the afternoon he was arrested on suspicion and searched by Sheriff Toher. who found upon his person about $230.00, in cash, some pistol cartridges and some other minor articles. In his satchel was found a book descriptive of banks and safes, a revolver, and a jieculiar cap. Shortly after this arrest, Toher went to Dubuque in pursuit of the valise which had been expi'essed from Janesville to Osage, Iowa. On opening it, he found a kit of burglar tools, a very sti-ong and peculiar brace, two bits or drills for boring steel or iron, a steel pimch, two steel wedges of peculiar shajie, some powder, a coil of fuse, a cap similar to the one found in Howard's satchel, and a peculiar instrument for fastening to and turning a door key from the outside when the door is locked and the key left inside in the lock.

Some of the paper wrapped around the bits in the valise corresponded in quality and color with pieces of paper found in the bank in Waseca the next morning after the robbery. The two steel wedges found in the valise corresponded exactly with the two wedges left in the Kinyon bank by the burglars. Experts testified that they must all have been made by the same man about the same time, aiul, probably, from the same bar of steel. He was examined before a justice of the peace, and held to await the action of the grand ,iury.

Afterwards two other men wei'c arrested, and Howard, to save himself iVom stale prison, turned state's evidence and sent an old man and one other to the penitentiary, his only punishment being about one year in the county jail awaiting trial. He was an accomplished scoundrel and liar, and ought to have been sent to prison for at least ten years.

County Seat Contest Of 1870

The year 1870 was one of the most exciting, in a political way, of any in the history of the county since 1857, when the county seat question was first voted upon. As heretofore stated, Waseca built a court house early in the season, at a cost of $5,000. The Wilton advocates, for some time, contended that the offer of the court house, by Waseca, was a fraud ; but this contention was not successful before the people, and the managers at Wilton themselves, at last, pretended to make an offer of $5,000 inbonds for the building of a new court house, provided the people of the county should vote to retain the county seat at that place. But as there was no authority in law for the issue of such bonds, the people gave no heed to their offer.

As the season advanced, the canvass for the removal of the county seat increased in interest and intensity. Waseca, as never since, stood solidly together, shoulder to shoulder, and worked most effectively. Every man in the county was "sounded" and for some time prior to election day, the work for tuat day was planned, and every man was alloted his position in the ranks of the workers. Two men were sent to every polling place in the county on election day, to work for Waseca, and especially to bring in, as soon as possible, on the night of election, the exact returns of the vote cast on that question. The writer well remembers the day. He, in company with Mr. John Grain, then a blacksmith of Waseca, was detailed to attend the polls in the town of Byron. Each man at Waseca voted early and started for the several stations assigned. A few days before election there had been several days of heavy rain storm which closed with a very light fall of snow and freezing weather. The day was co3d and the roads very rough. We could drive only on the walk, and much of the way a slow walk at that. The election that year, in Byron, was held in a small house, in the western part of the township, near the Christy McGrath place. The polls were held open until a late hour, and the canvassers seemed provokingly slow in counting the ballots ; but as soon as we had the figures we started for Waseca, arriving about 11 o'clock that night. Only one town more was then to be heard from (Vivian) and every man in Waseca then knew that the county seat contest had been decided in favor of Waseca.

Those who had faced the storm and cold of the day and been jolted over thirty miles of rough, frozen road, were excused from further service, but there was a select company of "secret service men" that had been chosen to carry out the will of the people by an actual removal of the property and of the offices of the county from Wilton to Waseca before daylight the next morning. And sure enough at daybreak, the sound of music by the cornet band, the huzzas of the people, and the shouting of boys announced the arrival of the register of deeds and his office furniture, the clerk of the district court and his office records, and the county treasurer with the furniture and books of his office. The county auditor and others came over during the morning, and before noon, the day after election, the county seat was fully established and the officers all doing business at the new court house. The Waseca News announced the arrival of the offices the next day after the election and said :

"The thing 'is did." That big lawsuit over the removal of the county seat will he held at Waseca - when it comes off. Any one having business at the county seat will find the 'machine' in full blast at the court house. The struggle is over. The billing and cooing, the coaxing and hiring, the drinking and treating, the threatening and flattering, the work and excitement on both sides are at an end. The question is settled - forever settled. The matter has been thoroughly discussed and fairly understood, and the result is the untrammeled voice of the people. Politics is over, too, for this year, and now let us bury the hatchet, renew personal friendships, and devote our energies and strength to the building up of our material interests and to the cultivation of fraternal feelings and good fellowship."

United States Census

The United States census was taken during the months of June and July this year. Tlie north half of the C(nuity was enumerated by James E. Child, and the south half liy S. J. Willis. The following statement was published at that time. The increase in population was sliown by the following figures :

These figures show an annual increase from 1865 to 1870 of 614. Comparing the wealth of the county, the result was equally satisfaetoi-y. The amount of wheat produced in 1864 was 61,050 lin.shels; while the product of 1869 reached 393,811 bushels. In connection with this subject, we find that 28,000 bushels of wheat were marketed in "Waseca during the month of August, and 28,136 bushels in the month of September, for which the farmers received $41,947.00.

The first county fair was held in Waseca, at the new court house, October 6 and 7. Among the exhibitors that drew pr(-- miums, the following names appear : J. W. Hosmer, of Janesville, finest honey; Islrs. B. F. Weed and ilrs. R. R. Howard, then of AA'ilton, fine dairy butter; Daniel Pierce, then of Freedom, apples and vegetables; Hon. Joseph ilinges, of Otisco, and Hon. Wm. Brisbane, of Wilton, best potatoes; R. R. Howard, of Wilton, fine Chester White swine . The display of horses was quite large while the number of cattle was small in comparison. The JMisses Gallagher, Riegel and Landers displayed much skill in horseback riding on the race course. In classes A and B, horses, Ole Everson, J. A. Wheeler, A. Dewing, W. H. Young, S. 8. Phelps, Wm. Byron, Jas. A. Root, W. L. Wheeler, H. Vincent, Henry Behne, Albert Remund and P. 0. Houg received premiums. In class C, cattle, ilartin Hackett, Patrick Healey, R. ]M. IVIiddaugh, S. H. Talbut, and C. W. Hensel were the premium takers. In class D, sheep, swine and fowls, the lucky ones were J. A. Claghorn, Peter Eckert, Patrick Healy, J. A. Root, J. G. Greening and R. R. Howard. In class E, there were twenty entries and those who won prizes were Daniel Semple, Daniel Pierce, E. Cr. Wood, and J. Erno. Class F, vegetables, ten entries, gave premiums to Patrick ]\IcDermott, Wm. Brisbane,

Daniel Pierce, S. H. Talbut, J. W. Altenburg, and Jas. A. Root. In class G, B. F. Weed got the premium on sorghum syrup, and John Buckhout on flour. Among the other premium takers appear the names of Valentine Butsch, G. A. Roland, A. Wert, jMrs. O. Powell, JMrs. M. S. Gove, Mrs. G. P. Johnson and 'Mva. Myrick.

He dwelt upon the wholesome and honorable calling of the farmer, and eloquently urged the importance of a more liberal education for farmers' sons and daughters, and especially in regard to their own calling. He said the trouble was that too many persons were farming who knew little or nothing of the business. Farms were poorly cultivated - machinery was allowed to rust and rot - cattle died for want of proper food and care, and in many ways farmers lost money and time, more becaiTse they did not understand the business than for any other cause.

The Granger Movement

It was during this year, 1870, that heavy railroad extortions had called forth a strong protest from the farmers of the coimtry as well as from every justice-loving citizen. The cost of shipping a bushel of wheat from Waseca to Chicago was then from 25 to 30 cents. Discriminations of the most outrageous character M-ere practiced throughout the West. The doctrine of government control was stoutly and strenuously denied by all the railroad corporations, their agents, attorneys and hireling editors, and especially by their dupes all over the country. On the other hand, intelligent and independent attorneys and editors, and intelligent and independent men of common sense in all callings claimed that the state, the government, had the right and the power to fix reasonable rates of transportation for passengei's and commodities. This issue, for the time, overshadowed all others, notwithstanding the efforts of corporations, then as now, to prevent tlu' question from becoming a party issue. The daily papers of both parties, all over the country, were employed 1o denounce the true friends of the masses as "demagogues," "iguorannises," "fanatics," "blatherskites," "socialists'" and "anarchists." The corporations even tried to enlist the efforts of priesthood to break up the grange organizations and, in some localities, succeeded to some extent. Nevertheless, the work of education and organization went forward rapidly in this section, and the Grange became a great, non-partisan, political power that finally gave the country what was known as the "Grange laws," and forced into the courts the question of the right and the power of the government to control the railroads. The supreme courts of the states and the nation decided in favor of the people, and it was learned, among men capable of learning, that the "demagogues," "ignoramuses," "socialists," "anarchists ' ' and ' ' fanatics ' ' knew more about law and fundamental rights of man and property than all the corporations with their paid attorneys, their agents, their boodlers and their hireling editors. And yet there are mullet heads to-day that will tell us that to regulate the transportation rates on railroads so that every person and every locality shall enjoy just and equal rates would destroy the railroads and bring anarchy to the whole country. What fools we mortals are in this world!

It was in this year that a Grange was organized in almost every neighborhood in the county. There was one in Waseca. But, as it does in all great and popular organizations, the spirit of rivalry and jealousy crept in. Men of small calibre, little intelligence, and narrow jealousy sowed the seeds of discord by. insisting that none but actual farmers - men who tilled the soil with their own hands - should be members. This narrow view of the organization drove from it much of the intelligence necessary to direct any movement successfully. This, together with the fact that I. Donnelly managed to disrupt it for his own personal ends, soon destroyed one of the best and most useful educational agencies ever introduced into our farming communities. The organization still lingers in some places, but its power for good is broken.

Hon. G. K. Davis was nominated and elected by Granger sentiment; a law to control rates was enacted the first year of his administration; the next year the railroads secured control of the legislature and repealed the law. And the singular part of it all was that the very men who would be the most benefited by the government control of roads were the mullet-heads in the community to vote with the corporations. No wonder that Gush Davis, when the law was repealed, exclaimed - "I am sick of the people. They desert their best friends. I am done with them. As soon as I am through with this governor business I shall go back to my office and my law books. As Vanderbilt said, 'the people be damned,' for they don't appreciate honest, self-sacriflcins' men who work to save them from the slavery of modern feudalism."

Fall Election Of 1870

FALL ELECTION OF 1870. Party lines were loosely drawn at that time. ^Nlajor AVm. C. Young, Republican candidate for senator, received a majority of 402 over James Jones, his opponent ; Hon. Wm. Brisbane, Democratic candidate for representative, received 233 majority over ilr. S. C. Dow, his opponent, who was a very good citizen and a Republican; E. Cronkhite, Democratic candidate for auditor, was elected over Fred. Kittredge, Republican, by a majority of 324. The democrats elected Wni. Lee, of Iosco, and H. G. Mosher, of Otisco, county commissioners. The majority in favor of the removal of the county seat to AVaseca was 215.

Short Notes Of 1870

On June 2, 1870, under the auspices of the Farmers' club of Blooming Grove, the first monthly fair was held in Waseca. The fairs were held on the first Thursday of each month, a few times, but were finally discontinued.

On July 29, 1870, the village board of AYaseea made a deed of the then new court house to the county of Waseca, to liecome absolute upon the removal of the seat of jiistice from Wilton to Waseca.

AVhitney L. Wheeler, about foi-ty-eiglit years of age and one of the very early settlers of the county, died November 4, 1870, after a somewhat s(>vere illness. He and his family settled first in St. iMary, afterwiirds moving into Wilton. He was a staunch, prominent republican, who was active in every campaign. He wa.s the owner of simie valualile horses and practiced as a veter- inary surgeon. At the time of his death he was treasurer and captain of riders of the Waseca County Horse-thief Detectives. The society at its next meeting passed resolutions to his memory, commending him for his "zeal, efficiency, capability and honesty."

The year 1870, on the whole, had been one of prosperous conditions for the county. The weather had been mild. There was a heavy snow storm on the 14th, 15th and 16th of March, the snow remaining until the last days of the month. Seeding commenced about April 8. The last three days of Jime were excessively warm and closed with a cyclonic storm of not very heavy proportions. A similar storm of July 19, was much heavier and more severe, especially southwest of this county. In this county much of the grain was injured, and some light buildings were imroofed, but there was no wide-spread damage or fatalities.

The season had been reasonably productive, and the fall Aveather was the finest in the history of the state, before or since. Our grand, salubrious, and charmingly beautiful Indian summer continued long into December, and gave the farming community ample time to clean up all the fall work. In the Waseca News of December 6, appeared the following :

"Plowing and grading in DecemlDer! Was there ever before anything lilte the present weather in Minnesota? So warm, so mild, so pleasant! From our office window we notice several plows running on the farms adjoining this village. At this date, December 3, men are engaged in plowing and grading Lake Avenue, east from our office. Just think of it, away up here in Minnesota, men plowing with their coats off - houses being built and plastered - house plants growing in the open air - all in the state of Minnesota, during the month of December. Is this the result of building the Pacific railroad, or of removing the county seat?"

The first hard freezing of the ground was Dec. 18th, and the first heavy snow storm of the season was on Christmas day. The year closed with a "Merry Christmas," followed by a "Happy New Year."

Last Session Of Officials At Wilton

Powell, John Buckhout, and R. F. .Stevens, held their last session at Wilton Sept. 10, and their first session in Waseca Nov. 17, at the new court house.