Waseca County, Minnesota - Chapter 41, 1905

Visits Scotland

THE NEW YEAR - THE GREAT BLIZZARD - MANY PERISH - GREAT LOSSES - THE MURDER OF MRS. BUSER AND CHILD AND THE SUICIDE OP ANTON RUF - SIXTY-EIGHT DAYS IN A SNOW DRIFT - PATRONS OF HUSBANDRY - ACCIDENTALLY SHOT - CHAMPION BASEBALL TEAM - BIG SNOW STORM OCT. 24 - THE ELECTION - RAILROAD DISCRIMINATIONS - THE PANIC OF 1873 AND ITS CAUSES - DEATHS AND ACCIDENTS - HON. WM. BRISBANE VISITS SCOTLAND.

The New Year's Day of 1873 was very fine indeed. After the terribly cold week about Christmas time the simny, pleasant ushering in of the new year was very acceptable. The Waseca News of that day contained the following:

"The old year, with its hardships, wrongs, crimes, wickedness; with its joys, pleasures, successes, advancement, and plenteous harvests, passed into historical eternity last night. To-day we commence anew.

"Has the experience of the past given us brighter hopes of the future? Life is what we make it. Each can help to make it a heaven or a hell. Each Individual must advance. No one can stand still. One's progress is either for better or worse. To-day many will degrade their manhood and disgrace their families. Many a father will set a bad example before his sons. On the other hand, many sons and daughters will commence the new year in a manly, womanly, and sensible way. They will not get drunk themselves nor give drunkenness to their friends. The 'coming man and woman' will not drink wine nor any other intoxicating beverage.

"How many of our readers will to-day resolve to inaugurate a new fashion, one which shall do away with the damning effects of the barbarous, useless, and expensive custom of tippling? Let the wealthy and those high in office set an example worthy of imitation. Wishing our

County Commissioners

The county commission(_'rs this year met on the 7th of January and organized by electing Sir. 0. Powell chairman for the third time. Little business outside of the ordinary routine was transacted.

The county auditor was directed to procure field notes of surveys and meanders from the surveyor general. The auditor was also "authorized to record in the road calendar the plats, field notes, and road orders of all county and state roads in "Waseca eoimty legally laid out during the last five years, and to employ an assistant to do the work, if necessary.''

Storm On The 7Th And 8Th

The 7th of Januai'y opened warm and pleasant. In the afternoon the wind cajiie strong from the northwest and before dark a blinding snow storm raged over the whole of ^ilinnesota. It continued through the night and during the followinti- two days and nights. The cold was rather severe and a number of people in the state lost their lives. Seventy persons were reported frozen to death in the entire state, and thirty-one badly injured by frost. The loss of live stock in the state Avas reported as follows: horned cattle 2')0, horses 25, shee[) and hogs 10, mules 3. No doubt the loss of stock was larger than was i-eported.

"A man named Avon Aleckson was chopping in the woods near Lake Watkins, in Woodville, Tuesday. When the storm came on he started for home, got lost, was out all night and all the next day, till near evening, before he found a house. His feet were so badly frozen that they are black, and it is feared they must be amputated. Otherwise he was not badly frozen. But the poor sufferer was so weakened by exposure that he died some three weeks later of hemorrhage of the lungs.

"Mr. J. G. Greening, of Otisco, who came from Blue Earth City, last Friday, informs us that a Mrs, Suitz, living near Wisners Grove. Faribault county, was found dead after the storm, about half a mile from her house. It appears that her husband went to Delavan that morning, and that the woman let one of her children go to a neighbor's house. When the storm came on she went to her neighbor's place to get the child, leaving her other child in the house. The neighbor prevailed upon her to return, bring her other child and remain over night. The poor woman started for her home, lost her way in the blinding storm and perished. The child left at home - about three years of age - was found in bed alive."

Mr. James Ivers, of Byron, lost fifteen sheep out of twentythree. J\Ir. Bevans of the same town lost an ox. Mr. Mayne, of AVilton, also lost an ox. Several head of cattle perished on H. J. AVadsworth's farm in "Wilton.

Mr. Rodney Hanks, then a resident of Vivian, was returning home from Janesville on the afternoon of the 7th, with a span of mules. He had great confidence in his mules, and believing that they would take him home in due time, gave them their o^vn way. They finally got tired of tramping snow and stopped short on the prairie, refusing to go further in such a storm. Mr. Hanks had on a small load of wood which he piled up on the windward side as a protection, and turned his wagon box bottom side up as a protection. Here he sheltered himself as best he could from the howling, pitiless storm until Friday morning, when he made his way home. Although considerably frosted he was not permanently injured. But the wonder is that the man and the mules did not all perish.

"When the cold wind blows, take care of your nose, that it doesn't get froze, and wrap up your toes in warm woolen hose.' The above, we suppose, was written in prose by some one who knows the effect of cold snows, and the further this goes, the longer it grows, each telling what he knows about writing in prose, when it snows and it blows, as it so often does." - Ex.

"Ere the ditty we close we must tell of our Mose, who indignantly rose, and proceeded to expose the substance of our woes, where the Mississip' flows. He positively knows that the river is froze, without regard to zero's from its head to its toes."

" 'Pat' don't propose to favor those who read this prose with what he knows of wind and snows, and frosted toes, and tattered clothes, and all the woes that follow those who won't repose at home and doze when it snows and blows."

A Bloody Tragedy

fatal Monday morning, Anton Ruf, residing in the eastern part of Woodville, deliberately murdered Mrs. Alexander Buser and her youngest child, evidently with Mrs. Buser 's connivance and consent. The evidence showed that he first cut the child's throat, then killed the woman and laid the lifeless form of the infant upon its mother's arm on the bed. Ruf then cut his own throat and lay down beside them, but, in his death agony, turned over and fell upon the floor face downward. A large butcher knife had evidently been sharpened for the occasion as such a knife was found near the bed.

The history of this affair if fully written, would fill many pages and rival the awful stories of the romances of the last century. The facts are revolting enough and are given here as they were brought out at the time of the awful tragedy.

Anton Ruf, a German by birth and a single man, several .vears before the tragedy, bought a piece of land in the eastern part of Woodville, and erected a house. IK- then wrote to an acquaintance in Wisconsin, ]Mr. Alexander Buser, a married man, and invited him to come with his family and live with him. ilr. Buser accepted the invitation, and came on from Wisconsin in April, 1869, bringing Avith him his wife and three children. Islr. Buser bought a half interest in the farm and moved into the house with Ruf. For a time matters went along smoothly, but after a few months, Mr. Buser suspected that ilrs. Buser was at least dividing affections with Mr. Ruf. Quarreling ensued, and matters went from bad to worse until in October 1871, Buser attempted to expel Ruf from the house. A fight ensued in which Buser came out second best and was driven away entirely. Ruf and ]\lrs. Buser remained on the premises, and, so far as known, lived agreeably together, the children remaining with them, until district court convened Feb. 11, 1873. At this term of court, information was placed l)efore the grand jury accusing the parties of criminal intimacy. The AYaseca News of February 19 and 26 contained substantially the following acooimt of the bloody tragedy :

"The history of the affair, as near as we can learn is as follows; Mr. Alexander Buser, lawful husband of the woman, moved into the house with Anton Ruf, a single man, in April, 1869. Mr. and Mrs. Buser had three children at that time, two boys and a girl; the eldest, n boy, being about thirteen years of age at the time of the murder. A fourth child was born to the woman about two years before the tragedy. In October, 1871, as Mr. Buser claims, he was driven away by Ruf, and after this time the latter and Mrs. Buser lived together in undisputed possession of the premises, the children remaining with them.

"On the morning of the fatal day, when the children started for school, the mother told them that she was going to Waseca. The children remained at school throughout the day, and when they returned home in the evening, found the door fastened. Supposing that their mother had not yet returned from Waseca, they went to the house of Mr. Michael Spillane, Sen., about a quarter of a mile away, and remained over night. The following morning, the elder boy and T. Tynen, another lad, went to the Ruf house, and, finding the door fastened, looked in at the window when they saw Ruf lying on the floor, covered with blood, dead. These boys, frightened at the awful sight, hurried back to Mr. Spillane's place and got Michael Spillane, Jr., to go over to the house with them. Messrs. Waldo and Whitman also visited the house but no one broke open the door or entered the house at the time. One of the Spillane boys then drove to Waseca and notified the coroner. Dr. Mcintosh, who summoned a jury and proceeded to the house where they found the woman and her youngest child dead on the bed, with their throats cut square across, and Ruf dead, lying upon the floor with his throat also cut across almost from ear to ear. The bed and the room presented a horribly bloody appearance.

"It appeared that the triple murder was committed with the utmost deliberation. Both Ruf and Mrs. Buser wrote letters which they left upon the table in the room.

"These letters showed some sentimental affection between the two, and accused others of their troubles. Neither one seemed to realize the moral depravity of the two as exemplified in their lives.

"Dear Mine: - Hear the last painful cry of your friend! By the time you receive this I shall be before the Heavenly Judge. He may judge me. I was hounded to death. I got one to ask Alexander (Buser) to save me. He did it not. I will not go to state prison.

"I pray you to make it possible to get my poor, dear Mina to you. I beg you to do it. You know that I wept when she was born, and that I had a sad presentiment of something bad. O, my time is short. I suffer agonies for my children which are terrible. Judge not. You know that I love my children, that I would do so longer, but circumstances do not leave me in condition to do so.

"Farewell, poor children. Your father ought to have saved me, but he could not or would not do it. You, my dear, dear Mina, follow your mother as soon as you can. The world is a hard place.

On the same page, in Ruf's handwriting was the following: "Dear Anna has fully determined to die rather than be dragged before a court, together with those horrible folks, and afterwards to be ridiculed and despised."

and Alexander Buser. They wanted to hound Ruf to death. I follow him of my own free will that the world may see that our affection for each other was no misdemeanor (kein unfug.) All of you together shall not triumph. (Signed) "Anna Ritter."

"No one parts love save Death. I wanted to take Mina along too. A few words of sympathy would have saved the mother and her child from being murdered. I waited till 12 o'clock noon."

To make the letters and writing m^re intelligible in some respects it is proper to state that Ruf and the woman had been informed that their past conduct was being investigated by the grand jury. This information no doubt alarmed them. On Saturday Ruf visited AVaseca and conferred with an attorney. It appears that his attorney made a written proposition to Buser, who was then in the neighborhood, asking him to consent to a divorce. Ruf and the woman probjibly expected that Buser, if willing to consent to a divorce, would write or call immediately and let them know his intention. i\.s they received no word from him, they no doubl believed that they would be arrested and sent to prison.

most shocking and horrible. The child's head was nearly severed from the body at one stroke of the knife. The woman received a severe gash across both shoulders and the throat - probably from one powerful blow. It was evident that Ruf drew the knife twice across his own throat.

"Two fat hogs belonging to Wm. Bevans, of Byron, that were lost during the snow storm of Jan. 7th, last, were found alive and healthy on the 14th inst., in a snow drift adjoining a straw stack. Sixty-eight days under a snow drift and yet alive is doing pretty well. Messrs. Garmody and Covell, of Wilton, who are responsible for this information, remarked that it was the 'cheapest way in the world to winter hogs.' "

The Patrons Of Husbandry

This organization, which had been at work for several years among the farmers of the country, especially in the West, organized a county grange in Waseca, May 3, 1873. It was run on the narrow-gauge plan, but it nevertheless accomplished a great deal of good. The call for the meeting was signed "Wm. A. Erwin, secretary," by order of committee.

The temporary organization was effected by the election of I. D. Beaman, of Blooming Grove, temporary chairman; and W. D. Armstrong, temporary secretary. After the election of a committee on credentials and one on permanent organization, a recess was taken till afternoon.

At the afternoon session, the committee on credentials reported the following gentlemen entitled to seats: J. S. Abell, Joseph ilinges, Adam Bishman, A. L. Warner, and Sam Leslie, of Pomona grange ; C. E. Graham, S. Hydorn, D. D. Green, P. Vanderwarka, and C. Bates, of, County Line grange ; A. Keyes, S. C. L. JMoore, and S. C. Dow, of Alma City grange ; Hugh Wilson, R. F. Stevens, J. Tumacliff, Noah Lincoln, and Geo. H. Woodbury, of Wilton grange; Philo Woodruff, David Wood, M. Dewald, and J. R.Davidson, of Hazel Dale grange; I. D. Beaman, S. F. Wyman, Albert Remund, Patrick Haley, and Wm. Habein, of

Blooming Grove grange ; W. H. Gray, D. Eiegle, James Bowe, F. Brossard, P. McDermott, and W. A. Erwin, of Toboso grange; H. W. S. Hinkley, Wm. Runnels, W. D. Armstrong, ^Sl. F. Connor, and Nicholas Fox, of Connor grange ; il. Haley, Patrick Murray, H. Haley, John McWaide, and James Jones, of Hibernia grange.

Waseca grange No. 49 elected three delegates to the council, who presented their credentials. The committee to whom they were referred disagreed as to the propriety of admitting any Waseca men. The matter was referred to the council and by a majority vote it was decided that Waseca grange was not entitled to representation in the coiuicil on the groimd that some of the members of that grange were not practical farmers.

A business committee of one from each grange was appointed, namely : Hugh Wilson, P. Woodruff, A. L. Warner, il. Haley, A. Keyes, P. McDermott, W. D. Armstrong, Patrick Haley, and S. Hydorn.

Fourth Of July

The weather was grand, and there was a general observance of the day in Waseca. Hon. il. D. L. Collester was the orator of the day and delivered a very fine address.

The baseball game between the Blooming Grove Champions and the ]\Iankato ckib, was the absorbing entertainment of the day. Blooming Grove won by a score of 62 to 13. A few slight accidents were reported. Some one drove into 'Sir. Thos. Barden's buggy and overturned it, throwing ;Mrs. Barden out and bruising her somewhat, though not seriously. :\Ir. Thomas Lynch, of Wilton, had a runaway in which he and his wife were thrown out of the buggy without suffering serious harm.

Accidentally Shot

accidentally woimdod by the discharge of a shot gun in the hands of one of the Bowe boys, the hammer of the lock accidentally slipping from his hand. The wound though painful, was liot dangerous.

Champion Base-Ball Team

The NorthKeld base-ball club challenged the Blooming (irove Champions to a match game of ball at the fair grounds, in Northfield, on the ISth of September. The Northfield club held the silver bat of the state, and this was offered as the prize for the winning side. The Blooming Grove boys won the prize by a score of forty-six to nineteen. The Northfield boys suffered three whitewashes, Blooming Grove none. IMartin Haley was the captain and pitcher; Jas. Johnson, catcher; Wm. Johnson, first base; Pi-ank Haley, second base; C. D. Todd, third base; E. W. Jacklin, short stop; G. Donaldson, right fielder; F. Collins, center fielder; John Blowers, left fielder. Some years after, the club, having lost some of its best players, lost the prize in a game with the Winnebago City club. The last heard of the silver bat it was in the hands of the college boys of Winnebago City.

First Snow Of The Season

There was a snow storm on the night of Oct. 24 that continued through the night and into the forenoon of the 25th. Snow fell to the depth of about ten inches, and the drifts, in places remained luitil spring. The strong wind accompanying the snow swept it from most of the plowed fields, so that considerable fall plowing was done after the storm; but fall work was very much interfered with on the farms.

The Election

This was the year when the anti-monopoly sentiment was very strong throughout the nation. The order of the Patrons of Husbandry had established a "Grange" in almost every farming community, and its teachings had aroused a very strong opposition to the extortions and unjust discriminations practiced by the transportation corporations. The high rates of interest charged throughout the West also caused much hardship and loss of property. The people were thoroughly aroused and, to a certain extent, joined hand in hand for self protection. The people of Waseca county were never more thoroughly aroused than during the campaign of 1873. Hon. C. K. Davis, republican, and Hon. Ara Barton, democrat, were the opposing candidates for governor. Mr. Davis carried the county by a majority of 166. The result of the votes for county representatives and officers was as follows:

Treasurer. Sheriff Judge Of Probate

Quite an effort was made throughout the state by the corporations to defeat Hon. C. K. Davis, but he received a majority of about 5,000. The issue that absorbed public attention more than any other was that of railroad discrimination. The "Grangers" of Waseca county, at their county council, held July 12, 1873, "resolved that the charge of $20 by the W. & St. P. R. R. Co. (now C. & N.-W. Ry. Co.) for simply hauling a loaded car of lumber or lime from Owatonna to Waseca, a distance of fifteen miles, when the regular eharoe for hauling the same car load from Winona to Waseca, a distance of one hundred and five miles, is only $20, is an unjust discrimination and an outrageous extortion that calls loudly for a stringent legal remedy. ' '

$31.50 in freight, while the same carload of lumber shipped to Owatonna, fifteen miles further, over the same road, cost only $22 freight - a discrimination against Faribault of $9.50 on every carload. The same carload, shipped forty-eight miles further south to Austin, cost only $24 freight - discrimination of $7.50 per carload. In the matter of through rates from the east, the same wrong was manifest. The railway rates on goods from Chicago to Faribault were, per 100 pounds, for first class goods, $1.10; second class, $1.00; third class, 75 cents; fourth class 55 cents. The rates charged on the same classes, transported by the same road through Faribault to St. Paul, fifty-six miles further, were 80 cents for first class; 70 cents for second class, and 35 cents for third class.

In view of these unjust discriminations, practiced everywhere in the state, the people in every farming community demanded the enactment of a law prohibiting the charging of a greater freight rate for a short distance than was at the same time charged for a longer distance over the same road and in the same direction.

It was contended by the Grange men that, in view of these undisputed facts, the law ought to require the railroad corporations to charge equal rates to' all men, and to carry freight a short distance over the same road at a fixed rate for a short haul which should not exceed the charge for a longer haul. They claimed that this demand was no more than fair and reasonable, and that no sane or reasonable person desired to injure the railroads nor require them to perform service at unfair or unreasonable rates. Notwithstanding this fair and just request, there was and is the very strongest opposition to any law which shall honestly and effectually carry out the principle of equal and reasonable rates.

The Panic Op '73

The year 1873 was considered by many as one of the worst, financially, ever experienced by the country up to that time. Waseca county suffered much less than many other localities, owing, doubtless, to its very productive soil and convenient markets. The spring time brought disappointment to farmers on account of the cold, wet weather. There was considerable warm weather the first week in March, and most of the snow disappeared, but about the middle of that month there commenced a series of rain and light snow storms with cold, freezing nights, which kept the fields in bad condition until the middle of April. Flat, wet lands could not well be seeded, and where seeded gave no crop. Some of the early sowed grain rotted. On the 17th of May a heavy rainstorm visited the country and continued for several days off and on, making the roads of this county almost impassable and seriously delaying corn planting. Owing to the hard winter, the cold, wet spring or some other cause, many of the fruit trees, though putting forth their leaves in the spring, withered and died during the summer. Only those in the most favored locations and of the hardiest varieties survived the season. The summer season from the first of June until October, however, made up to a great extent for the disagreeable and discouraging spring. The crops were fairly good, especially the wheat and hay crops, and the favorable harvest weather enabled the husbandmen to save everything in good shape.

Notwithstanding these fairly good conditions, agriculturally, times were close. Judge Kiester, in his history of Faribault county, asserts that "money was extremely scarce and rates of interest very high. Everybody was more or less in debt, and everyone to whom money was due was urgent, persistent for his pay. The county newspapers were filled with notices of mortgage foreclosures and sales of land under execution. During this and several subsequent years, many homes and farms passed away forever from the hard-working pioneers for a very small proportion of their real value. In the fall there came upon the nation a great money panic - a tremendous financial crash. The great failure of Jay Cook (ic Co., led off in this dance of financial dishonor and death. Banks were suspended, thousands of individuals of supposed great wealth, and great moneyed corporations of all kinds went down to ruin and bankruptcy. (Ireat manufactories and mines were closed down, and gre;\t public enterprises were brought to a sudden close. The number of defaulters in both public office and private station was legion. The army of the unemployed swelled to hundreds of thousands, and great privation and distress prevailed throughout the country. This was the visible beginning of one of the greatest financial disasters in the history of our country, and one vfhieh continued its work of ruin and distress for several years."

The causes of this wide-spread disaster, as claimed by one set of economists, were over-production, wild speculation, extravagant and wasteful living, contracting debts for what we did not need, borrowing money to build railroads where there was nothing for them to do, and the building of villages and cities with no farming country to back them.

Another set of economists urge upon our attention the fact that, notwithstanding our enormous national debt, then payable in greenbacks and silver dollars, congress, in the month of February, at the instigation, and through the corrupting influences of English and European capitalists, who were large holders of our bonds, bought for greenbacks and made payable in greenbacks, silver or gold, passed an act, ostensibly relating only to the national mint and coinage, but which really and actually demonetized silver by destroying the silver dollar and providing that silver money should not be a legal tender for any greater sum than five dollars. The work of demonetization was accomplished without the knowledge of the people at larRc, and a great majority of the members of congress afterwards declared that they did not know, when the law was passed, that it demonetized silver. These economic writ(>i-s claim that the destruction of our silver money doubled the debts of the debtor class, or poor people, while by the same act the bonds of the bondholder were doubled in value. In other words, that values of actual property and labor were, by the act, so depreciated that it would take, for instance, two hundred bushels of wheat tfi pay the debt which, when contracted, called for only one hundred bushels.

Minor Notes Of The Year

Mrs. Michael Kinney, one of the pioneer women of Iosco, died February 8 and was buried February 10. Her funeral was very largely attended, the large Catholic church being entirely filled.

Nettie, four-year-old daughter of Mr. Alex. Brisbane, then of Wilton, was so badly scalded by falling upon a kettle containing boiled potatoes that she died March 9, after twenty-four hours of great suffering.

On June 3, Wm. Bluhm, a lad about fifteen j^ears of age, son of Henry Bluhm, then of Merideii, accidentally shot himself while hunting in the woods. In drawing his gun over a log the gun was accidentally discharged, its contents striking him in the neck and throat. He died soon after.

A young child, aged one year and eight months, of Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Ballard, of St. :Mary, fell into a pail of hot water on Saturday and was so badly scalded that it died on Sunday, July 5.

Albert il. Smith, of Waseca, son of J. B. Smith, died July -i, at the age of twenty-seven years, of consumption. I A child of Mr. D. A. Erwiu, of St. Jlary, two years old, met with a sad accident Sept. 29, It upset a dish of hot starch, prepared for ironing purposes, and was severely burned upon its breast, abdomen and legs. It lingered until October S, wheu death came to its relief.

Samuel, son of Anthony Sampson, of New Richland, a boy about nine years of age, fell from a wagon, Ov\. 10, 1873. and was so badly in.jured that lu' died within a few minutes after his fall.

On the 17th of the same month, a son of John Byron, of St. Mary, about seventeen years of age, got caught on the tumbling rod of a threshing machine and was so badly injured that he died the following Monday, the 20th. Both of these families were among the very early settlers of the county.

On the 15th of October, Mr. Henry J. Meyers, then of Freedom, had his left arm torn off in a threshing machine. His arm was amputated at the shoulder and although he was otherwise injured to some extent, he soon recovered.

An elderly gentleman named Tosten Tostenson was found dead on the north shore of Clear Lake, Oct. 22. He was found with his face in the water and his body on the shore. It was thought that he knelt down on the shore to get a drink of water ; that he fell in with his face down, and had not suffteient strength to raise himself out of the water.

The salary of the county superintendent of schools, for the first time in the history of the county, was made somewhat commensurate to the labor required of the oiScer. On the 21st of March the county board having theretofore appointed one of its members superintendent, raised the salary to $720 per annum.

The tax list for the comity, this year, filled over ten columns of a seven-column paper, set in brevier type. The list was the smallest it had been for five years. The tax lists of the early days Avere the main support of local newspapers in each county.

During the months of September and October, of this year, the Waseca railroad elevator received 86,898 bushels of wheat, of which 13,521 bushels graded No. 1 - 71,817 bushels graded No. 2, and 1,567 bushels went rejected.

On the 27th of November, Mr. James Gearin, of Wilton, had the misfortune to lose his dwelling house and all its contents by fire. He carried only a small amount of insurance, but the members of the grange to which he belonged, known as Connor Grange, at once clubbed together and erected a new house for him.