Waseca County, Minnesota - Chapter 42, 1905

Mrs. Andrew Lynch, Mrs. Hicks, Isaac Bird, Dr. Gove Wm. Ackerman, N. Wood

COUNTY AND STATE LEGISLATION - BIG RAILROAD CONTESTGENERAL EDGERTON, SENATOR COGGSWELL - TAXING RAILROAD LANDS - EXCITING LOCAL ELECTION- THE SALARY GRAB - GRASSHOPPER A BURDEN - DEATHS, ANDREW JACKSON, JERRY HOGAN, WM. BAKER, MRS. L. D. HOCANSON AND CHILD, MRS. ANDREW LYNCH, MRS. HICKS, ISAAC BIRD, DR. GOVE, WM. ACKERMAN, N. WOOD.

The year 1873 closed with a pleasant day, and the new year 187-1 was introduced by the most beantifiil winter day ever seen in ilinnesota. The sky was cloudless. The sun shone in all its beauty during the whole day. There was almost a perfect calm, and the atmosphere was as warm and balmy as in spring time.

The county conuuissioners assembled at the court house January 6th, and organized by electing AYm. Byron, of St. ilary, chairman for the year.-

The following road and bridge appropriations were made : .^150 to aid in building a bridge across the Le Sueur River, where the Freeborn and Owatonna road crosses said stream; .i^riO to help ilnish the bridge and grading at JIcDougall creek where the Waseca and Wilton road crosses the same; $100 to be used in reparing the road known as the Wilton and Faribault higliAvay at the Chesterson and Bowe hills; >|^11,") to repair the road and bridge near Alma City, across the Le Sueur I^iver, on the Janesville road.

The Legislature Of 1874

This body assembled Jan. 6, and adjourned March 6. "Waseca county was represented in the senate by W. G. Ward, and in the house by L. D. Smith and James E. Child. It was dubbed by the corporation men "the Grange legislature," not an inappropriate designation. No legislature of this state has ever contained a greater proportion of true, tried, honest, and capable men, than that of 1874. The battle between the true representatives of the people and those influenced by the corporations was carried from the polls, at the fall election, to the halls of legislation. The choice of speaker of the house turned upon the issue - "Shall the state control the railroads in the matter of rates for the transportation of freight and passengers?"

As in all issues of his kind, it was found that the railroad lobbyists were the loudest "reformers." The corporations induced such men as the late Hon. I. Donnelly to urge the election of Hon. John X. Davidson, of St. Paul, a "Liberal Republican," as against Hon. A. R. Hall, who represented a farming community in Hennepin county, and who had been speaker in 1872 and 1873. In the hope of dividing the real anti-monopoly forces in the legislature, the corporations attempted to work up a contest for S|)eaker among them and finally defeat both by electii'g a speaker of their own.

The "Minneapolis Sunday ilirror" was chosen especial champion of this move, and after the defeat of the scheme, published the following screed :

"Last summer 'Pat' (James E.) Child, editor of the Waseca News, made an herculean effort to become a member of the Grange at that place, and by virtue of the fact that he owned a farm in that vicinity, succeeded. As a consequence he was elected to the legislature, where he was expected to labor, first, last and all the time in the interests of the Anti-Monopolist party. But what was the result? The Grangers, on gathering together on the eve of the session, counted noses and concluded their force was strong enough to elect the speaker, and they set their pins accordingly. 'Pat' was confidently counted as one of them, and they relied upon him to take a prominent post. A caucus was called, and to the unqualified astonishment of the clan, 'Pat' was found in the ranks of their opponents. He was in favor of the election of Hall as against a reform candidate. Wonder-struck, several of the Grange party interviewed him. 'What's the matter, 'Pat?' ' said they. 'Well," he

Then this organ of plutocracy went on to insinuate that Mr. Child had been bribed to support Hall, and urged as proof the fact that Child was appointed ' ' chairman of the most responsible committee of the house - that on railroads."

The paper containing this article was not one of general circulation in the state, but very many copies of it were mailed to people of Waseca count.y before Mr. Child knew anything of it, and when it was called to his attention he dismissed it as unworthy of notice.

But he soon after learned that innocent people had been imposed upon by the story, and at the urgent request of friends, gave out the following statement :

"It is not true that 'Pat' Child became a member of the Grange last summer, (1873) but it is true that he and a number of other persons started the first Grange in Waseca county. It was organized under a special charter, or dispensation, issued by Wm_ Saunders, Master of the National Grange, and duly certified to by O. W. Kelly, National Secretary and one of the organizers of the association, and Is dated May 14, 1870. Mr. Child Is still a member of the same Grange. Before the meeting of the legislature, Mr. Child had declined to be a candidate for speaker, and was one of the very first to advocate the election of Mr. A. R. Hall; and that too, without any communication with Mr. Hall whatever on the subject. When Mr. Child arrived at St. Paul, he found that the corporations, through their lobby, had induced many of the country members to urge him for the speakership, and soon after his arrival a so-called committee waited upon him and urged him to become a candidate for speaker. Mr. Child promptly informed them that he did not desire the speakership, and that he had already decided to support Mr. Hall, believing him to be a man of ability and integrity and anxious to deal honorably and fairly with all the people and all the interests of the state. He also pointed out to the members that called upon him that the men back of the move were railroad lobbyists, as he believed, and that their object was to divide the anti-monopoly forces and then elect one of their own men - thus getting control of the machinery of the house. It is true that Mr. Child has been appointed chairman of the railroad committee. It is also true that one hundred, and six other gentlemen were appointed upon various committees by Speaker Hall, and the insinuation that there was bribery in the appointments made by the speaker, is characteristic of the lobbyists and corporation managers, who know of no higher incentive than a money or personal consideration.'' The author records this affair, not on account of its intrinsic importance, biit that people may see how easy it is to smirch the character of any man in public life and to make many believe that honesty and integrity do not exist among men. And these corruptionists make these assaults upon honest men, not because they object to corruption in office - but to drive honest men from public life so that they, the monopolists, may have an opportunity to plimder the people undisturbed.

Whether the "Mirror" published the assault upon ]\Ir. Child because its editor was misinformed and misled, or for a money consideration, the author does not know; but sixty days thereafter, the same paper, for reasons known only to its editor, published the following, sending Mr. Child a marked copy :

"James B. Child, (better known as 'Pat' Child) sits in the 'no corner;' he cares for nobody and nobody cares for him. No man can approach him, no man could corrupt him, no man could convince him; he knows how it is himself. - He is generally right, and stands well among the members, notwithstanding his eccentricities, and has made an excellent member. - If every legislature had a 'Pat' Child there would be less foolish legislation."

The Legislative Battle

The railroad battle opened in the senate the first week of the session, when Senator Coggswell, of Steele county, introduced "A bill for an Act to create a board of railroad comhiissioners and to provide rules for the management of all railroad corporations and railroads in the state of Minnesota." The friends of the bill flid not feel sure of the senate, but had more confidence in the house; so a few of the trusty, hardworkers of the house, with the assistance of Senator Coggswell and of Gen. Edgerton, railroad commissioner, took the Coggswell bill, revised and amended it in some respects, and had it introduced in the house by Hon. C. S. Crandall, of Owatonna. The move was non-partisan so far as its friends could make it so - Senator Coggswell being a democrat. Representative Crandall a republican, and both from the same county of Steele.

The bill, as introduced, was substantially a copy of the Illinois law enacted in 1871, and now (1904) in force in that state. It prohibited discriminations and made it the duty of the commissioners to fix all rates on all the roads. It gave the commission entire control of the roads subject to the decision of the courts in certain cases. The bill was stubbornly fought at every stage of the proceedings both in the house and senate. The first test vote in the house resulted as follows :

This vote di'iiionstrated that the people had a working majority of twelve in the house, and yet so persistently was the bill opposed that it did not finally pass until next to the last day of the session for the passage of bills, when the senate learned that none of its bills would pass the house until the railroad bill should be aeted upon finally in the senate. On the final passage of the bill in the senate, only two votes were recorded against it - thiwe of I. Donnelly, granger, and .Senator Drake, of St. Paul, president of the St. Paul, ^linneapolis & Omaha Railroad Company. This result was so comical that Senator Drake erossed over from his seat and shook hands with Senatiir Donnelly amidst the uproarious lauuhter of the Senate, ]Mr. Donnelly saying: "We elasp hands across the bloody chasm."

This railroad legislation, although acquiesced in, apparently, aroused all the animosily of the corporations and of the favored shippers in the large cilies, and every prominent anti-monopolist in the legislatui'c of ly74 was retired at the next election. Enough men were colonized in e\cry county, by the railroads, ten days l}efore election, to defeat ob.iectionable men - the people, as a rule, being more partisan than sensible. Not only were the legislators retired, but Gov. Davis was driven out and kept out until he surrendered to the corpor.-itions ten years afterwards.

Railroad Lands

Another matter which was of great importance to the people at the time was the taxation of railroad lands. A large amount of land granted by government to the Winona & St. Peter Railroad Company had been clandestinely sold to the Winona and St. Peter Railroad Land Company, and under the terms of the grant the lands had been liable to taxation for a number of years; but by shrewd management the company had escaped taxation. In the session of 1874, Senator Ward introduced a bill taxing the lands and it became a law. Under its provisions, Waseca county was entitled to some $10,000 in back taxes. And this, like the railroad law prohibiting discriminations, was repealed at the session of 1875, and the people were cheated out of their just dues by the legislative action of the railroad combine. The total taxes due upon the lands in the state amounted to $61,500.00.

Intense Political Struggle

An extract from the Waseca News of that date will illustrate the methods resorted to during the campaign of 1874. This county was then republican by majorities ranging from 125 to 200.

"There never was a more barefaced and outrageous insult ever offered to the resident voters of any county than was perpetrated on last election day in this county. The week before election the superintendent of the Winona & St. Peter Railroad came to this place, and while here stated in substance that he should have votes enough here to defeat the republican candidate for state senator at any rate.

"How well he kept his word, let the facts prove. The total vote last year, with a full state and county ticket, was 1,408. The highest Democratic vote on any state officer (Dike) was 660. The highest Republican vote on any state officer was 787 - Republican majority 127. Now mark the vote this year! Republican candidate for senator 749; democratic candidate, 875 - the latter receiving 215 more votes than were cast the year before by the same party.

"Then look at the vote of last year and this, outside of Waseca and Janesville. Last year the total vote of the county, outside of the two towns named, was 905, and this year only 952 - an increase of only 47 votes. Now take the two towns containing the villages of Waseca and Janesville: the increased vote in Waseca is 108, and the increased vote at Janesville is 61, a total increase of 169 votes. But this is not all. In St. Mary there were railroad men enough to increase the vote in that town ten over that of last year; making a total increase in the three towns of 179 votes.

"Is there anybody who pretends that the men who were sent to this county to carry the election are bona fide residents of the county? No, they were simply colonized here for ten days to carry the election for the railroad company and the saloonlsts, and the next day they disappeared like a fog on a June morning. * * *

"We admit that the majority against us in Janesville and Waseca, where the railroad concentrated its votes, where its money could purchase the riff-raff, where its power could terrify the weak was 192. We admit that among the farmers, outside of Janesville and Waseca, where money could not bribe, where threats could not intimidate, and where principles are not for sale to the highest bidder, our majority was 48. We admit these facts and admit them with the utmost satisfaction. The votes which we received were the free and untrammeled offering of freemen, without being bribed or intimidated. We sacrificed no principles, we neither furnished nor guzzled whisky; nor did we cringe before the power, the money, nor the threats of the railroad kings.

We admit that the political agents of the railroad, with the aid of their tools, and the saloons, defeated the whole county Republican ticket, with one exception. We admit that we were defeated because we would not endorse the salary-grab, and because we are unalterably opposed to railroad extortion and discriminations, and because we are in favor of protecting women, children, and society against the injuries resulting from the rum traflic. But defeat, under such circumstances, is not at all discouraging to one who would rather be right than to hold the highest office in the state. Others may cringe before the hands that smite them, if they choose, but we shall not. The principles which we have advocated we believe to be right and thus believing we shall continue to act."

"It seems to be one of the strong points of those who are at work for the railroad interest to misrepresent those who believe that railroad corporations should not be above the laws of the country. One of our exchanges labors through a long article to show that the editor of this paper is an enemy of the railroads. Nothing could be further from the truth, as every sensible man must know who has been a reader of the paper. Railroads are essential and important aids to the development of the country, and any man who would intentionally destrov them would be an enemy to his country. This we have always maintained, and any effort to destroy the just rights of railroad corporations would be opposed with all the zeal that we possess.

rights, we are not blind to the fact that these corporations have far exceeded their rights in the past, and heaped numerous abuses upon the people who have generously aided them. We have denounced and opposed the abuses of railroad corporations, and shall continue to do so while those abuses exist.

What are and have been the issues between the people and railroad corporations? The corporations claim the right to charge such rates as they please. For instance, a company in this State, prior to the passage of the law last winter, charged for carrying wheat fifty miles, twelve cents per bushel; and for carrying the same commodity, over the same road, a distance of one hundred miles, only eight cents per bushel. In one county where there are two villages, only a few miles apart, and where there is no railroad competition, one town was charged for shipping wheat twelve cents per bushel, and the other still farther on, only eight cents per bushel. In the matter of lumber, the same kind of discriminations were practiced all over the country. As between individuals these discriminations were carried on to a great extent. Governors, state officials, senators, representatives, judges, ministers, editors, merchants, and leading lawyers were carried over the roads at half fare, and often times free of charge; while Jack, the hod-carrier; Sam, the carpenter; Kate, the kitchen maid; Molly, the washerwoman; Jones, the farmer, and Bill, the blacksmith, were charged five cents a mile. A merchant inside the ring could get his goods shipped below cost and on time, while an outsider had to pay high rates and await the pleasure of the company as to tirfie. These and many other abuses that might be enumerated, we have sought, both ?,s an editor and a legislator, to correct; but that we ever sought to injure the railroads is a mistake, to designate it by no stronger word.

But the railroad rings are not satisfied with the great power which they naturally possess, they must go further. They must control the legislation of the state and nation in their interest. Having learned, during the past two years, that the courts will not sustain their theory that the legislature has no control over their rates and charges, they now go to the polls to control the election of legislators. To do this they resort to the most arbitrary means. Their workmen must vote as they dictate or leave their employ. Every man along the lines of their roads, at all dependent upon them, is made to feel their power unless he submits to their political dictation. The liquor-traffic, always corrupt and wicked, is their ready accomplice in influencing and controlling elections.

During the past two years the people have made considerable progress towards checking the abuses which had become almost unbearable; but now the companies, having failed in the courts, propose to undo the work which has been accomplished; and, unless we are much mistaken in the signs of the times, they will succeed for a time. But their victory will be short-lived. No such power as they claim should ever be tolerated in this country any great length of time.

right, fully understanding the tremendous power of the companies and of their saloon allies to crush out all who oppose them. We shall do this, not as an enemy of railroads, but as an opponent of the abuses which the railroad magnates practice upon the masses of the people."

Verily the people of Western Minnesota, in 1873-4, probably for the first time, realized the magnificent description given by the prophet Joel of the grasshopper invasions of his day v^hen he said :

"The land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness. Yea, and nothing shall escape them. Before their face the people shall be much pained ; all faces shall gather blackness. * * * They shall march, every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks. Neither shall one thrust another. * # * They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall; they shall climb up upon the houses ; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief. ' '

They first made their appearance about June 1873. Vast swarms of the insects appeared suddenly in northwestern Iowa and shortly afterwards in southwestern Minnesota. They came with the west and northwest winds by the millions. They settled upon all kinds of crops, and destroyed whole fields in a day. The people were taken entirely by surprise. They knew not Avhat to do. In fact they were utterly powerless before this vast and innumerable insect army of invasion. Gardens were destroyed and whole farms were devastated. While the grasshoppers left the wild grasses, they devoured the tame grasses and all kinds of grain. This year (1873), while they did not destroy all the fields they deposited their eggs by the million and then disappeared.

Since the settlement of the state there have been five grasshopper invasions - 1856, 1857, 1865, 187:?-t-5. The insects in 1873 sowed the land from the Blue Earth River west full of eggs. Many people fondly hoped that the frosts of winter had destroyed the eggs and that we should see no more of them. How vain were all these hopes ! About the 9th and 10th of May. 1874, the weather being warm, the little pests began to hatch and come out of the ground. They were about the size of fleas, but they had the appetite of a full grown hog, and they forthwith commenced their work of devastation. They were ceaseless workers. Neither frosts, nor heat, nor wet weather, nor storms, nor tempests, seriously affected them. They ate almost everything in sight where they hatched out in 1874. Fortunately no eggs, to amount to anything, were deposited in Waseca county. But in Faribault and Blue Earth counties, adjoining, the destruction of crops was very great. The writer, in driving from Blue Earth to Jlankato, July 5, 1874, realized as never before, what is meant by the words, "the grasshopper shall be a burden," and that, as Joel said, "the land was as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; nothing did escape them."

Various methods of fighting the pests were resorted to with little effect. The most effective instrument or method of destruction was called the "hopperdozer". It consisted of a common piece of sheet iron, six or eight feet long, with small strips of board ;iIong the two longer sides, to give it stiffness, and a string or wire to draw it, extending from the two front corners. The whole sheet was then covered with coal tar. By drawing this "hopperdozer" over the field or garden while the insects were wingless, they would hop on to the tar in great numbers where they would be held fast and soon die. Hopperdozers were used extensively during the last year of the invasion throughout the infested regions. Large quantities of tar were purchased at public expense by towns and coimties and almost every farmer had his hopperdozer. But it is generally believed that none of the appliances could avail against such an invasion as that was. The troublesome creatures disappeared as suddenly and mysteriously as they came. The exodus finally occurred on the 20th of July, 1877. The day was oppressively warm, the thermometer indicating 102 degrees in the shade with very little or no wind. About ten o'clock a. m. it was discovered that the air overhead was filled with flying grasshoppers. They were in swarms of millions, flying high and going rapidly southeast. For more than an an hour they swarmed past while all over Southwestern Minnesota millions of the insects rose from the ground and joined the passing hosts. Whither they went remains a mystery, but their de-

It was estimated at the time that the following acreage was ravaged by the insects, to-wit: 150,000 acres, or 2,500,000 bushels, of wheat; 40,000 acres of oats, equal to 1,320,000 bushels; 20,000 acres of corn, equal to 340,000 bushels, besides large quantities of rye, barley, buckwheat, potatoes, flax and other crops.

Great numbers of worthy people were impoverished by this grasshopper raid. Many farmers were left without bread or seed in the western portion of the state. Without state aid or aid from some source they must leave their farms and seek employment elsewhere, leaving the land desolate. Fortunately the state authorities, under Governor Davis' able advice, came to the rescue and most of the people courageously remained upon their farms and won a victory for themselves and the state.

Deaths Noted During The Year

Jerry Hogan, a single man, living alone, one of the early settlers of the county, was found dead in his cabin ilarch 11. Those Viho found him judged that he had been dead several days when the body was found, and that he died of disease. For some time prior to his death he had been considered partially insane. His team was found in the stable nearly starved.

A sad and fatal accident caused the death of j\Ir. William Baker, of Freedom, IMarch 13. While in the flouring mill of Stokes & Kimball, at Janesville, his clothing caught on an upright shaft and he Avas drawn on to it, breaking one arm in several places from the hand to the shoulder. While being whirled aroimd by the revolving shaft his legs came in contact with a post, one of them being entirely severed below the knee, and the other nearly torn oflf. The poor man lived some tliree hours after this horrible mutilation of his body.

A sad and fatal accident befell the family of Rev. L. D. Hocanson, of Otisco, March 20, 1874, in the evening. Mr. :\Iose Johnson and wife, his brother and brother's wife and two children and Rev. Hoeanson, wife, and child had been to attend a funeral in New Richland. In returning home they had to cross the Le- Siieur river at the Michael Anderson bridge. The water was so high as to run over the bank at the south end of the bridge, and when the team reached the bridge, one of the horses became frightened and threw itself off the bridge, dragging the other horse and the sleigh with it into the swollen stream. All except Mr. Mose Johnson and wife and Mrs. Hoeanson and her two-yearold child, got out without difficulty. Mr. Johnson and wife clung to the wagon box until they were rescued by a man living near by. ]\Irs. Hoeanson and child were drowned and their bodies were not recovered until the day following. Mr. Hoeanson was pastor of the Swedish Lutheran church, in Otisco, and the sad accident caused deep sorrow in the whole community.

jMrs. Lynch, wife of Andrew Lynch, died of pneumonia, April 17, 1874. Mr. and Mrs. Lynch were among the early settlers of the county, having settled in St. Mary in 1856. She reared a large family of children and was an estimable woman.

Mrs. Hicks, sister of Mr. E. G. Wood, and one of the very early settlers of this county, a widow lady, died April 24, 1874, of a complication of diseases, while under treatment at Minneapolis. She was a native of Vermont and married a man named Scott, who died a few years after the marriage. She came to Minnesota in 1858, a widow, with two children, a son and a daughter. She Avas married in 1859 to Rev. Mr. Hicks, who died soon afterwards.

ilr. Isaac Bird, of Wilton, one of the early settlers, died July 29, of kidney trouble, from which he had suffered for years. He was a native of England, coming to this country when a boy.

Dr. M. S. Gove, the pioneer physician of the county, passed to the Great Beyond on the 1st day of December, 1874. His sudden and unexpected death was a great shock to the community. While he himself realized from the first that death was near, none of his friends could believe it. He died of blood poisoning contracted in the line of professional duty. He was born in the town of Strafford, Orange county, Vermont. He studied medicine and surgery in his native state, and, after graduating in 1849 came West, settling in Indiana where he practiced until 1858, when he came to Minnesota and took up his residence in Wilton, then the county seat. He moved to Waseca about 1870. He was a public-spirited man and took great interest in all public matters. He was a member of the county board during the supervisor system in 1859-60, and was at one time superintendent of schools under the township system. He took an active part in the organization of the Waseca County Anti-Horse-Thief society, and was its president many years. A large concourse of people followed his remains to the grave, the members of the Anti-Horse- Thief association, mounted on horse-back, paying their last respects to their presiding officer by joining in the funeral procession. At the next meeting of the association it resolved: "That we will ever cherish his memory with feelings of consideration and respect as a man of scholarship and ability in his chosen profession, a kind neighbor and good citizen." A year or two after his settlement in Wilton he married iliss Sarah Dodge, then a teacher in the public schools of the county and a very estimable young woman.

Shortly after the death of Dr. Gove, a shocking death occurred at the crossing of the Le Sueur river near the St. ]\Iary farm of Thomas J. Kerr. A man named Wm. Ackerman, of ]\Iedo, Blue Earth county, came to Waseca with two other men and four teams, on December 9 for lumber. In the afternoon they started home, and when near the crossing of the Le Sueur river, at Mr. Kerr's place, the lumber on one of the wagons got shoved forward against the team, and the men stopped to fix it. Ackerman's team, which was ahead of the others, started forward while he was aiding the others. He ran to his wagon and made an attempt to catch the lines, but missed them, and fell in front of one of the wheels which passed over his body. By this time all the teams were on the run, and the team next to Ackerman s also ran over him. He was taken to ilr. Kerr's residence, where he expired within a few minutes. He left a widow and four children.

The death roll of the year closed with the name of Nathaniel Wood. Father Wood, as he was generally called, died at the residence of Mr. G. R. Buckman, his son-in-law, in Waseca, Dec. 23, 1874, aged seventy-eight years. He had suffered for several years from a cancer on his under lip, and for many months had been confined to his bed. His death was not, therefore, unexpected. He was one of the earliest settlers of Wood- ville, and was universally respected for his Christian devotion and uprightness of character. His Christianity was not of that India-rubber character which is sometimes used for selfish purposes, but the real article, which entered into his everyday life - his business and his politics.

Short Notes For The Year

Among the marriages of the year we record the following: I\lr. W. H. Taylor, one of the early boy-settlers of Blooming Grove, and IMiss Emma Barnes, one of the early girl-settlers of Wilton, were married March 5, 1874. They were very worthy, industrious, energetic and frugal young people. They now carry on a sheep ranch in Montana and are among the wealthy, wellto-do of that state.

Mr. August Pream, of Alton, and Miss Augusta Hollander, of Wilton, were married June 10, 1874, and began married life in Alton where they have been engaged in successful farming.

August 25, 1874, Mr. Rudolph Jacoby, then a recent arrival from Germany, a bright and well-informed young man, was joined in marriage with Miss Annie Schmidt, daughter of Mr. Edward Schmidt, one of the very early settlers of Otisco. She was the only child and inherits her father's fine estate. They own one of the finest farms in Otisco.

On the 10th of January, 1874, the dwelling house of Anthony James, one of the early settlers of Woodville, together with nearly its entire contents, was destroyed by fire. His eldest daughter, while carrying a small child from the burning building, fell

On Nov. 30, 1874, the house of Gottlieb Prechel, of St. ilary, on his old farm, was destroyed by fire. The old house was not worth much, but unfortunately for ilr. Peter Hund, who occupied it, his household goods, with considerable grain, were all destroyed.

We are pained to learn that Wm. R. Brisbane, son of Hon. Wm. Brisbane of Wilton, was dangerously injured last week. The cattle having broken into his field, he mounted a large horse and rode into the field to drive them out. While on the gallop, the horse ran against a cow with such force as to knock himself down, Mr. Brisbane falling under him. The horse, a very heavy one, made several attempts to rise, each time falling back upon the body of the unfortunate man. Mr. Brisbane vomited for several hours afterwards, and suffered great pain, but finally got better."

On the 17th of June, 1874, the county board passed a resolution appropriating $1,000 for the building of a vault to the coiirt house for the safe keeping of the records, books, and papers of tlie county, especially the records of the office of the register of deeds. It was to be 16x20 feet, one story high, and built of brick, with heavy iron doors. 0. Powell, S. K. Odell, and H. K. Stenrns constituted the building committee to oversee the work.

"A sad accident happened on Thursday last, in the town of Otisco. John Peterson, commonly known as "Little" John Peterson, while at vork around a threshing machine was caught in the side gearing by the right arm near the elbow. His arm was drawn in up to his body and torn off, lacerating the flesh about his shoulder and side in a horrible manner."

The year 1874 was the last year of the second decade in the history of the county. Tho white population had increased from nothing to over eight thousand. A railroad had been built through the county-, wagon roads had been improved, sloughs and streams bridged, and the country cov.Mvd with improved farms owned by intelligent frremen.