Waseca County, Minnesota - Chapter 67, 1905

Chapter 67

The board of county commissioners of AA'aseca county, ;\Iinn.. met in regular session, at the office of the county auditor, of said county, on the 4th day of Jan. 1898. ^lembers present : H. F. Lewer, Joseph Fromlath, P. C. Bailey, Herman Bwert, and Raymond Doyle. Commissioner H. P. Lewer was elected chairman for the ensuing year. Only the usual routine of business was transacted, except the following : It was ordered that $50 be appropriated to the town of Wilton for graveling the Wilton bridge grade.. For the first time in the history of the county all the county printing was let to the lowest bidder. The Herald was awarded the publishing of the financial statement, the county commissioners' proceedings, the proceedings of the board of equalization, and the official ballot of the next general election. The Radical got the tax sale notices, and also all the stationery printing and the court calendars, and the Journal was awarded the tax list, the official blanks, and the printing of the official ballots.

At the session of March 15, 1898, it was ordered that the appropriation made to the town of Freedom, July session, 1896, be used for gi-ading l)etween sections 28 and 33 and between sections 27 and 34, of said town. Also ordered that the appropriation to the town of Freedom, made at the June session of 1897, be used foi- a stone culvert on county line road on section 7 of said town. Ajjpi'opriations were made to the town of Wilton, $20.60, for i-epairing the Turnacliff bridge in said toM'n; and to town of Otisco, -triO, for grading county line road on section 12 of said town.

To the town of Byron, $35 tor repairing bridge between sections 13 and 24, $2.5 for a new bridge between sections 29 and 30, and $40 for new bridge and grading between sections 25 and 26, all in the town 01 Byron; to the town of Vivian, $40 for grading and repairing bridge between sections 22 and 27, and $40 for grading and repairing bridge between sections (1 and 7 all in the town of Vivian; to the town of St. Mary, $150 tor a stone or steel bridge on section 10 and $40. G3 for replanking the Kerr bridge, all in the town of St. Mary: to the town of Alton, $75 tor a stone culvert on section 17, and $25 tor grading new road on section 27, all in the town of Alton; to the town of Blooming Grove, $30 for grading road between sections 10 and 11, $30 for grading county line road on section 25, and $40 for grading road between sections 17 and 18, all in the town of Blooming Grove; to the town of Iosco, $15 tor grading road between sections 7 and IS, $40 for grading road between sections 24 and 25, $20 for ditching road between sections 22 and 27, and $15 for grading road on section 13, all in the town of Iosco."

At the session of July 12, 189S, it was ordered that $31."). 00 l)e paid to the (iillette Herzoii' Manufacturing- Co. on contract for tlie new St. Mary bridt;e. It was also ordered that the expense for placiiii;' the cannon on the courthouse lirouuds to the amount of .tlH.l.ge be paid from the county revenue fund.

At the .hily me(>tin^-, it was ordered that the new St. i\lary l)ri(l^e, built by the (iillette, Ilev/on- :Manufacturing Co., of 'Sliuncapolis, b(> accepted, :ind that the bahince of the contract pric(\ .$],000.00, l)e ]iaid.

.+237.00, for grading the approaches to the McDougall, Holz, and AVeed bridges, be approved; that the pay roll presented by Commissioner Doyle for grading at the St. Mary bridge, in the sum of $90.80, be approved, and that the pay roll presented by Commissioner Ewert, for grading approaches to the Lamb bridge, in the sum of $23.25, be approved. There was allowed to Mr. Peter ]MeLin, for material and work on the Shaughnessy bridge, $20.40.

On motion, it was ordered that $75.00 be paid to one Mrs. Gleason, of Alma City, for a strip of land at the Alma City bridge to be used for road purposes. At the same meeting appropriations were made as follows : to A. Bird for a strip of land for road purposes, near the St. ]\Iary bridge, $5.00; to the Gillette, Herzog I\Ianufacturing company, on contract for bridges, $2,000; to IMr. Eamble, for two piles for Markham bridge, $6.00; to town of AYilton, as aid in repairing the Carmody bridge, $92.39.

At the meeting of the board, Dec. 28, 1898, it was ordered that the pay roll for grading at the Alma City bridge in the sum of $179.38 be approved and that said amount be paid from the county road and bridge fund. It was also ordered that $13.35 be appropriated to the town of Janesville for the straightening of a bridge on the county road.

Called Hence During The Year

ilrs. Helena Clark, wife of Wm. . Clark, residing on section 4, Janesville, a short distance from Elysian, died Jan. 10, 1898, after a long and painful illness. The funeral was held on Wednesday, Rev. Father Sullivan, of Waterville, officiating.

From the Herald, Jan. 14, 1898: "The funeral of Mr. Peter Beck, of Waseca, took place from the Catholic church, last Saturday, and was largely attended hy sympathizing friends and neighbors. He was born in Prussia, May 26, 1830, and came to Sauk county, Wisconsin, where he married Miss Anna Lehnertz, in 1856. They came to Minnesota In 1867."

ilr. Frederick Proeehel, of Waseca, died of inflammation of the bladder Monday night, IMarch 21, 1898. He was born near Posen, Prussia, Dec. 18, 1826, and came to America about the year 1852-3. He spent some time working in St. Louis and then went to Princeton, Wis. From there he came to Waseca county in June, 1855, in company with Martin Krassin, and others. He then made a claim in St. Mary where he resided alone until the breaking out of the Rebellion. He enlisted in Co. B, Brackett\ Battalion, Nov. 24, 1861, with which he served until Nov. 2-1:. 1864 - just three years. He then made a trip to (Germany and soon after married. He sold his old home, after a time, and bought other land.s until he became quite wealthy. The liquor habit got the better of him, some yeai-s ago, and he was finally sent to the Rochester asylum, where he remained until about a year ago, when he was discharged. He left surviving a worthy widow and several children. He had many good qualities, and will be remembered by many of the old settlers as "Big Fred" to distinguish him from Fred Wolischall and Fred Krassin, whi> came to ^linm-sota with him in 1855.

]\Irs. ]\Iartin Kaiser, of Fn^edoni (nee Jane Connor, daughter of widow Simon Connor) died April 23, 1898, of tri'ippe. She had, only a short time before, reenvei-ed from the effects of having one leg amputated on account of i-ancer from which she had long suffered. She left sur^aving seven children with her huNband to mourn her departure. She was a sister of 'Sir. Simon Connor, and was highly respected by her neighbnrs. Her father was one of the pioneers of Wilton.

From the Herald: The announcement of the sudden death of Mr. S. Swenson, Tuesday morning. May 10, 1898. was a great shock to every one in this community. He was so well and so favorably known to almost every person in this county that his sudden demise was felt as a personal bereavement.

He was born in Fredericksvoern. Norway, Sept. 3, 1S49, where he enjoyed the advantages of the high school of his town. At the age of fifteen years, he shipped as a sailor lad and visited nearly all lands. He was at one time shipwrecked oft the coast of Africa.

After following the sea for four years, he came to America, and lived at Rochester, Minn., where he worked at blacksmith work. He came to Waseca about 18G5, and entered the employ of the C. & N. W. Ry. Co., at the roundhouse. During all these years of toil, at the blacksmith trade, he spent his spare moments in studying the English language and those branches which qualify a man for business and official duties. In 1881, he was appointed deputy auditor of this county, and so well did he perform his duties that he was elected county auditor in 1884. This position he held for four successive terms. He was one of the most popular officers of the county.

In 1882, he was married to Miss Julia Anderson, who survives him. He had two adopted children, Clara, now grown to womanhood, and a young girl adopted last year.

He was a Master Mason and had also attained the most excellent degree in the Chapter. He filled the Master's chair of Tuscan lodge very acceptably for several terms. He was a most courteous and exemplary citizen, an honorable and upright business man, a true husband, kind and affectionate toward his family, charitable to the needy, and a favorite in the social circles, to which he gave considerable time.

Gottlieb Prechel, of St. Maiy, about seventy-one years of age, died ^lay 24:, about noon, of inflammation of the bladder - having been ill some months. Deceased was one among- the first settlers of the eoiTnty, having located in St. ;\Iary June, IS.")."). He was a native of Prussia and came to this country abottt lS.3:i - first stopping in AYisconsin, where he remained until the spring of 18.3.'i. when he came to Waseca county in company with Fred Troechel, Fred AVobsehall and others, and settled where he has since resided. Deceased was an industrious, frugal man and a peaceful citizen. Tie left surviving him two sons and two daughters - Lewis Prechel, of Woodville. Emil H. Prechel, of St. :\Iary. :Mrs. Julia :Montei. of Deerfield, and :Mrs. Dora Grunwald, of St. Mary.

:Mr. Cornelius Keleher died July 13, 1S9S. in :Miuneapolis. at the residence of his daughter, :Mrs. Crow, of heart failure, aged seventy-eight years, four months and fifteen days. He was boi-n in the county of Cork, Ireland, and came to America in 1846. landing in Xewburyport, :Mass. He afterwards resided in AVisconsin and then came to St. :Mary. in this county, in 18.3(i. He was an industrious, hard working man, one who always paid his honest dues and kept his contracts. He was a man of strong will, and had a mind of his own on all subjects. He was at one time prominent in St. :\Iary town-site aftairs, but for many years he had abandoned all ambitions and quietly spent his days with his children and grandchildren. He was the author of a book regarding church affairs, compiled some fifteen years before. Hi^ remains were brought to AYaseca, taken to the St. ilary Catholic cemetery, and there deposited beside those of his wife, who died many years before.

called the "Hotchkiss" disease, which shows itself by inflammatory swellings on different parts of the body. The malady defies the skill of physicians. Mr. Burke was born in Oneida county, X. Y., February 15, 1844. He was the fourth son of ]\IichaeI and (Jatherine (Kelly) Burke, both from count.v Roscommon, Ireland. At the age of seventeen, William enlisted in company B, Sixteenth Wisconsin infantry, in 1861. He was discharged in June, liS62, on account of sickness, but re-enlisted in the same regiment again as soon as he recovered, participating in the battles of yiiiloh, Atlanta, Joiiesboro, Dalton, Resaea, and Corinth. He was discharged July 16, 1865, and returned to Wisconsin. Shortly after he went South and spent some tijne there, coming to Minnesota, however, in 1867, and settling in Alton. January "28, ltS(J7, he was married to Joanna Quirk, born in ]Middletown, Connecticut, her parents being natives of Cork and AVest I\Ieath, Ireland. Mr. Burke vvas chairman of the board of supervisors of Alton for several years, and in 1875, was elected a member of the county board, a position which he held for six years. He was at one time assessor and for many years he wa.s school director. He was a man of decided opinions, but uevertheless charitable toward those who differed from him.

Hon. 0. W. Francis, son of Asa ("Dr.") Francis, one of the early settlers of Byron township, died at Fargo, N. D., of appendicitis, Aug. 16, 1898. At an early age he studied law with Batchelder and Buckham, of Faribault. Soon after reaching his majority, he removed to Fargo, N. D., where he entered upon the practice of his profession, and was very successful. He was a member of the Dakota legislature at the time of his death. He invested largely in farming lands and other real estate, and is said to have become quite wealthy.

;Mr. S. W. Franklin, early settler in New Richland, a sketch of whom is given elsewhere in this volume, died of erysipelas, after an illness of two days, August 21, 1898. He was one of our l)est citizens.

Air. Warren (iates, of Alma City, died suddenly, Sept. 5, 1898. He was taken with a cough which resulted fatally in a few minutes. He was born in Bennington county, Vt., January 31, 18'28. He was a wagon maker by trade and first opened shop in Erie county, N. Y. He came as far west as La Crosse, Wis., in 1864.

He bogau his residence in Alma City, in the fall of 1865, being one of the first of her settlers. He married Miss Helen jM. Canfield, of N\mv York State, April ^5, 1852. They were the parents of six children.

John Bailey, of ^Medford, who died at Rochester, Wednesday morning, December 7, at 5 o'clock, was one of the old and respected settlers of Waseca coimty. Pie was born at Franklin, New Hampshire, and was abont sixty-eight years of age at the time of his death. In the spring of 1855 he came West and first located in Waseca county. He was one of the proprietors of the townsite of St. ]\Iary which made a strong fight for the county seat of Waseca county. In September, 1862, he moved to Faribault, and later to the village of East Prairie, remaining at the latter place until 1865, when he moved to ;Medford. In 1876 he was appointed postmaster, which office he held about twelve years.

]Mr. John F. Preston, at one time a prominent citizen of Waseca, and a brother of S. H. Preston, died suddenly of heart failure, near his home in the suburbs of Kuoxville, Tenn., Dec. 14, 1898. Deceased was born in Pittsfield, Vt., about 1850, and came to AA'aseca county about 1869. Some time afterwards he married ]\Iiss Etta Taylor. He was engaged in the sale of musical instruments and jewelry in Waseca until about the close of 1889, -when he went to live near Knoxville, Tenn. His wife and two sons survived him, but the yoimger son has since died.

Died, on Sunday, December 18, 1898, Mrs. Augusta Rieck Krassin, wife of Gottlieb Krassin, of Waseca. Deceased was born in Germany, October 22, 1867, and came to JMinnesota about the year 1882. The immediate cause of her death was blood poisoning.

ilr. Fred Redeske, of Otisco, passed away Dec. 28, 1898. He died of stomach trouble, having been sick a long time. He was a native of Prussia, sixty-one years of age, and came to Chicago in 1873, thence to this county in 1881. He left surviving him his wife, two sons, and three daughters. His funeral was held under the auspices of the "Deutcher Krieger Verein" of which he was an honorable member.

Weather And Storms

"This has been a wonderful winter for weather. From the middle of December to the 11th of February there was mild and pleasant weather, almost without a ripple of cold. Early on the morning of the 11th inst, there was a fall of some three inches of snow, nearly all of which disappeared the next day. The first of the week, Monday and Tuesday, there was a fall of more snow, but the temperature was very mild and not to exceed four inches of snow came."

"O, the mud, the terrible mud; in we go with a sickening thud. The horses shy and pull and plunge, as through our streets they heave and lunge. And then the sun comes out a-glint, and makes the mud as hard as flint. We all stand by with none to soothe, without a move the streets to smooth. A little wisdom, now and then, exerted by our councilmen, and duly used upon each street, would bring to all a glad heart-beat."

"That was a regular, old fashioned "northwester," last ilonday and ]\tonday night. Six or eight iiirhes of snow fell, we .indge, and was blown into huge drifts as fast as it came. The weather became very cold Tuesday morning and the snt)w drifted badly during the day. The highways are in very bad shape - neither sleighing nor wagoning, with heavy drifts all along, especially Avhere there are groves or fences. It is seldom we get so severe a storm thus early in the season. This was the beginning of i-eal winter.

New Catholic Church

This year plans were made for a new church building by the Catholics of Waseca. It was planned to be 50x13-4 feet - the architecture to be Iiomaues(|ue in treatment -, to be constructed of pressed briek the tower lo be 125 feet in height, the total seating capacity 1,000, and to be one of the finest churches in southern j\linnesota.

Waseca county, at a comparatively eai'ly day. organized a number of farmers co-operative creameries. In 1898 Ihis count.v contained in proportion to its geographical size and population.

Freeborn county, with twent.y townships, then had twentynine creameries; Faribault county, with twenty townships, had twenty-eight creameries; while Waseca county with only twelve townships, had nineteen."

A Terrible Accident

Prom the Waseca Herald, Sept. 3, 1898: "About half past five o'clock, last Saturday afternoon, Fred Metzler, of Wilton, was thrown from his wagon, by an engine, on the C. & N. W. Ry., at the Second street crossing, and both his legs were cut off just below the knees. The bones were so badly crushed and mangled that both legs had to be amputated above the knees. It was a fearful maiming!

It appears, from what we can learn, that Metzler had just unloaded his grain at the Farmers' grain elevator, and was coming over to the business portion of the town. When he reached the crossing, he found a threshing outfit, with a steam engine, just south of the tracks, which made his horses a little shy and attracted his attention as he drove on to the right of way. Just as the wagon was on one of the tracks, the engine struck the front of it, throwing him out, with the result stated. As the wagon was struck by the engine, the horses broke loose from it and ran astride an electric-light pole, breaking the neck yoke. They then ran down Second street as far as the Grant House near which they were captured.

Mr. Metzler was taken up by James E. Shanesy and Emmons H. Smith and conveyed to the Waseca House where Drs. Cummings, Swartwood, and Blanchard dressed his wounds. It is said that he is doing as well as possible under the conditions.

The Election Of 1898

The contest in the Minnesota election this year was only second to that of 1896 in deep and intense interest. The leading candidates for governor were W. H. Eustis and John Lind. Ex-congressman Lind was the candidate of the Silver Republicans, the Democrats and the Populists, while ilr. Eiistis was the candidate of the Republican party and the gold combine. The result on governor in this county was as follows: John Lind received 1,315 votes and W. H. Eustis 1,118, giving Lind a plurality of 197 - the normal republican majority being a trifle over 300. Local candidates received the following votes : senator, E. B. Collester, rep., 1,167, P. AIcGovcrn, dem., 1,373 ; representative, John Wilkinson, rep., 1,309, H. C. Chase, dem., 1,169, W. C. Wobschall, ind., 63 ; auditor, A. J. Lohren, rep., 1,149 ; P. J. ile- Loone, dem., 1,313 ; treasurer, W. H. Roesler, rep., 1.288. J. T. Dunn, dem., 1,280; sheriff, Geo. H. lioodspeed, rep., 1,199, Frank Collins, dem., 1,387 ; register of deeds, A. F. Kruger, rep., 1,163, J. M. WoUschlaeger, dem., 1,427; judge of probate, Geo. A. Wilson, rep., 1,623, W. S. Miner, dem., 904; county attorney, B. F. McGregor, rep., 1,039, John Moonan, dem., 1,532; superintendent of schools, C. W. La Du, rep., ],031, F. J. Remund, 1,611; county commissioner, 2d district, W. L. Herbst, rep., 252, ]\1. H. Helms, dem., 276 ; county commissioner, 4th district, Herman Ewert, rep., 368, James Vaughn, Jr., dem., 335. 0. L. Smith, for county sui-- veyor, and Dr. E. J. Batchelder, for coroner, were elected without opposition.