The Fort Dodge Messenger: May 30, 1905

The Wolves Kill Great Many Sheep

Seems to be a Great Many at Large and They are Working Havoc Generally.

Sport for the Hunters

Farmers Appeal to Fort Dodge Sportsmen to Shoulder Their Guns and Kill Off or Scare off all The Wolves In The Vicinity.

Farmers all around the city are complaining that the wolves are doing great damage at their farms and think that some of the enthusiastic sportsmen shoudl shoulder their muskets and proceed to down the foe.

The farms where sheep are raised, seem to be the most pestered and at the Rutledge farm and Tower farms, especially, they have noticed losses because of the wolves. The little animals are bcoming (sic) a regular nuisance and seem to be about in unusually large numbers.

In speaking of it Monday, a farmer from west of town said:

“Yes, indeed, the wolves are running wild and there seems to be a great many of them. We have had several losses of sheep and probably will have more. I wish that some of these great hunters around town would come out our way and kill a lot of hte wolves off, or scare them away, or something.”

The Fort Dodge Messenger: May 25, 1904

Thrillling (sic) Accident of Frightened Team

Horses of Oakdale Dairy Cut a Swath on the River Road North of Town

Broken Wagon Tongue Cause

Narrow Escape From Death for Mr. and Mrs. Schoonmaker and Infant.

Mr. and Mrs. O.F. Schoonmaker of Clarion, visiting at the Miller home in this city, and the Miller baby, very narrowly escaped death Sunday morning in a collision with a runaway team on the river road north of the city.

Mr. and Mrs. Miller and Mr. and Mrs. Schoonmaker had planned a picnic dinner in the woods along the river north of the city. Mr. and Mrs. Schoonmaker with the Miller baby were ahead and had reached what is is known as the Narrows road north of the Haviland place, where the road is only wide enough for some distance for a single team, with no room for passing when they were horrified to see a runaway team and wagon approaching. The team was mad with fright and as they were hemmed in on one side by the bluff and on the other by the river bank, there was no way of avoiding the crash and no time to get out of the vehicle. With no decrease in their mad speed the runaway crashed into the rig occupied by the three. Mrs. Schoonmaker and the child were thrown over the dash board among the struggling and fright-crazed animals, two of which had been thrown by the violence of the contact, and were only rescued with difficulty by other picnickers who were on the same road, but fortunate enough to find a way of escape. Mrs. Schoonmaker was unconscious when picked up but miraculously was not seriously hurt, sustaining only a few bruises. The baby, aside from a scratch on its fact (sic – should be face) escaped injury and was picked up badly frightened and crying lustily by the side of the road where it had rolled from under the plunging horses.

The runaway horses, which belonged to the Oakdale dairy, and were bringing a load of milk into the city, were held by the party until claimed by their driver. The rig which had been occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Schoonmaker and  the baby was straightened out, the damage repaired and they returned to the city. All things considered, the accident was a fortunate one, in that the results were no more serious.

Mr. and Mrs. E.C. Wakefield, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Craig and Mr. and Mrs. Frank Dietz, who had also planned a day in the woods were on the same road a little way ahead of Mr. and Mrs. Schoonmaker, but seeing the approaching runaway barely got out of their path at a point where the road widened a trifle, and the team passed them, just grazing the wheels of their vehicle. Hearing the crash of the collision behind them, they rushed to the rescue of their less fortunate followers and succeeded in untangling the wreck.

The runaway of the dairy team was caused by the breaking of the wagon tongue as they were coming down the hill. The driver was unharmed.

The Fort Dodge Messenger: May 15, 1905

Newberry is Fined $25 and Costs

The Case is Carried Up and Will Be Tried in the District Court

A Motion for Dismissal

A Motion for Dismissal, Which Was Made by the Defendant Was Over Ruled and This Resulted in Appeal Court Room Jammed.

W.F. Newberry, in police court was this morning fined $25 and costs on the charge of assaulting an officer. The case was, however, appealed to the district court and the defendant placed under bond to appear at the nest term.

The assault which formed the foundation of the case occurred Saturday morning when the defendant assaulted Charles Braden, dog marshal, while Braden was engaged in catching one of his (Newberry’s) dogs. The trial of the case covered a considerable part of the forenoon and was listened to with great interest by a crowd that packed the city hall to the doors.

There were a number of witnesses examined on both sides of the case and all of them agreed that there was a scuffle between the defendant and the prosecuting witness, stating the fact that the defendant struck the plaintiff from two to three times.

The defense made no denial of the fact that the assault had been made, but took the grounds that the mayor under the existing ordinance, had no right to appoint a dog catcher to catch dogs at this time; the ordinace (sic), according to the defense states that the dog tax is payable on or before June 1, 1905. Under this clause the motion alleges that there could legally be no dog catcher appointed, and that such dog catcher had no official duties to perform under the law until that time – June 1.

The motion also took the stand that under the circumstances the dog catcher had no right to touch the dog; that in consideration of this fact, the dog catcher, in taking the animals was in the position of a thief taking the property that did not belong to him; that the defendant in protecting his property used no more force than was necessary to prevent the dog catcher from taking the dog.

This motion was overruled by his honor, and the sentence pronounced placing the above fine and the costs of the case on the defendant.

The story of the prosecuting witness was to the effect that the dog was out in front of the Duncombe House at the time the trouble occurred. He, the dog catcher, started for the animal, when Newberry warned him: “If you touch that dog, I’ll break every bone in your body?”

In spite of the warning Braden reached for the animal with his snare, and this was what precipitated the trouble. Newberry, according to the testimony at this point ran in and struck the dog catcher three times. Braden also alleges that the defendant tore off his star and took his snare away from him. The dog catcher then telephone to the city hall and the action was begun.

Newberry’s story of the occurrence was about the same in a general way with the exception that he denied hitting Braden, stating that he merely shoved him.

According to other witnesses, the dog “Trixy” had been brought out of the barn to kill some rats that had been caught in the Duncombe house. She had finished the job and was lingering about the place when the dog catcher appeared and attempted to catch her.

During the taking of the testimony the facts of the crippled condition of the dog catcher and the great strength of the defendant were brough (sic) prominently to the front, and Frank Farrell, the attorney for the prosecution in his closing plea, created a mild sensation in the court room by denouncing the defendant as a coward.

(Editor’s note: The original article is here: The Dog Marshal’s Life is Strenuous. I believe there was a hotel called Duncombe House.)

The Fort Dodge Messenger: May 14, 1906

Great Western bridge in Fort Dodge

Runs Out on Bridge

Runaway Sunday Morning Ends up in Middle of the Big Great Western Bridge.

A horse belonging to a Lehigh man broke away form its driver Saturday night about ten o’clock and tore at full speed half way across the Great Western railway bridge southeast of the city, finally stopping only when it became stuck in the ties.

It was found utterly exhausted and badly bruised and skinned by a party of boys a few hours later. The problem how to get it back to the ground seemed a serious one, but this was finally accomplished by unhitching it and leading it back. The buggy was not badly damaged and was pulled back by hand.

The accident is a most peculiar one. If a train had happened to come along while the rig was fast in the middle of the bridge a bad accident would have been likely to have occurred. It seems also strange that the animal did not rear and plunge  until it went over the edge of the railing and dropped to the ground nearly a hundred feet below. As it was, however, neither the horse nor the vehicle were badly damaged.

Northwest Chronicle: May 14, 1890

Chicken Pot-Pie

Two Unknown Thieves Will Fare Well at Wm. Shaeffer’s Expense – They Snag the Contents of His Hen House.

Wm. Schaeffer who lives on Richard street counts thirty chickens less in his coop now than roosted there last week. About one o’clock Friday morning Mr. Schaeffer was awakened by the violent barking of his watch dog and hastily attiring himself he stepped into the yard.

His eyes rested upon two men who were making rapid tracks from his hennery. He and the dog at once pursued them, but the thieves shortly eluded them and Mr. Schaeffer returned home, picking up a half a dozen dead chickens on the way. Each was bleeding about the head and an investigation showed that the thieves had employed a cunning scheme to affect the robbery. They approached the roost and seizing a chicken by the neck would drive the blade of a penknife through the head. The dead chicken was then tossed into this bag.

Out of three dozen hens Mr. Schaeffer had six live ones and the half dozen dead ones left by the thieves. The success in this case will doubtless spur the perpetrators to further effort and the public is advised to look after its heneries (sic).

The Fort Dodge Messenger: May 13, 1905

The Dog Marshal’s Life is Strenuous

Is Assaulted and Battered by Dog Owner and Loses Snare, Star and Dignity

W.F. Newberry Up in Court

Alleges That Newberry Attacked Him While He was Engaged in His Official Duties, Struck Him Twice, Took His Star and Snare Away

Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown. So thinks the dog catcher, who this morning filed information against W.F. Newberry, charging him with assault and interference with an official in the discharge of his duties. The case came up in police court this morning, but on the petition of the attorney for the defense, it was continued till Monday morning at 9 o’clock.

According to the allegations of the plaintiff who came into the police station this morning bruised, badgeless and minus his snare, the case is this:

On Friday he succeeded in capturing seven or eight dogs, which he had placed in the dog pound to await their redemption. Two dogs belonging to W.F. Newberry were among the number. This morning when the dog marshal went to look after his charges he found a board kicked off the pound and all of the animals gone. He at once went down to the vicinity of the Newberry stables and got after after the two escaped animals belonging there. He had succeeded in capturing one of them and was in the act of taking him to the pound when according to his allegations, Newberry ran up behind him and swung around, hitting him twice in the face. Newberry then tore off the official star and threw it away, and taking the marshal’s snare away from him, kicked him in the fear, with the admonition to make himself scarce about that place, said admonition being coached in no very choice language. The official dignity of the officer was badly shattered and his feelings hurt as well as his physical man somewhat bruised in the encounter.

After the continuance of the case, the dog marshal was redecorated and is out again and after them. The business of dog catcher is strenuous in Fort Dodge, but the present incumbent of the position is a stayer and means to hang out until every live dog in the city wears a breast pin of the proper brand. He however has much sympathy with Emperor Nicholas.

(Editor’s note: The disposition of the trial is here: Newberry is Fined $25 and Costs.)

The Fort Dodge Messenger: May 6, 1903

Fire Causes Slight Loss

Barn Owned by L.L. Leighton Burned on Tuesday Evening

Loss Covered by Insurance

Cause of Fire is Not Known – Horse and Carriages Saved from the Building.

The department was called out on a long run Tuesday afternoon about 8 o’clock, the fire being in the barn on the premises of L.L. Leighton on Second avenue north and Sixteenth street. It is not exactly known just how the fire started, as no one discovered it until the whole upper story was ablaze. Forgetting the telephine (sic) in the house one of the boys, who was around home ran several blocks to a fire alarm box and turned in an alarm.

Mrs. Leighton had in the mean time telephoned the department, but in her excitement, forgot to tell where the fire was. This necessitated a stop of several minutes to locate where the call had come from, and by the time the department arrived it was too late to save the barn. The carriages and horses were all gotten out safely.

The loss will be about $235 of which there is about $185 insurance. Two other barns in the vicinity were rather badly scorched, and it was thought for a time that they would go, but the department paid all its attentionto these barns, when they saw that the Leighton barn was lost, and so prevented the loss of the two others.

The fire was first discovered by Willie Leighton when he went to the barn to look after the horse. He was just in time to get the animal out, as in a few more moments it would have been impossible to enter the building.

The Fort Dodge Messenger: May 5, 1904

Child is Seriously Injured

Three Year-Old Girl Kicked by Horse.

Dorothy Deckert Badly Hurt this Afternoon – Head Cut and Eye Injured.

This afternoon about 3 o’clock while playing near her home Dorothy, the three-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Virgil Deckert, was seriously injured by a  horse that was staked out grazing near the house. The child attempted to pass the horse when it turned kicking her on the left side of the forehead.

It is thought that the accident to the left eye will result seriously, but as yet the extent of the injury is not known. The child’s forehead was badly cut, especially near the temple. Directly after the accident the little one was carried into the house and medical aid summoned.

The Fort Dodge Messenger: May 4, 1904

Fortunate End to a Runaway

Team Belonging to Doctor Wilson of Vincent Takes a Lively Spin

Had Broken a Neck Strap

Pole Dropped on Ground – Dr. Wilson, Wife and Baby in Buggy.

About eleven o’clock this morning a light top buggy and pair of horses took a lively spin up South First Avenue as far as Twelfth street where they turned, going north for some distance. The occupants of the buggy were Dr. Wilson, wife and baby who drove in from Vincent this morning and who reside in that town.

While watering the horses at the Eighth street watering trough they became frightened and in lurching about broke a neck strap. This let the pole down and the h0rses became unmanageable and started to run. Turning at First avenue they ran east as far as Twelfth street and then north. When near the Chicago & Great Western depot the horses became separated from the buggy and noting their freedom started with more vigor pulling Dr. Wilson out over the dashboard when he released his hold on the lines and was thrown to the pavement. The horses did not run far, however, before they were stopped.

Little injury was sustained outside of a few bruises, and no damage done to the buggy. One of the horses fell during the runaway and has a deep gash on the breast, which is in no way serious. Mrs. Wilson and the baby escaped with nothing more than a fright and a fast ride.