The Fort Dodge Messenger: April 13, 1903

A Little Chicken Corner

The Fort Dodge Messenger: April 8, 1906

Horse Stolen on Central Avenue

Charles Woodbury, Living Near Cemetery, Loses a Valuable Animal Today

Taken by Unknown Parties

Horse Had Been Left Tied Just West of Right Place Store. Police at Work

A horse and buggy belonging to Charles Woodbury, living near the cemetery, unexpectedly disappeared at about noon today. the horse had been hitched on Sixth street, just east of the right place store, and was taken from that place by some unknown person, and has not been seen since.

Mr. Woodbury’s son saw the horse being driven around, but thought that his father had given some one permission to use it. He saw the buggy stop at the curbing and take in another man, after which it was driven away and he has not seen it since.

The horse was a dark brown animal, fastened to a well worn buggy without a top. The matter was reported to the police and Marshal Ed Welch spent considerable time this afternoon looking for the missing property, but up to the time of going to press had found no trace of it.

The Fort Dodge Messenger: April 8, 1904

The Dog Paid the Price

A Sad Lesson About Handling Unloaded Guns.

Young Woman in Somers Takes for Granted That Gun is Unloaded and Mourns Pet Dog.

The Somers’ correspondent of the Messenger repeats the oft given and much needed advice to the effect that even if you know a gun is not loaded don’t be too sure of it and govern yourself accordingly. He sends the following sad account of how a poor little dog was offered up as a sacrifice that a human being might be taught a lesson:

“The daughter of a prominent farmer living near here a few days ago had an experience which taught her a lesson she will not readily forget. Her brother had been out hunting and returning home had carelessly left his gun standing against the wall. Thinking the weapon was unloaded his sister picked it up and idly pulled the trigger. There was a report and when the smoke leared (sic) away the girl was alone in the room. She had entered with the family pet, an English terrier. The unfortunate canine was standing near the muzzle of the gun when the girl pulled the trigger and his life went out that she might next time be sure that the gun was unloaded or that no little doggies were near the muzzle when she pulled the trigger.”

The Fort Dodge Messenger: April 7, 1904

Chickens Must Stay at Home

Police to See That Owner Keeps Them on Property.

A Ban Is Also Placed on the Practice of Bicycle Riders Using the Sidewalks.

Many complaints have been made to the police to the effect that the productiveness of newly made gardens is enhanced by the intrusions of neighboring chickens. The number of complaints have been such that it is now ordered that all persons who are the owners of fowls must keep them in enclosures or at least take some means by which they will remain on the owner’s premises and if there is any scratching or garden destroying to be done that only the owner of the chickens shall suffer.

Police records in cities the size of Fort Dodge, where the advantages of the country can be enjoyed in so far as it is possible to raise one’s own chickens and lose no sleep when the grocer asks sky scrapinging (sic) prices for eggs, show that many cases which the mayor is called upon to settle often arise from such a little thing as one neighbor’s chickens paying a visit to another neighbor’s garden and digging up the young plants from which neighbor No. 2 expected to reap a harvest. To eliminate the number of such disturbances and because of the further fact that a person owning chickens by law is obliged to keep them on his own premises, owners of the feathery property of all kinds are warned to keep the same on their own domain.

With spring comes the bicycle and with it comes another mandate from the police. Every street in Fort Dodge is not paved with asphalt and it must be admitted that there are some at certain periods of the year, of which spring is one, when they are not at all unlike country roads. For these reasons riders of bicycles on many of the resident streets resort to the sidewalks, where they find peddling much better than on the muddy street. There is an ordinance against riding on the sidewalks and it is to be enforced. Bicycle riders apprehended riding on the walks will be arrested and fined.

(Editor’s note: My last bicycle-riding experience was about three or four years ago in Fort Dodge. I had gone to pick up a bike from a friend, who was giving it to me. I tried out the bike and decided to ride it home, a few blocks away. While waiting for the light to change at Sixth Avenue North and 15th Street, I was chastised and cursed at by a guy in a car for riding my bike on the street.  It is still the law in Iowa that bicycle riders must ride on the street, and vehicle drivers must allow it.)

The Fort Dodge Messenger: April 2, 1906

A $200 Horse is Stolen

Boldest Theft of Year Right in Heart of City Saturday Afternoon.

Owner Offers $50 Reward

Thief Took Horse, Buggy and all From Where it was Tied near Chapin’s Lumber Yard – Burgfried Bros. Were Owners.

The boldest theft of the year to occur in Fort Dodge took place Saturday afternoon when a two hundred dollar blooded horse belonging to Burgfried Brothers was stolen from its hitching place on the north side of Chapin’s lumber yard.

The theft occurred between two and five o’clock, as the animal was tied at the place as the animal was tied at the place mentioned at two and was gone when the owners returned at five.

The animal is a bay, sixteen adn one-half hands high, weight about 1,300 pounds. It has a small white star in the face also a white mark on the lower point of the left shoulder. The vehicle was a red wheeled road wagon, containing a light harness, horse blanket and robe.

The owners are incensed over the theft and without delay the matter was placed in the hands of Sheriff Oleson. A reward of fifty dollars has been offered by Burgfried Brothers for the capture of the thief and the return of the stolen property.

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The Fort Dodge Messenger: April 3, 1906

Sold Stolen Horse for $40

Horse Stolen From Burgfried Bros. Sold by Thief to Teamster.

Sheriff Olson (sic) has recovered the horse stolen from Brugfied (sic) Bros. Saturday afternoon from the place where it was tied north of Chapin’s lumber yeard (sic).

The animal was sold for forty dollars to one A.H. Linda a teamster living on the flat and was later recovered from this man. Mr. Linda states that a young man approached him on the street stating that he had a horse to sell. He announced his willingness to look at the animal and was led to a side street where it was tied. The seller offered to dispose of it for forty dollars and seeing that the horse was a bargain at that price Linda at once closed the deal and the next day paid over his money, not thinking but that the man was its owner.

He took the horse home and on Monday hitched it up and started on his work with it. A liveryman recognized it and informed the sheriff. Linda was greatly surprised to hear of the manner in which he had been buncoed and at once gave up the horse. He has placed a description of the young man who sold the stolen animal to him in the hands of the officers who have instituted a search for him. It is supposed, however, that he at once made good his escape from the city. He is said to be a Fort Dodge young man, residing in “Bobtown.”

The Fort Dodge Messenger: April 3, 1905

A Bad Runaway Saturday

Farm Team Gets Beyond Control and Does Damage.

Scratched Themselves Up Badly And Succeeded in Smashing The Buggy And Tongue all to Pieces.

Saturday afternoon in the neighborhood of Twelfth street and First avenue south a runaway occurred, which resulted in a smashed buggy and two very much scratched horses. A farmer had been shopping in the city all day and was just going after his daughter who was visiting friends here. While on the way to the house one horse in some way stepped over the tongue and immediately began to jump and kick. The other horse followed suit, and almost before the man realized what had happened they had broken the tongue and had started at a run.

As they were nearing Central avenue, the driver had the presence of mind to turn the horses around and they ran at full speed down Twelfth street. He turned them west at Second avenue south and going down the hill both horses fell bruising themselves frightfully on the pavement, but regained their feet and started again.

They swerved around a full circle and started northeast into the John Pearson’s yard where they came to a standstill as they ran into a large tree with terrible force.

The tongue of the buggy was split its whole length, both front wheels were off and smashed to pieces and the box of the buggy was cracked to pieces. The horses were rather badly bruised and cut up and the man was compelled to drive them with broken harness to the livery barn where he could get a vehicle with which to return home.

The Fort Dodge Messenger: April 1, 1903

Engine Stopped Just in Time

Misses Carrie Johnson and Inger Larson in Serious Peril

Horse Fell in Crossing Track

Alertness of Engineer of Approaching Freight Train and Flag Men Avert Accident.

With the horse they were driving fallen and floundering on the track, Misses Carrie Johnson and Inger Larson sat helpless in their buggy, watching an Illinois Central freight train bearing own (sic – should be down) upon them, on Tuesday. The alertness of the engineer in charge of the train, and the flagman on duty at the crossing, saved them from what seemed for a time to be a deadly peril.

As soon as the man at the throttle saw the predicament of the two ladies he reversed his engine. The emergency brakes were set, and the train was stopped before it reached the buggy with its helpless inmates.

The carriage was slightly damaged but nothing else resulted from what might have been a terrible accident.

The Fort Dodge Messenger: March 31, 1905

Moving Time in Frogland

Thousands Swarm Streets

Resident of West Fort Dodge Tells a Story of Their Trip Up The Hill and Across The Tracks – Move Means Fishing is Good at This Time.

For the past few nights the migration of the frogs from the river to the higher grounds on the tops of the hills has been taking place, and it is one of the most peculiar sights that has been seen in Fort Dodge for a long time. The frogs seem to do all of their moving in the night, and after nine o’clock the streets down toward the river have been swarming with the hop toads on the move.

A resident of West Fort Dodge who has witnessed the sight on two or three nights, states that there were hundreds of the little fellows, and that they fairly swarmed over the sidewalks, so that it was hard to walk without stepping on them at times. On his way toward the bridge he notices the first one at the top of the hill just above the tracks. This one hopped off the walk in front of him, and taking a few steps more there were several others jumping past him. As he got down to the tracks, they were swarming on every side, and hundreds of them were encountered from there on down to the river.

There was no mistaking the way they were traveling, as they were all headed toward the top of the hill and were going right along as though they had a definite idea as to their destination.

Other people report that while the emigration of frogs was gong on here, the same thing was happening farther  up the river and that they were swarming up the hill toward Round Prairie in the same manner. It is probably that the movement was general and that they were making for the ponds, sloughs and creeks farther back on the hills.

While this movement has never been remarked in Fort Dodge, it is said to be no very uncommon thing, and that when the frogs leave the river in this manner, they are fleeing for their lives from the fish, which denotes that the fishing is good. However, owing to strict enforcement of the game laws, the fact that the fishing is good will not do much toward making local fishermen happy.

The Fort Dodge Messenger: March 30, 1903

Dog Fight Led to Fist Fight

Con Fogerty (sic) Was Heavily Fined for Striking Mrs. Montgomery

Was a Busy Police Court

Busy Monday Attested the Fact That Spring Has Come Again – Six Drunks Docketed.

A dog fight resulted in a fist fight Sunday afternoon and the fracas culminated in police court this morning when Con Fogarty was fined $25 and costs for striking Mrs. Montgomery a blow on the forehead which to use Mrs. Montgomery’s own words, penetrated “plumb to the bone.”

On Sunday afternoon Con Fogarty’s dog encountered Mrs. Montgomery’s canine pet and proceeded to literally eat up his adversary, being incited in so doing, it is claimed by Fogarty. Mr. Montgomery tried to make peace but Fogarty objected. Then Mrs. Montgomery appeared on the scene and Fogarty struck her with brutal force on the forehead, the wound being plainly visible when the lady appeared against Fogarty in police court this morning. James O’Hare, who was also implicated, was fined $5 and costs. both Fogarty and O’Hare being unable to pay their fines were sent to the city jail.

Besides the dog fight case, six drunks were docketed. David Fuller, who was charged with carrying knuckles besides being drunk, admitted that the knuckles were his possession, but said that he had them by accident. He was fined $7.10 and left his gold watch as security, having no cash. Simon Fodge who resides in the country was charged with being drunk but was dismissed on payment of a dollar and on promise of going home. James West, John Hanson, Sam McElroy and James Hallison were charged with being drunk. All please guilty and were accordingly given the customary $7.10 fine. West left a watch in place of cash. John Hanson was discharged and McElroy, who when asked by His Honor what was his business, replied, “I ain’t got no business,” was committed to jail. Hallison was also sent to jail.

This morning’s docket was the heaviest in some time and those connected with police court are beginning to feel that spring has really come.