The Fort Dodge Messenger: Dec. 30, 1905

Not Drunk But Lightheaded

Andrew Overby Has Peculiar Plea to Make in the Mayor’s Court This Morning.

“Andrew were you drunk?” said Mayor Bennett this morning on discerning the familiar face of Andrew Overby, an old timer, among the prisoners brought before him at the opening of police court.

“Well! No! I wasn’t drunk, but I was pretty light headed,” came the answer. The question was not argued further, but the mayor feeling that light headedness and intoxication were so nearly allied with Andrew fined him a dollar and costs.

Bill Jones, another old timer, who has been on one continuous spree for the past week, was sentenced to ten days labor on the streets.

The Fort Dodge Messenger: Dec. 21, 1905

Misfortune Follows “Nutty Willey”

Has Finger Cut Off by Being Caught in Jail Door This Morning

“Nutty Willie” who gained increased fame in police circles yesterday by being arrested for stealing a Christmas tree, and getting a sentence of thirty days ont he charge of vagrancy, seems to be a child of misfortune.

His latest trouble has been to get the forefinger of his right hand cut off by being caught in the jail door. When Officer Dittmer entered the jail this morning to bring the prisoners their breakfast, he found Willey executing a double shuffle with variations for the remainder of the bunch. Willey took a sudden fascination for the policeman, and when he went to leave, tried to follow him. He caught hold of the door, and the officer not noticing what had happened slammed it shut, only to open it again, when a howl of pain came form the inside.

It was found that Willey had stuck his fingers in the crevice of the doorway and that one of them had been cut nearly off, when the heavy door swung shut. The injured member will have to be amputated.

The Fort Dodge Messenger: Dec. 13, 1905

Woud (sic) Victimize Mayor Bennett

Latter Thinks an Attempt Has Been Made to Work a Graft on Him.

Mayor Bennett is of the opinion that an attempt has been made to work a smoothy graft on him, in a letter received by him this morning. The letter states that one Sidney J. Bennett took a government claim of 160 acres in 1874. It says that the writer, an abstractor in Washington, D.C., is of the opinion that he is not the Sidney J. Bennett who did this and asks him to state as much and put a price on his right to take claims. The mayor things that the writer desires to get him to state that he is not the Mr. Bennett who took such a claim, and to purchase his right. He would then sell this right for a large sum to some third party. It would be discovered that Mr. Bennett had once taken a claim when the third party attempted to use the purchased right, and he could be prosecuted for attempting to defraud the government.

The Fort Dodge Messenger: Dec. 13, 1905

“Lid” Is On In Earnest In Fort Dodge Today

Reign of Terror Through The City Will Be Brought to Speedy End.

The Slot Machines Go Down

Mayor Gives Chief Orders to Throw Out the Drag Net For Tough Characters

General Cleaning Up Started

All Gambling Institutions, Saloons That do Not Company With the Law, and Any and all Disreputable Places Will be Closed.

The lid is on in Fort Dodge today. A general cleaning up process has been started, and the city is to be thoroughly  gone over, cleaned and disinfected of the moral filth that has existed during the past few months.

At nine o’clock this morning Mayor Bennett entered police headquarters with a grim look on his face, and calling the chief announced that the lid was to be clapped down and hermetically sealed. The chief was given orders to take down all slot machines, whether operated for the purpose of winning cigars or money; all gambling devices of any sort, close all saloons that did not comply with the law, all gambling institutions and disorderly resorts, and throw out the drag net and rake in all the suspicious, tough and disorderly characters that could be found from end to end of the city.

Work Starts at Once.

The work starts at once, and it is safe to say that by night Fort Dodge will exist under the tightest lid that ever covered an Iowa city. Chief Tullar will personally visit all places in the city where slot machines are operated this morning, and will order them consigned to the garret, and on refusing will confiscate them. Saloons will be notified to observe a strict compliance with the closing law at nights and Sundays, warned to observe the black list and preserve order in their places. All suspicious localities will be visited, and anything that hints of disorder or lawlessness will receive a thorough investigation.

Throw Out the Net.

This completed the net will be thrown out, and the city raked through from east to west and from north to south. Alleys, by streets, dens and dives will be visited, and all undesirable characters found therein will be loaded into the patrol wagon, which will accompany the visits, and landed behind prison bars to await a sentence of a few days labor on the streets or a jail term on a diet of bread and water.

Mayor Bennett is determined that the reign of terror that has existed here during recent times will be ended, for good and for all if possible. The whirr of slot machines, and the rattle of the nickle (sic) will be heard no longer. Dice shaking for drinks and cigars will be prohibited, and the crap game in a sequestered spot in alleys is to be a thing of the past. Hold-ups, burglaries, drugging in saloons, and slugging on dark streets by foot pads will cease, and the gentry who have been perpetrating the acts will hide by day and night, or leave the city.

It is is expected that it will take several days to complete the work that has been started. It was placed well under way by noon, however, and a large part will be completed by night. The rest will await the action of time and vigorous action.

The Fort Dodge Messenger: Dec. 10, 1904

“Nuttie” Willie Gets Promotion

Aspires To Something Higher Than Police Court and is Held to Grand Jury.

Threatened to Burn Property

Willie Got Huffed at Fred Hecht of Moorland and Made Threat to Burn House and Barn – Pleads Guilty to Charge.

“Nuttie” Willie is a bad, bad man, and is now occupying a cell in the county jail under $250 (about $6,000 today) bonds to wait the action of the grand jury.  It all arises form threats made by Willie against Fred Hecht, whose property he said he intended to burn.

The information was sworn out by Hecht on Thursday, and the police had Willie behind the bars in a very short space of time.

“Nutty” Willie, whose real name is Ernest Willie, has been a familiar character in police circles of this city for the past three years, and has turned up for an interview with his honor every two or three weeks with the greatest regularity. He has, however, been generally a very inoffensive person at all times before, and this is the first time he has aspired to anything higher in the line of justice than was obtainable from the city mayor.

The threat to burn the property of Hecht is merely the result of an imaginary wrong.

The Fort Dodge Messenger: Dec. 6, 1905

There Are Fools and Fools Still

Fort Dodge People Taken in By Man With Latest Kind of Graft.

He Got More Than $500

Police Investigate Report as to Operations of Fake Clairivoyant (sic) and Find Them All Too True – Twenty-five Were Stung.

Investigation by the police of the story given them yesterday by an unknown woman to the effect that an alleged clairvoyant had victimized a number of people through the city for considerable sums, has proved the report all too true.

Secured About $500.

Captain Long, who took the matter in hand, reported this morning that he learned that the man gave his name at  T yler and advertized in the local papers that he would discover lost articles, give advice as to the future and tell the past. He was located at 502 Third avenue north and at this place the officer thinks he fleeced Fort Dodge people out of $500.

How He Operated.

One lady visited Tyler to learn how to act in some mysterious matter. He told her to secure two ten dollar bills and a five dollar bill and to bring them to him in a neat silk package. This she did, and he hung the sack about her neck, telling her to return in two weeks. She felt no uneasiness, because she could feel the bills in the sack. Others had the same trick played on them. Tyler would request them to bring two twenty dollar gold pieces or a couple of bills of some denomination. When this was done he would place them in a sack and tie it about the neck of the person, telling them to return in two weeks. On the appointed day about twenty-five persons gathered at Tyler’s place, and he was found to have flown. Examination of the silk sacks disclosed the fact that instead of bills they contained wads of paper and instead of gold pieces two half dollars.

Won’t Give Names.

Those who played the sucker act kept quiet about the matter, but in the manner related in yesterday’s Messenger it came to the notice of the police by a woman calling them over the phone. Some five or six of the parties that were taken in have been visited by Policeman Long and in each case they have begged him to withhold their names. Chief Tullar has a description of Tyler and will forward the same to the city marshals in neighboring towns.

The Fort Dodge Messenger: Dec. 5, 1905

Has Work for The Police

Woman Says That Hpynotists (sic) Fleeced Fort Dodge People of Large Sums.

An unknown woman called up police headquarters this morning and stating that she had some work for the police of the city, called for Captain Long.

To this gentleman she divulged the information that a hypotist (sic) with rooms on Third avenue north, had by means of his power fleeced Fort Dodge people out of more than a thousand dollars during the last two weeks. She stated that he had enticed parties in the neighborhood to the place and had persuaded them to return later bringing all their spare cash.

After a week of this kind of transaction she claimed that he left the city. The police think that the entire affair is utterly without foundation, but will nevertheless give the premises where the grafter is said to have been located, a visit.

The Fort Dodge Messenger: Dec. 4, 1903

Prisoners Look For Their Comfort

Occupants of Webster County Jail Believe in Having an Easy Time.

They Ask For Conveniences

System of Signals by Which They Can Call Sheriff at any Time.

One ring – Cold water.
Two rings – Hot water.
Three rings – Papers, books, etc.
Four rings – Sick call.
Five rings – Emergency call.

Sheriff Olson is now “bell hop” in his (one full line of text is obscured) at the southeast corner of Central avenue and Seventh street, upstairs, in appointment, puts to shame many so called hoselries that demand at least $2 per day (about $48 today).

Modern in every detail; equipped with all the modern conveniences, the best of light and ventilation, and above all, assuring absolute safety for its occupants – probably if the “guests” were asked they would say a little too safe – the establishment presided over by Sheriff Olson is above the standard.

Webster county prisoners have their own opinions as to their rights and they are by no means backward in making expression of the same. While not exactly basing their theories on the belief that the world owes them a living, the occupants of the top floor of the court house maintain that while they are the enforced guests of the county, the aforesaid county shall provide for their comfort. The new jail is one of the best in the state and is modern in every detail, but its occupants have discovered some shortcomings. At the recent meeting of the board of supervisors they petitioned that body to install a system of signals in the jail by which the prisoners may make known their wants to the sheriff, whose residence is on the same floor, but situation on the east side of the building, and practically out of hearing from the jail, which occupies the west side of the building.

The petition was granted and now the sheriff’s residence and the jail are connected in the same manner as are the rooms of a hotel with the clerk’s desk on the main floor. There is no other way out of it. The sheriff, who is his own jailer, must respond when he is called. One ring of the electric bell means that some prisoner had decided his convenience would be furthered if he had a little cold water. Two rings means that the water must be hot, and when the bell goes bur-r-r-r three times a little reading matter is desired. Four and five rings are sick call. For ordinary cases the bell is rung four time. Five rings means that something serious is the matter and the attention of the sheriff is desired at once.

This method of ringing the sheriff will probably be found most convenient at times when the prisoners are locked in their cells and are unable to do for themselves. The occupants of the jail find the new system of no little convenience and use it to advantage.

The Fort Dodge Messenger: Nov. 7, 1905

The Mayor is Up in Arms

Says Distributing Pills and Medicines About The City Must Stop.

With the bringing before him a case where a little child had become dangerously ill from eating a sample box of pills thrown into the front yard by a distributing agent, Mayor Bennett has risen in his wrath and declares that distributing samples of medicines about the city especially at residences must be stopped.

He states that he will notify official bill poster and advertising agent W.P. Durmer that he must not take any more contracts to put out such stuff and will instruct his police to arrest all transients whom they find pursuing a similar work. His action will no doubt be approved through the city particularly by people with small children, from the fact that the little ones often pick up, and eat boxes of tempting-looking sugar coated pills, etc., that they found about the street and house.