The Fort Dodge Messenger: June 25, 1903

Are Charged With Horse Stealing

John and Ed Wheaton Are Placed Under Arrest By Constable Flint On Wednesday.

Hearing Was This Afternoon.

Claimed that They Took an Animal Belonging to Mrs. Josephine Scott – Alleged Theft Was Committed last February

John and Ed Wheaton, charged with stealing a horse from Mrs. Josephine Scott, were arrested on Wednesday afternoon by Constable A.J. Flint, and were lodged in the county jail. They were brought up for hearing on Wednesday, but the hearing was deferred until 2 o’clock this afternoon, in order that the witnesses could be secured.

The Wheaton boys have been employed in grading gangs in the city for some time past. The told the officers that they had paid for the horse which they were charged with stealing.

Mrs. Scott claims that her horse was taken last February from the Davis livery barn, where it was being kept. The Wheaton boys were in Sioux City not long after, and it is claimed that they had driven the horse to that place and disposed of it there. The accused claim that they went to Sioux City by rail.

Considerable interest was taken in this afternoon’s hearing.

The case came up before Justice Martin this afternoon but at time of going to press the hearing was not complete.

The Fort Dodge Messenger: June 18, 1903

Was Ungrateful for Favors Shown

George Mapleton Fought Policeman Who Pulled Him Out of Danger – Now Nurses Broken Arm.

Was Lying Across The Track.

Resisted and Struck the Policeman and was Thrown Down, Receiving Injury in the Tumble – Other news of Police Court.

George Mapleson, who says his home is in Cedar Rapids, and who has been working on a steel gang at LeMars, had a strenuous experience on Wednesday night. He was found by Officer Mericle in a helplessly intoxicated condition, laying asleep across the Illinois Central tracks near the depot, in imminent danger of being cut in two by a train which was being made u p, and when the officers in all kindness started to remove him from his dangerous position, he showed fight, hit the well meaning policeman with his fist, was thrown down in the melee which followed and broke his arm. This morning, with his arm in a sling, Mapleson showed a humble and contrite spirit, admitted his wrong doing, and was let off with a remitted fine. It was expected that he would be sent back to his home in Cedar Rapids.

Mapleson’s right arm was broken above the elbow. When the officer tried to get him out of his dangerous proximity to the train, Mapleson became abusive, and was promptly placed under arrest. When Mr. Mericle started to take him out of the depot, he wheeled just outside the door and struck him a heavy blow in the face. Mericle threw him down, and as he rose, full of fight threw him down again. It is supposed that his arm was broken in his second fall.

Pat Brennan, who was with Mapleson, was taken to jail.

Henry Kelley, and old offender, was back in police court this morning and Mayor Northrup, true to his promise, assessed a fine of $5 and costs against him, and put  him on the street to work it out, as a rate of $1.50 per day. He was turned over to Street Commissioner Rocky.

Clarence Monahan, another old timer, met the same fate.

John Martin, a youthful personage, said that he wanted to go to Omaha, and was given a change to get out of town.

Mapleson was sent back to his home in Cedar Rapids this afternoon.

The Fort Dodge Messenger: June 14, 1904

Strong Line in Police Court

Mayor Northrup Has a Busy Session This Morning – Hines Heaves a Brick.

Fellow Boarders in a Fight

Otis Felky Refuses to Help Officer Make Arest (sic) and is Himself Arrested.

Mayor Northup had a good sized line-up to go through when he convened court this morning. Eight defendants were arraigned and a total of $78.65 assessed in fines. Of this amount, however, by no means all of it was collected.

John Hines was arrested for heaving a brick at Harry Wilson, a young man who makes his home at the Tremont House. Hines lives at that same place and it was there that the trouble started that ended in his arrest. The complainant testified that defendant had started a war of words when he entered the hotel and finally dared Wilson to follow him into the street. The young man refused to take the dare but he forgot to dodge a brick which Hines hurled at him. The missile bounded off his head and drew first blood.

Officer Pete Ditmer was called to the rescue and Hines was conveyed to the “jug.” The prisoner claimed that the young man was bothering him and other testimony showed that the defendant was not all to blame. He was fined $1 and costs, but afterwards discharged on his promise to keep out of trouble.

Otis Felky was fined $5 and costs and sent back to jail because he refused to assist an officer in arresting Ed Gannon and Pete Coyne Monday night. Gannon, Coyle and Felky were in the John Koll saloon. They started a fight and were ejected from the place. Gannon and Coyne were “mixing it” when a policeman came along and attempted to arrest them. He called on Felky to help him, but Felky merely advised him to journey to a warmer climate. A bystander assisted the officer and after the arrest was made Felky was hunted up and given a berth with his companions. Gannon and Coyne were each fined $10 and costs.

John Strand imbibed a quantity of Milwaukee buttermilk Monday night and went to his home in West Fort Dodge where he was later arrested for disturbing the quiet. He explained that when he arrived home his wife accused him of stealing a bottle of medicine and he became indignant at the accusation and found it impossible to keep his indignation to himself.

John Pool, a cripple, was arrested for being drunk. Pool said his home is in Rapid City, S.D., and that he was only passing through Fort Dodge when arrested. He was fined $1 and costs. Michael Carroll, another cripple, giving Omaha as his residence, blew in from Waterloo and took an overdose of Fort Dodge liquid barb wire. He was given the minimum.

J.A. Hay was arrested Monday for dumping rubbish on North Sixteenth street. He was fined $1 and costs.

The Fort Dodge Messenger: May 29, 1906

Big Police Court Grist

Five Offenders Feel the Law – Will Work on Streets as Soon as Weather Clears.

Five offenders against the law and order of the city were brought up before Mayor Bennett this morning in police court. Four were plain drunks and the fifth was charged with fighting. John Dorcey, Thomas Kennedy, George Wells, and Peter Ewing admitted having been drunk and were fined a dollar and costs each. Mack Christianson the fifth of the party filled up on fire water yesterday afternoon and attacked Mr. J.J. Scanlon in his blacksmith shop. A rousing fight resulted and Christianson had to be taken from the place by the police. He was treated the same as the others and the police were ordered by the mayor to place all on the city streets as soon as the weather cleared.

The Fort Dodge Messenger: May 29, 1906

Are Heavily Fined

Erring Couple Taken From 4th Street Rooming House get Heavy Fines in the Mayor’s Court.

On the complaint of the keeper of a South 4th street boarding house, who stated that a man and woman who were registered at the place as man and wife were evidently not married, Chief Tullar raided the place last night and arresting the two placed them in jail.

Before the mayor this morning they gave their names as Frank Richmond and Nell Earley, frankly admitting the charge against them. Richmond was fined $25 and costs and the woman $10 and costs. Both were sent to jail in default of payment. Richmond works in a lunch counter on 1st avenue south. A watch and chain stolen from the rooming house were found on him. The Earley girl is employed at the Logan house.

The Fort Dodge Messenger: May 27, 1903

B.J. Foster is an Object Lesson

And the Moral is; Do Not Yield, Unlawfully, to the Pangs of Hunger

Foster Stole Roll of Bologna

Was Interrupted by Police Officers in Midst of Epicurean Banquet. Police News

B.J. Foster yielded to the calls of hunger on Tuesday and as a result, entered a plea of guilty to disorderly conduct in police court this morning. He was fined $1 and costs, and went to jail where he will play a waiting game.

Foster entered the purlieus of the Rock Island yards on Tuesday afternoon, and as he wandered about the yards trying to still the pangs of hunger which were rending his interior, he happened upon an open box car, wherein reposed a sack of succulent, appetizing bologna. The sight was too much for human eyes, at least for Foster’s eyes. Out came his trusty jack knife with one fell swoop the sack was cut open, and  Foster wandered up the platform, with his mouth full of sausage and his heart full of peace.

Station employees noticed Foster wrapped in gastronomic bliss, investigated, discovered the robbery, and called the police. This morning when charged with his crime, Foster admitted taking some apricots, but said not a word about the bologna, thus riveting the chains of guilt more clostly about him.

Henry Clark, plain drunk paid over the regular allowance into the exchequer of the city, and John Bergen, up on a similar charge, went to jail.

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 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 3, 1905

The Applicants Get a Job

Vags in Police Court Get Five Days on the Street.

Were Looking For Work But Were Disappointed in Finding It.

There were two applicants to report at the recruiting station for the street gang this morning, and both of them were successful in securing a job. In fact, his honor insisted in employing them when they would have demurred. They were looking for work all right when they struck the town but didn’t want to find it, and when the mayor thrust it at them there were much cast down.

The two fellows in question hailed from Minneapolis. They had shipped from there to Denver to work at railway construction but their hearts failed them at the sight of a shovel and they started back, landing here Tuesday.

Tuesday afternoon they came into the east end of the city and began to look about for a way to supply the inner man. They approached a lady and asked for something to eat, offering to spade up her garden as pay for the favor. They got their supper and started to work, but he task proved too arduous, and they kidnapped each other.

As soon as they were missed from the garden spot, the lady telephoned to the police and the patrol soon located them.

This morning in police court they attempted to show that the charge of vagrancy was not good in their case but his honor failed to see it that way and gave them each fine and costs to the amount of $14.85 which means five days on the streets. They were at once put to work with the other two. There is now a force of four street cleaners at work under the eye of the special police officer.