The Fort Dodge Messenger: April 27, 1904

Signs of Approaching Summer

Police Make a Raid On a Camp in Duncombe’s Woods on Tuesday Afternoon and Arrest Five.

The police paid a visit to the Duncombe’s woods Tuesday afternoon and although they did not find the first flowers of spring they found what they were looking for – the first hobo camp of the year. In the past the Wearies seem to have been drawn to these woods as if by an irresistible force and despite indications to the contrary now that they have again begun to frequent their favorite abode summer must be near at hand.

The hoboes (sic) were housecleaning, or as near as they ever come to it, when the police made their unceremonious visit. Coats, trousers, shirts, socks and other wearing apparel that had seen a winter’s wear, in some cases probably without a single change, were hung out to “air” on an improvised clothes line stretched from the limbs of nearby trees.

Only two of the knights were “at home.” They were in the act of building a fire and as there was nothing in sight that they could possibly cook, the conclusion was drawn that the rest of the gang was out foraging. This conclusion proved to be true.

The two found at the camp gave their names as Robert Anderson and Alva  Bruney. They were given an hour to get out of town and they took the chance. A second visit was made to the camp a few hours later and the remainder of the party, three in number, were transported to the city bastile. They gave the names of William Gundy, Gus Turner and Erick Johnson. They were arraigned in police court this morning and like their companions given an hour to shake the dust of Fort Dodge from their shoes.

Two drunks completed the line-up in police court this morning. They were Joe Bockert and Arthur Simpson. Both pleaded guilty and were fined $1 and costs.

The Fort Dodge Messenger: April 24, 1906

Four Drunks Up.

Mayor Charges Each a Dollar For His Accommodations.

Four plain drunks were brought up in the mayors’ court this morning. Their names were give (sic) as follows: A.J. Tad, A Carlson, D.B. Wilmot, Ed. Fogerty. None of the quartette had been violent and as a review of their separate careers of a day showed that they were merely a crowd who had gone the limit in a little celebration they were charged a dollar each for their accommodations of the night and sent on their way rejoicing.

The Fort Dodge Messenger: April 22, 1904

Youthful Traveler in Court

Roy Langlius, Aged 16, Up For Vagrancy.

He Leaves Home in Illinois Because He Cannot Agree With His Step-Mother.

Roy Langlius, a youth of 16, was arraigned in police court this morning on the charge of being a vagrant. The boy was picked up by the police Thursday night and given lodging in the jail. This morning he was brought before the mayor and asked for an explanation. He said he left his home in Hoopton, Ill., last January, because he was unable to agree with his stepmother. He told his father he was going to leave home, and his father consented. Since leaving home the boy had traveled in Nebraska, Kansas, Indian Territory, Oklahoma, and in fact thruout the entire southwest.

“There was nothin’ doin’ in Kansas City or Omaha,” he explained, “and I came up this way.” He did not know where he was going, but seemed confident that he could look out for himself.

He was discharged after telling the mayor he was going to leave town.

The Fort Dodge Messenger: April 21, 1905

Prisoners Clean City’s Streets

Police Guard Them While They Beautify Fort Dodge

They are Better When Busy

Idleness has a Tendency to Get Them Into Mischief – The New Method of Cleaning This City Will be continued by the Present Administration.

This was the sort of a hand out Major S.J. Bennett gave to three tramps this morning in police court, and there was consternation in their faces when they realized the horrible truth that they were up against a proposition where they would either have to work or they could not eat.

To take care of them a special police officer was sworn in and he has instructions to see that they fulfill the conditions in the way of a decent amount of labor, or they will be held to the slender fare prescribed for them by his honor.

This morning they were taken out by the officer and put at work picking up the papers and trash off the streets. In this role they attracted much attention and there was a great amount of favorable comment as the people passing along the street caught at the idea.

When the papers are all picked up, they will be put at work with a shovel, and it is the intention of his honor to add to the force. The police are instructed to take precautions to capture every tramp that steps inside the city limits and there is a prospect that the special offer will have a considerable gang under his care in a short time.

One of the vags who is on the streets is the same fellow captured Thursday. He was turned loose on account of the fact that it was too rainy for him to work and ordered out of town. He was given a good meal just befoer he startd at ten o’clock, but he had the “habit” and before noon, he wa begging a “hand out” over in West Fort Dodge, ont he grounds that he had been “starving for three days.”

A telephone message to police headquarters brought out the patrol, and he was hustled into the reflectatory, where he was kept till this morning when he went to work with two other vags. The men are Luke O’Brien, Frank Jones and Martin Scott.

Frank Jones is a resident of Fort Dodge and has been a sort of outcast from society for some time. He was arrested a day or two ago and was at that time given a chance to get out of town, which opportunity he failed to avail himself of. Thursday he spent the day begging funds and drinking and was picked up by police. In court this morning when he was told it was either work or bread and water, he was highly incensed that he should be asked to work and stated he would take the bread and water.

He, however, went out on the street with the rest of the gentlemen of leisure, but at the first opportunity, made a run for it and made goo his escape. The police hope that he has made a good job of his getaway, so that he will not be seen back in Fort Dodge again. The last seen of him he was making the most undignified haste in the direction of the Illinois Central depot, where he hoped to catch a freight train out of town.

There were also two drunks up this morning, Frank Kopaski and Fern (?) Willard. Both of these men liquidated and went their ways rejoicing.

The Fort Dodge Messenger: April 20, 1905

Promiscuous Bunch in Police Court

Youth and Old Age, Drinks and Tramps Come Up to Get Justice.

The Mayor as a Minister

Mayor Bennett Does Not Belong to the Preacher’s Union But Can Deliver a Sermon – Talks on Reform are Interesting.

There was certainly something doing in police court this morning when the gong rang for the pentitents to appear before his honor, and it was a mixed procession that filed in and took the bench of mourning before him.

There were two tramps, a drunk and one juvenile offender to be disposed of. All of their cases were adjusted in a very short time, however, and in a most satisfactory manner.

While Mayor Bennett is not ordained and does not hold a card in the ministerial union, he can on occasion preach with the best of them and this morning he delivered several sermons that affected his sinful audience probably as much as any they will ever hear.

The tramps, especially, were warned of the wrath to come if they continue to hang about Fort Dodge. They were likened by his honor to a parasite on the laboring classes of the universe, and a wart on the fair face of mother nature.

It was the intention of the Mayor to put them out on the streets with a ball and chain attached to their preambulators and with the instruction that unless they were diligent in their labors, they would find no dinner when the noon hour happened along. They were put in jail however, till after the rain was over, and it is probable that they will be chased out of the city.

The case of the juvenile offender was the hardest nut to crack, Mayor Bennett had originally intended to send the youngster to reform school, but later decided to give him another chance.

The boy in question is a resident of Bobtown, and attends the Wahkonsah school. Wednesday afternoon, he became involved in a fight with another youngster and drawing an ugly pair of iron “knucks” from his pocket delivered a blow on the head of his opponent that made an ugly cut.

Both the boys were picked up by the police, and lodged in the city bastile. The injured scraper, however was let out a little later and only the boy from Bobtown held over night. It seems that he has a record as a hunter of trouble and in the examination of his case this went against him. But after considering the thing over night it was decided to give the boy a chance to redeem himself. He will be kept under the eye of his honor, however, from this time on, and the first time he is caught in crooked paths, he will be turned over to the county attorney.

The drunk was Frank Easley. He, also, was made the subject of a sermon, and at the end was warned that unless he braced up and keeps himself off the streets, he will be sent out of town to the inebriate asylum. with this warning he was turned loose.

The Fort Dodge Messenger: April 19, 1905

Mayor Conducts Matrimonial Bureau

Works It in Conjunction With Police Court and May Make It a Success.

Johnson Was a Little Shy

One of the Candidates Having Been Married Did Not Take Kindly to the Mayor’s Proposition – The Other Thought It a Good Thing.

Major S.J. Bennett is conducting a matrimonial bureau as a side issue along with his police court. He opened up business this morning in the new department for the first time with two candidates. One of these was a little shy when the question of matrimony was broached, and a few questions developed the fact that he had been there and had had experience.

The other candidate, when asked if he was enjoying the bliss of a home and wife made the statement that he had never married, but that he really thought it would be a good thing for him if he were joined up with some good woman. He intimated that a wife might act as ballast for his wandering craft, and hold him truer to his course. Both of the men were strongly advised to tie up as soon as possible by his honor.

Both of them were up as plain drunks and were given the usual $1 and costs, but as it was the first time for them under the present administration, they were let off. Albert Johnson, who a few months ago was one of the faithful ones, and made his appearance regularly from once to three times a week, was one of the offenders, and Frank Carter, a farmer, was the other. Carter is the man who looked with favor on the mayor’s matrimonial proposition, and it is probable that he will become a benedict in the very near future.

(Editor’s note: I can’t help but wonder how the women of the town would feel upon reading this. “Oh, joy. A couple of drunks are going to be looking for wives. And one of them has already failed at marriage.” Who wouldn’t jump at that chance?)

The Fort Dodge Messenger: April 18, 1903

Forced to Choose Between Rain Water and Work

Awful Predicament of Three Hoboes in This Morning’s Police Court – Chose the Water.

Police court was rather busy this morning. Mayor Northrup having seven cases up before him. Of these three were tramps and they were given the choice of getting out of town in half an hour or going to work. The three of them chose to get out of town and the last seen of them they were “hiking” down the Central tracks towards Tara in the rain. This was not very comfortable but they preferred it to work. They gave their names as Frank Williams, Frank Hoyt and John Silley, but very probably forgot them as soon as they got out of court.

The other four cases were just plain drunks and none of them had any excuse for their condition, but were all eager in their promises to do better if they were let go. Mayor Northup is getting tired of promises of this kind and assessed them all fines and costs. All of them were “broke” so they went to jail. Frank Lynch, John Nuugent (sic), John Griffin and John Fitz were the four drunks. From the list of names it would seem the criminality was predominant among Franks and Johns with the Johns slightly in the lead.

The Fort Dodge Messenger: April 11, 1905

Mayor Draws a Full House

Is Confronted by Three of a Kind and a Pair in Police Court This Morning.

Was Liberal With Justice

Fines Were The Largest That Have Been Assessed in Police Court For Many Months. – Will Have a Most Discouraging Effect on Graft.

Mayor Bennett drew a full house in police court this morning. When the moment arrived for the doling out of justice, there were three of a kind and a pair ranged on the penitential bench before him. It was with no miserly hand he ladled out the big bunches of fines and costs. The freedom with which he piled it on them was certainly discouraging to the bum, the vag, the thief.

Peter Coyne and John Lowery, both of whom were caught while in the act of stealing overalls from in front of one of the local stores, were given a fine of $100 and costs each or thirty days in the county jail. Neither of them having a cent of money they were sent to jail where they will have a chance to dwell on the evils of their ways for a month.

The three remaining in the line were given fifty dollars and costs each and allowed a chance to sweat it out in the county jail, a job that will occupy their vagabond minds for a period of fifteen days. The three vags were Frank Jones, Charles Wright and Luke O’Brien.

The theft of the overalls took place on Monday afternoon. Peter Coyne took the garments from a box in front of one of the stores on South Sixth street and ran with them to a nearby corner where he secreted them in a buggy and made his get-away. It was then Lowery’s turn to play his part in the deal, so getting the bundle from the buggy he made his way through an alley to the rear of one of the lunch counters of the city where his brother is employed, and there hid them in a box.

He was seen to do this by one of the high school boys who reported it to the police and the two arrests followed with the resulting convictions.

Both of the parties to the game plead guilty to the charge entered against them and there was no delay in meting out their punishment. Coyne has been implicated in other petty thieveries about the city, and was arrested a few months ago as one of the parties engaged in the burglary of the Cochran saloon. At that time, however, the evidence against him was not sufficient to hold him to the grand jury and he was released.

The Fort Dodge Messenger: April 10, 1905

Disorderly House Raided by Police

Was Closed Saturday Night and Inmates Given Hearing Today.

Fined $50.00 and Costs

Later It Was Decided to Let her Get Out of The City Which She is Glad to Do, Taking Her Daughter With Her.

On Saturday night the supposed fruit stand located on North Eighth street, was closed on the grounds that it was a disorderly house, and the proprietress, Mrs. Lizzie Wilson, along with her alleged daughter, Laura Beech Russell, ordered to apepar (sic) in police court at ten o’clock this morning to answer to the charge.

At the hearing of the woman which was held today, she was held guilty by his honor, and fined $50 and costs, the young girl, fifteen years of age, being of too tender an age to be sent to jail was ordered turned over the the (sic) district court.

The woman, however, plead (sic) that she was penniless, and that if given an opportunity she would leave the city. Seeing nothing to be gained for the good of the town by keeping her here in jail, she was finally released, and will be under police escort until she leaves at four o’clock in the morning for Sibley where she claims to have friends.

Made Bluff of Business.

The woman and her daughter arrived in Fort Dodge on election day and securing the building they have since occupied for the alleged purpose of running a candy kitchen, moved into it at once. In the front part of the building, which is partitioned off from the rear they put in a little fruit, some cigars, soft drinks and a little candy as alleged to keep up appearance, and under the cover of this operated a disorderly house.

It is alleged by the neighbors, two families of whom have moved away from the vicinity on account of the ill fame of the place, that there was always a crowd of young men and boys gathered about the place, that the piano was heard as late as three o’clock in the morning and that there was every evidence that the busines (sic) of the two women of the place was anything but legitimate.

A number of witnesses appeared in the case and testified to the above facts. Testimony was bought out which proved that the woman had been driven out of Spencer, where she had conducted the same sort of business.

The story of Mrs. Wilson herself developed the fact that she had been almost continually on the move, and while she claimed that both she and her daughter were respectable and of the best character, her appearance and especially the appearance and testimony of the girl failed to bear her out in her claim.

The place ahs been under surveillance for some time.