The Fort Dodge Messenger: April 10, 1905

A Real Live Sensation On

Police Alarm Sounded Saturday Night and Immense Crowd Assembled.

Blocked Street For An House

Waited Sixty Long and Awful Minutes While a Policeman Closed a Contract for a Room in a Business Block.

Saturday night after supper at the time the streets were crowded with people, the police alarm at the corner of Seventh street and Central avenue began sounding wildly, and was not long in calling a large crowd to the point to see what was the matter.

It was but a few moments until one of the policemen ran up the stairway into a nearby business block, and this clinched the surmise that there was something sensational doing in that neighborhood. The crowd surged up the street to the entrance, and there all progress was blocked so far as the sidewalk and half of the street were concerned. It was only a few minutes until there were all sorts of stories going the rounds each one more livid than the proceeding one, till the crowd had an idea that there were at least a half dozen people weltering in gore up in the block somewhere. Some of them had it that a man had been found dead in the building, others that a fellow had his throat cut, adn so the rumors were hatched till there was enough excitement there to furnish a good sized hanging.

for more than an hour the crowd of horror-filled people hung about the entrance, and even this morning not more than a few had found out that the cause of the whole excitement was the desire of one of the policemen to rent a room from the owner of the block.

He had seen about it a day or two before, but was not assured he could have it at the time. Later the proprietor found he could accommodate him, called up the police headquarters to tell him of the face. At the same instant he called up the city hall, central started the police call, and this was the cause of the startling occurrence which would have been in better season on April 1st.

The Fort Dodge Messenger: April 7, 1903

New Police Begin Duties

Marshal Ed Welch and His Men Sworn in Monday Night

Enter on Their New Duties

Marshal Welch already has some of the Beats Assigned and is Organizing the Force.

Police Marshal Ed Welch, Deputy Marshal Frank Connelly and the new police officers of the city of Fort Dodge took their oath of office and entered upon the performance of their duties on Monday night.

Marshal Welch this morning announced the beats for the new officers, so far as they have as yet been arranged. Marshal Welch and Deputy Marshal Frank Connelly will be on duty in the day time, as is customary, and Patrolman Merton Jordan has also been assigned for day duty. The day men will be on duty from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Officer J.M. Mericle will take the beat at the Illinois Central depot which was held by Myron Tuller on the old force. Peter Ditmer will have his old beat, covering the Great Western depot and yards and the eastern business district. Adolph Rossing will succeed Peter Steiner of the old force. His duty will be to look after the gas lights, and to cover the business district in the neighborhood of the square. All the night men will go on duty at 6 o’clock in the evening and off at 6 in the morning.

This leave two beats to be arranged. August Andrews is as yet not assigned any regular run, and the man whom Mayor Northrup will appoint to succeed William McNally, whose appointment was not approved by the city council on Monday evening, must also be provided for. Marshal Welch expects to have his force organized in a short time.

The vigilance of the new police resulted in the apprehension of two culprits on Monday night. Dan Daly was picked up paralyzed drunk, and was given a secure lodgement in the city jail. He was released this morning on his promise to get out of town. He gave his home as Ackley. John Doe, from Clare, this time, paid $7.10 in expiation of his offense in getting drunk and was discharged.

The Fort Dodge Messenger: April 6, 1903

New City Council Will Take Charge

Old Council Will Finish Last Business and Pass into History This Evening

New Administration Begins

Appointment of Minor City Officers is to be Made This Evening

This evening’s meeting of the Fort Dodge city council will mark the passing of the old and the beginning of the new in the city’s administration. After the transaction of such odds and ends of business as may properly come before them, Mayor Bennett and the retiring members of the city council will leave the seats which they have held during the past term, and Mayor Northrup and the new city council will take their paces about the executive table. The new city government will be in active control of the city’s interest.

Business of importance to the city will be transacted at the opening meeting of the new council. It will be the appointment of the officers who will serve the city in subordinate capacities during the coming year. The list includes the following:

Police Marshal.
Police Deputy Marshal.
Street Commissioner.
Fire Marshal.
Weigh master.
Health Physician.
Superintendent of Water Works.
Collector of Water Rents.
City Engineer.
Driver of the fire team.
Meter Repairer.
Three Engineers of city water works
Four police officers

There is much speculation as to who will be appointed to these offices, especially those in the police department. The new council held its usual secret meeting on Saturday evening, but he secrets therein discussed were jealously guarded by its members today and none of the unitiated (sic) were any wiser than they were before. It is expected that the mystery will be solved this evening at the first public session of the new council.

The Fort Dodge Messenger: March 31, 1903

To Be Finished Within Month

Fort Dodge’s Carnegie Library is Very Nearly Completed

Progress is Satisfactory.

E.C. Wakefield, superintendent of Construction, is Looking foward to Completion.

The new Carnegie library which has been in process of construction during the past two years, and which was to have been completed many months ago, will be ready for the occupancy of books in a month. Such is the opinion of E.C. Wakefield, who for a time had charge of its construction under the Northern Building Company which recently came to a disastrous end, and who is superintending its completion. Wakefield says that the marble and ornamental plaster work will be completed this week and that most of the library fixtures, such as the loop stacks – metal shelves for holding the books – are on hand and are ready for setting up.

Many causes have contributed to the delay in completion. The material was ordered when there was a great demand for all building material so that the company had to wait several months for the steel. A strike among the stone cutters also caused considerable delay and lastly the failure of the Northern Building company has tended to make the building as slow in completion as the Chicago postoffice.

Now that the material is all on hand and an energetic library committee shoving the work thru, the new Carnegie Library will soon be in a condition for patrons to admire its architectural beauty.

(Editor’s note: I’ll have to go back and do some research about the Northern Building Company, to find out why it “came to a disastrous end.”)

The Fort Dodge Messenger: March 13, 1903

Carried Away on a Cake of Ice

Eight Year Old Child of Nels Gilbert, of West Fort Dodge, Has Narrow Escape

Was in Imminent Danger

Was Rescued by Hendry Henderson (sic), Who Waded Up to Arm Pits in Icy Water

Whirled away on a cake of ice, snatched by the swift current of the river, the eight year old son of Mr. and Mrs. Nels Gilbert, of West Fort dodge, was in imminent danger for a few moments on Wednesday afternoon. Altho he was rescued none the worse for his experience, the situation appeared serious to those on the bank, until he was safely brought to shore in the strong arms of Hendry Hendrickson.

The little fellow was playing on the river bank about noon on Wednesday. Thoughtless of danger he stepped out upon the rotten ice, and in a moment a great piece had broken off and borne by the current, was carrying him father and farther from the shore. There was great danger that the ice cake upon which the boy balanced himself would tip with his weight and precipitate him into the icy water and the spectators held their breaths.

The current bore the ice raft past a piece of wood projecting from the water and the boy, seeing his last chance for safety seized it and hung fast.

Hendry Hendrickson assumed the role of rescuer. It was necessary that some one should get to the boy, before his frail support was carried from under his feet, and let him down into the water, which was much over his head. Without further ado Mr. Hendriskon waded out into the icy stream until the water reached his arm pits and safely bore to the bank the little voyager, already fully satisfied with his experience as an Artic (sic) explorer.

This site will feature news articles from the early days of Fort Dodge and the surrounding area. It will give a glimpse into the lives of the people who lived here.

Each post will be posted on the day it was originally published, beginning March 1 with an article from 1904. I will attempt to recreate the format of the original articles, including spelling, grammar and punctuation.

Local history buffs and genealogists will find items of interest in these articles.