The Fort Dodge Messenger: Sept. 17, 1906

Police News

The same old Bill Jones paid a visit to the city jail last night and remained over in order to interview the mayor this morning. Needless to say he was charged with being drunk, but his Honor was inclined to show leniency and he was discharged. With Jones appeared one Walter Scott, charged likewise with imbibing too freely of the bowling bowl. “Are you related in any way to Sir Walter Scott?” asked the mayor. “I don’t know, your Honor, I may be as I have a lot of relatives I have never seen,” the fellow replied. The mayor being in doubt and not wishing to insult the memory of the chivarous (sic) bard told him to take fifteen minutes and get out of town. He went.

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Bill Jones holds the championship belt in police circles in this city. He is arrested more than any other person. He cannot come to town but what he gets intoxicated and thrown into jail. There are a number of characters about the city who are arrested quite frequently but none of them come up with the same old Bill.

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The police have been requested to look out for a man who goes by the names of Wm. McCann and Ed Day. The fellow is wanted in Monmouth, Illinois for robbery.

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Everything quiet in police court this morning. one lone drunk was all the material to hold court with and the Mayor evidently didn’t think it worth while. The lone drunk is the same old Bill Jones. Despite his promises to shake the dust of Fort Dodge off his feet and give the community a much needed rest he gets full of bad booze and as a consequence has taken up a (t)emporary residence in the City Hotel, presided over by the Mayor.

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Eric Waldberg is taking the place of A.L. Nicholson who resigned last month. The force is short of men at present and no doubt a good man could get on the force at once.

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All was quiet on the streets Saturday night and the police had little trouble in keeping the best of order. But one man was arrested and he was an old timer who was harmlessly drunk. The crowd was one of the largest of the season too.

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Just a year ago this month Fort Dodge was having its epidemic of petty thievery and numerous robberies which broke out a (sic) suddenly and lasted the entire month. It is a period long to be remembered in police circles. But the majority of offenders were caught or chased out of town and finally the best or order restored. The local police wre the means of fattening the criminal docket of the Grand Jury for quite a few terms until the local desperadoes were finally all wiped out.

Tags: 1906, Day, Jones, McCann, Nicholson, Scott, Waldberg

The Fort Dodge Messenger: Sept. 16, 1905

The Graft Didn’t Work This Time

Fort Dodge Citizen Receives Letter From an Alleged Real Estate Agent.

A Fort Dodge citizen who isn’t very sleepy received recently an alluring offer of a real estate firm from an Iowa city to sell his farm for him. A contract was sent for him to sign. It was so arranged that a casual reading would lead one to think that the contract was to pay the firm 50 cents per acre for selling the land. The blank is really a request from the farmer to the real estate man to try and sell his farm, to advertise it, etc., for which they are to receive a commission of 50 cents per acre when the land is sold. Not sold by the firm, but when sold. The citizen wrote the firm that he didn’t care to give them $160 ($3,832 today) for trying to sell his land and he thought he could advertise it cheaper himself. He offered to pay them the commission when the land was sold by them or through their efforts. He has heard nothing more from this firm. We notice form newspaper reports that this firm is catching many suckers. These generally rush to an attorney for help but without avail as the contract says that they will pay the fifty cents per acre to the firm for trying to sell the land and there is no escape from the contract.

Tags: 1905

The Fort Dodge Messenger: Sept. 16, 1905

Was Not a Relative of the Mayor

Frank Bennett, Up For Drunkeness (sic) Says He Must Be a New Member of the Family.

Three Caught in the Net

Wm. Wells Worked at Fairs and Carnivals; Mayor Thinks he Worked the People at These Places so Gives Him Ten Days in Jail.

The drag net thr0ugh the lower districts of the city last night succeeded in pulling in three transgressors of law and order. Lined up on the prisoner’s bench at nine o’clock this morning, with bloodshot eyes, and disheaveled (sic) hair, as the result of a few hours career of dissipation, and still a few more spent in the city jail, each faced the mayor to answer to his special offense.

Name Was Frank Bennett.

The first man called upon proved to be arraigned on the charge of drunkeness, and disorderly conduct. He gave his name as Frank Bennett. “I hope you don’t claim to be any relation to me,” said the Mayor, starting excitedly from his chair. “I don’t know,” answered the other, “If we are related you’re a new member of the family to me.” This interesting discussions as to relationship was cut short by the Mayor, informing his possible relatives that he could accept a position measuring the distance to the city limits.

Charles McCloud plead guilty to drunkeness and was fined five dollars and costs. William Wels (sic), stating that he was Springfield, Ohio, and that he had been working around at Carnivals and fairs, denied the charge of vagrancy and begging. “I guess you have been working the people at these fairs and carnivals,” said the mayor, “that’s the kind of work I would attribute to you, so I’ll give you ten days in jail, varied with a little work on the streets.”

Tags: 1905, Bennett, McCloud, Wells

The Fort Dodge Messenger: Sept. 15, 1905

Local Couple to be Married Soon

C.W. Iddings and Miss Tersa (sic) Cosgrove to be Married at Dubuque.

C.W. Iddings, the well known pharmacist who has been employed at the Sackett & Haire Drug Store for the past year, leaves tomorrow morning for a day’s visit with  his sister in Odeboldt, going on to Dubuque Saturday evening. Tuesday morning at the home of the bride’s parents, Miss Teresa Cosgrove will be u nited in marriage to Mr. Iddings, by Father Carey and the same afternoon, Mr. and Mrs. Iddings will leave for Salem, Oregon, where they will make their new home. Mr. Iddings’ people live at Salem, and the young couple will make their home there. They will stop at Colorado Springs, Denver, Salt Lake City and Porland (sic) on their way west. The many friends of both young people in this city will be pleased to hear of their marriage although all will regret to lose both of them from Fort Dodge.

Tags: 1905, Cosgrove, Haire, Iddings, Sackett

The Fort Dodge Messenger: Sept. 15, 1905

A Good Chance to Make Money

Fort Dodge Needs More Down Town Apartment Houses Local Man Talks.

Traveling Men Would Rent

Would Make This City Their Headquarters if They Could Get Apartments down Town – Like Flats Better than Renting Houses.

There is a good opening in Fort Dodge for a wide-awake business man said a citizen of the city to a Messenger reporter this morning. The opening is in building apartment houses. Fort Dodge is the only city of its size in the state that has not a large number of these buildings.

I have had any number of traveling men tell me that they would make Fort Dodge their permanent place of residence if they could secure a flat in an apartment building near the main part of the city, where they, with their families could live. Of course we have a few of these houses, but I think that there is room for about twice as many. There are plenty of forty dollar houses that these men can rent, but a travelling (sic) man and his wife do not care to go into a large house, where the family is small, and the husband is away a great deal of the time.

Other Towns Have Them.

Other business men are alive to this situation and you can’t drive through the towns of the state without being struck by the large number of apartment houses and all occupied. They have provided a good business proposition. Here is a chance in Fort Dodge for some keen business man to build several of these buildings and make money. The traveling men like Fort Dodge and would make their headquarters h ere if they could get just the kind of places to live in that they want. This is one thing that beyond all doubt, Fort Dodge business men should wake up to.

Tags: 1905

The Fort Dodge Messenger: Sept. 14, 1903

Webster City Man’s Furniture

Attached by Officers for Debts Owed.

George Mackown, Manager of Northwestern Felt Shoe Company, Has Disappeared.

Webster City, Sept. 14 – The household goods of George Mackown, the ex-manager of the old Northwestern Felt Shoe Company, were taken in possession Friday by the sheriff on an attachment to secure payment of a $1,000 note held by the Hamilton County State Bank. All the property in the house was removed, including furniture, carpets, bedding, cooking utensils and bric-a-brac. This was probably the finest and most luxuriously furnished house in the city.

Included in the seizure were the piano and angelus valued at $700 ($16,764 today) and two leather chairs that cost $150 ($3,592 today). Everything went to satisfy the claims against the missing felt shoe factory manager. The horse and carriages had already been taken by the authorities to satisfy other claims and nothing now remains in the residence on Willson avenue.

Meanwhile, Mackown continues to flit from corner to corner of the continent. Recent information just received here says that he is at present in British Columbia, attempting to start a shoe factory in that locality. Reliable information has been received in this city to the effect that Mackown was not in SEattle at the time of the mailing of the letter which came to his attorney in this city some time ago. The letter was sent from New York to the Pacific coast city and there remailed by a friend.

Tags: 1903, Mackown

The Fort Dodge Messenger: Sept. 14, 1906

R.M. M’Cabe to Marry

Former City Editor of the Chronicle Will Wed in Logan.

On Tuesday September the 18th, Mr. R.M. McCabe, former city editor of the Chronicle, and Miss Loenteen Arthur of Logan, Iowa, will be wed. This announcement comes as a surprise to a great many of Mr. McCabe’s friends in Fort Dodge. He was at one time engaged in the newspaper business in this city, but during the past year has been editing, together with his father, the Logan Observer.

Tags: 1906, Arthur, McCabe

The Fort Dodge Messenger: Sept. 14, 1906

Plans for Dam in the River

Light and Power Co’s. Project is Certainty – Engineer Preparing Plans

City engineer Charles Reynolds is engaged at present in drawing a set of plans for the construction of a dam in the Des Moines river near the upper river bridge at the direction of the Fort Dodge Light and (P)ower Co., who plan to erect the same as soon as possible.

This announcement will be received gladly all through the city. the project has been held in mind by the Light and Power Co., for some time but has only recently been definitely decided upon. This means that this company will be enabled to furnish the cheapest power in the state and that it will almost force big manufacturing firms to come here.

It is a step of great importance for the city and means more than the acquisition of any railroad line of factory such as Fort Dodge has worked for in the past. It is expected that work will commence next spring. An eighteen foot dam is planned.

Tags: 1906, Reynolds

The Fort Dodge Messenger: Sept. 14, 1906

Fort Dodge Man Ends Own Life

Jack Foster Formerly of Here Throws Himself Under Train at Mallette, S.D.

Sioux City, Iowa, Sept. 14 – (Special to The Messenger) – Jack Foster, a harvest hand, aged 47 years, formerly of Fort Dodge, committed suicide by throwing himself under a train at Malette, S.D., last night. Foster and wife separated three months ago and failure to affect a reconciliation last night prompted the deed.

(Editor’s note: There is a Mellette, South Dakota.)

Tags: 1906, Foster