Posts Tagged ‘1903’

4
Jan

Divorced Couple Remarried in City

   Posted by: admin    in Divorce, Marriage, People

Fort Dodge Messenger: Jan. 4, 1906

Divorced Couple Remarried in City

J.W. and Mrs. Dora Leighton Divorced in 1903 Remarry Yesterday.

One of the most peculiar marriage incidents on record in this vicinity occurred in this city yesterday when Rev. George C. Fort united in marriage J.W. Leighton and Mrs. Dora Leighton, both of Livermore.

The story of the strange romance is that Mr. and Mrs. Leighton were divorced in 1903, the decree being granted from the Humboldt county district court. Mr. Leighton, who was a prosperous hardware merchant of the town of Livermore, took to drink some years ago and according to evidence given at the hearing of the divorce proceedings, made life miserable for his wife and family for several years prior to the action for separation. The decree was granted, despite the protests of Leighton who did everything within his power to prevent it.

Sobered and saddened by the action that his wife had found necessary, he began rapidly to mend his ways, maintained strict sobriety, and sought to repair the wrong that he had done. In the end a reconciliation was brought about between himself and wife which has ended in their marriage in this city yesterday. Mr. Leighton is a cousin of E.I. and L.L. Leighton, of the firm of Leighton Bros. of this city and is well known to many Fort Dodge residents.

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3
Jan

Webster City Coal Situation

   Posted by: admin    in Webster City

The Fort Dodge Messenger: Jan. 3, 1903

Webster City Coal Situation

Was Extremely Critical at That Place Wednesday

They have a Two Days’ Supply

Unless Situation is Relieved They Fear a Coal Famine Will Confront Them

Webster City, Jan. 2 — The coal situation in this city has become extremely serious. But one dealer in the city Wednesday had a supply and at this place no orders were booked for Wednesday’s deliver, as the present supply was sold ahead. Unless the situation becomes relieved within a few days Webster City will find herself in the throes of a coal famine.

All the dealers have coal ordered ahead and are expecting it every day but it is slow in arriving. The city electric light, steam heat and pumping plants have not more than two days’ supply ahead. Superintendent Cummings was seen and stated that he had a car of coal on the tracks and an order for 10 or 15 tons with the Crooked Creek Coal Company. The electric light plant uses between 10 and 12 tons of coal per day of 24 hours. The pumping station and heating plant will use as much or more than this, so that the situation which confronts our municipal utilities is far from assuring. The prospect of a dark and waterless city is before us. City officials, however, are hopeful and believe that they will be able to keep a supply ahead.

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22
Jun

Were Held to the Grand Jury

   Posted by: admin    in theft

The Fort Dodge Messenger: June 22, 1903

Were Held to the Grand Jury

Henry Burk and George Dolan Under $300 Bonds.

Charged With Attempt to Steal Trousers From Hennebry Store – Waived Examination.

The men giving their names as Henry Burk and George Dolan who were arrested on Saturday on a charge of attempting to steal several pairs of trousers form the Hennebry clothing store, were held to the grand jury this afternoon.

When brought before Justice Martin for their preliminary hearing they waived examination and were held to the grand jury under $300 bonds. They were unable to furnish bonds, and have been lodged in the county jail until their case can be disposed of by the grand jury.

It is now believed that the men were successful in getting trousers from the Hennebry store on other occasions, as a pair which was located by the police on Saturday afternoon and was identified by Mr. Hennebry was sold by one of them, and other pairs were missing.

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8
Jun

Local Ins and Outs

   Posted by: admin    in Clare, Eagle Grove, Humboldt, Society news, Thor

The Fort Dodge Messenger: June 8, 2903

Local Ins and Outs

Miss Josie O’Hara spent Sunday in Eagle Grove.

Thomas Nixson is home for his summer vacation.

Fred Hall, of Sioux City, is visiting relatives in the city.

Miss Ida Oleson left Saturday morning for a visit in Boone.

Miss Amy Dyke of Colorado Springs is visiting in this city.

Mrs. Otis Garrison of Sioux City, is visiting Fort Dodge friends.

James Delamore and U. Graham of Clare were in the city Saturday.

Miss Evelyn Rodney of Independence is visiting at the M.J. Rodney home.

E.G. Larson and Dr. C.J. Saunders went to Clare this afternoon to attend a bank meeting.

County Superintendent A.L. Brown and wife visited over Sunday with relatives in Sac City.

Mrs. D.J. Farrell has returned to her home in Mason City after a visit at the Dr. Farrell home.

Dick Kenyon has returned from Grinnell where he has spent the year in the pursuit of learning in Iowa college.

Miss Maude Herrick leaves tonight for her home in Elk River, Minn., where she will spend most of the summer.

E.S. Tinkham was called to Humboldt on Friday by news of illness of his father, returning to the city Saturday.

Miss Maude Herrick leaves tonight for her home in Elk River, Minn., where she will spend most of the summer. (Editor’s note: This was repeated in the original paper.)

Will Mulroney has returned to the city for a week’s vacation after a trip on the road in the interest of the Gate City Hat Company.

Miss Gertrude Gardner has returned from Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, where she has held a position in the art department of the schools.

Miss Ella Beach, of Minneapolis, who has been visiting her mother and father in the city, leaves this week for Seattle, Washington.

Dr. C.J. Saunders leaves on Tuesday for Rochester, Minn. He expects to spend several days in studying in a hospital which is located there.

Thomas Kozel who has been living in Arizona for the past two years is expected home in a few days, for a visit with relatives in Fort Dodge.

After a visit at the J.W. Beck home in this city, Mrs. A.J. Hanson has returned to her home in Thor. She was accompanied by her daughter, Mrs. J.W. Beck.

Mrs. Augusta Hill has gone to Grinnell to attend the commencement exercises of Iowa college, from which her daughter, Miss Ina Hill, graduates this year.

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3
Jun

Obituary: Luther Clark Bentley

   Posted by: admin    in Death, obituary

The Fort Dodge Messenger: June 3, 1095

Obituary

Luther Clark Bentley, oldest son of B.P. and S.L. Bentley, died at the hospital, May 26, at 6:40 p.m., at the age of 35 years, 7 months, and 22 days. He was born in Floyd county, October 4th, 1869 He leaves a father, mother, sister and five brothers to mourn his departure, Jennie, Clarence, Frederic, Samuel, Curtis and George, the three former brothers are in Washington and could not be present at the funeral He was a kind and loving son and brother.

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8
Sep

$200,000 for Webster City

   Posted by: admin    in Death, Organizations, People, Webster City

The Fort Dodge Messenger: Sept. 8, 1903

$200,000 for Webster City

By Demise of Mrs. Kendall Young Webster City Gets Princely Sum

The Story of the Bequest

It Was Made by Her Husband, Who Was Wealthy Pioneer of Webster City

Webster City, Sept. 8 The death of Mrs. Kendall Young in Battle Creek, Mich., Monday, was announced in this city today. By the death of Mrs. Young, Webster City will received $200,000 (about $5,032,308 today) to be used in the building of a library as a monument to the memory of Mr. and Mrs. Kendall Young. The fund has been in trust since 1896, when Mr. Young died, but could ot be used until the death of his wife.

The will provided that upon the death of Mrs. Young, $25,000 ($629,038) should be expended for a fire proof building. The remainder of the fortune must remain intact, and only the income of it, or so much of it as the trustees may see fit, is to be used for library purposes.

Kendall Young was born in Maine, and his wife in County Kent, England. The two were married in this city in 1858, and with the exception of a short residence in Irvington, have lived here ever since. At the time they were married here, the population of the city was but 400, and of the county 1,600. Through Mrs. Young’s generosity, the Kendall Young library on a small scale was established in 1898. At that time it became apparent to her that the annual income form the estate was more than she required or desired for her personal use. She very generously offered the use for library purposes of the magnificent Kendall Young home on Wilson avenue, beautifully situated and surrounded by spacious ornamental grounds, together with its furnishings, including many valuable paintings and pictures. She also proposed that the surplus income form the estate should be devoted to the immediate establishment and maintenance of the library.

At the February, 1898, term of the district court, upon the joint application of Mrs. Young and the executor, it was ordered that the executor annually turn over to the library trustees the surplus income from the estate, to be by them used for library purposes. At this time Mrs. Young was confined in the Battle Creek, Mich., sanitarium, on account of her health, where she remained until she died.

Mr. Young laid the foundation for his fortune during the California gold craze of 1849, and with this start began business in Hamilton county, where the balance of his fortune was made. Since the death of her husband, Mrs. Young has been cared for by the trustees of the estate. These gentlemen have seen to it that she has had all the comforts that money could buy. She has wanted for nothing, and yet, good soul that she was, she has often talked with them about the cutting down of her personal expenses in order that the money might be saved to the estate. She was 73 years of age. The funeral will be held in the city Thursday from the old Young home, now the library building.

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4
Sep

Thor Experiences Burglar Epidemic

   Posted by: admin    in theft, Thor

The Fort Dodge Messenger: Sept. 4, 1903

Thor Experiences Burglar Epidemic

Three Places Entered Thursday Night — Robberies by Same Men

Burglars Have Hard Luck

Blow Open Safe, Break Into Store, and Enter the Postoffice

Thor, Sept. 4 — Thor experienced a burglar epidemic last night, the chief characteristic of which was the hard luck attending the efforts of the hard working robbers.After breaking into three buildings and blowing one safe, they succeeded in getting away with a quantity of silk and other merchandise.

The safe in the office of the Chapman Lumber company was found this morning to be in a badly demolished condition. The door had been blown from its hinges, and the force of the explosion had wrecked the entire safe. Fortunately, nothing had been left in the strong box over night, and the burglars were compelled to leave empty-handed after their trouble.

By what is thought to have been the same persons, a second burglary was committed at the general store of Stewart Oleson, where a large amount of silks and a few other articles of merchandise were taken.

The postoffice was broken into, but not entered. A window had been forced open and the burglars were about to enter when they were frightened away by a burglar alarm.

No arrests have been made, nor is there a clue to the robbers.

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The Fort Dodge Messenger: Sept. 2, 1903

Tom Thumb Wedding at the Christian Church Success

The Unique Entertainment Will Be Repeated This Evening Those Taking Part

The Tom Thumb wedding which was given at the Christian church on Monday night was a great success and is to be repeated again tonight. Mr. Tripp of Colfax, will read. There will also be solos by Professor Whiting of Tobin College, and Misses Parthena Carmichael, Vera Dohs, and Ruth Pinkerton.

The following are the names of the children who take part in the entertainment.

Paul Hogle
Ralph Tryon
Helen Flaherty
Bell Philips
Elliot Collson
Vivian Hogle
Francis Gates
Marie Kepner
Mabel Thompson
Hazel Griffin
Genet Conner
Bernice Tessler
Irene Smith
Marion Flaherty
Zerline Wigton
Edna Wigton
Eda Peterson
Helen Hoagland
Ruth Pinkerton
Roberta Carrol
Martha Fullerton
Vera Carter
Vera Tennant
Inez Berry
Myrtle Philips
Ella Johnson
Mary Nelson
Parthena Carmichael
Dorris Collson
Paul Corneilson
Fern Scott
Leon Brown
Robert Williams
Irwin Berry
Ralph Cornelysen
Elizabeth Fullerton
Blanche McDaniels
Ruby Peterson
Marie Tennant
Harold Schill
Harold McGlassen
Arthur Peterson
Joseph Carroll
Faber McFaddin
Harry McAlpin
Sammie Hancock
Vera Dohs
Gertrude Leighton
Francis Green
Lyle Colby
Fern McDaniel
Neva Gates
Minnie Heller
Maud Heller

(Editor’s note: I attempted to recreate the names exactly how they were in the original article. If any of the names are incorrect it is either a) a typo on my part or b) a typo in the original article.)

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1
Sep

Absence Made Her Love Grow Cold

   Posted by: admin    in Marriage, Society news

The Fort Dodge Messenger: Sept. 1, 1903

Absence Made Her Love Grow Cold

Miss Gilday’s Romance of an Egg Proves That “Absence” is Not an Axiom

Marries Him Who Stayed Home

Fort Dodge Girls Who Wrote Name on Egg Shipped to Cuba, Weds Oct. 28

Des Moines, Iowa, September 1 — It was during the Spanish-American war in 1898 that Miss Marie Gilday of Fort Dodge, Iowa, mischievously scrawled her name over the white shell of an egg and slipped it into a packing case at the plant of a big Fort Dodge packing establishment. She was surprised a month later when she received a letter postmarked Santiago, Cuba. The egg had been part of a consignment to the American soldiers in Cuba and Corporal Percy Smith found it in the case when he was working in the commissary department. He wrote to Miss Gilday in Iowa it was not long before he received a reply. Letters flew thick and fast between them and an exchange of pictures followed. Then rumor had it that they were engaged and that Smith was to be furloughed so he could come and visit her.

Fay Cronlin, telegraph operator at the Illinois Central station met Miss Gilday in Fort Dodge the same year. He saw and loved her. But the story of the girl’s strange betrothal to the soldier came to him and he refrained from speaking the words that were in his heart. His companionship continued, but ont (sic – should be not) his courtship. The soldier boy in Santiago who wrote that he was coming to visit Miss Gilday, could not get the furlough and he wrote that he would have to wait until he was discharged from the army.

Seeing the operator every day apparently had its effect on Miss Gilday’s affections. A short time ago she wrote to the soldier telling him their correspondence must cease. When she told this to Cronlin he proposed. The result was that Miss Gilday resigned her position Wednesday and left for Council Bluffs to visit at Cronlin’s home. Yesterday, the wedding invitations were sent out. The marriage will take place at the home of Miss Gilday’s mother October 28. Mr. and Mrs. Cronlin will live in Sioux City.

(Editor’s note: I did a quick search on FamilySearch.org and discovered in the “Iowa, Marriages, 1809-1992” that Marie Gilday is listed as mother of the bride in the marriage of Dorothy E. Cronland to Earl E. Walters. The father of the bride is listed as Fayette J. Cronland. The marriage took place on Nov. 24, 1924, in Council Bluffs. A search for Fay Cronland brought up the actual marriage in the “Iowa, County Marriages, 1838-1934” records. It did take place on Oct. 28, 1903, in Fort Dodge. But the bride’s name is listed as Elizabeth Gilday.)

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31
Aug

Showman Meets With Accident

   Posted by: admin    in Accident, Entertainment

The Fort Dodge Messenger: Aug. 31, 1903

Showman Meets With Accident

John Wood, Leading Character in “Two Merry Tramps” Suffers Fractured Leg

Falls Thru Open Trap Door

Unaware of Opening in Floor, He Falls Into Basement Below

John Wood, one of the two leading characters in the Wood and Ward “Two Merry Tramps,” which is to be produced at the Midland tonight, met with an accident at 12:30 this afternoon by which he will be unable to appear on the stage for some time. As a result of his failure to see an open trap door on the stage in the rear of the opera house he was precipitated to the basement below nad suffered a fracture of the right leg between the hip and knee.

Wood, who as well as being one of the leading characters in the play, is a member of the band, and with that organization had been playing on Central avenue at noon. A few minutes before 12:30 the band returned to the opera house. A chest in which the uniforms are carried was standing near an open trap door and while in the act of placing his cap upon the cover of the box Wood unconsciously stepped into the hole and fell, a distance of fifteen feet. The other members of the band were present and several of them even saw him step back into the hole, but had no time in which to warn him of his danger. Wood himself said that the bright sunlight of the street in contrast with the interior of the opera house caused him to fail to see the opening in the stage floor. Those who saw him fall were unaware that he did not know of the opening  until too late to warn him.

A surgeon was summoned and the injured man was given attention.

The production, however, will be given tonight as usual. It is customary to provide for contingencies of this nature by carrying an understudy and in this way Wood’s part will be filled tonight.

It has since been learned that Wood’s correct name is Kenyon.

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