The Fort Dodge Messenger: March 13, 1905

Youth Sportsman Has an Accident

A Short Tragedy With a Happy Ending is Enacted on The Stage of Boydom

Confidence David and Jonathan

Jimmy Pouler and a Friend Start Duck Hunting With a Target Rifle And Experiencing an Absence of Ducks, Jimmy Holds a Bottle.

Two Fort Dodge sportsmen of tender years betook themselves in search of game Saturday afternoon, and managed to round up a big scare and a slight accident.

The hero of the occasion is called “Jimmy,” and is a son of Jacob Pooler of this city. In company with another boy they departed with a target rifle between them, and with their heads crammed with visions of ducks.

After several hours weary tramp, their visions faded and realities grew space and yearning for excitement like true Americans, one of the boys began discussing his ability as a marksman and finally offered to prove his assertions in any way named. Evidently “Jimmy” had fully as much faith in his friend’s ability as he himself claimed, because he stood up with a bottle clasped tightly in his out-stretched hand and awaited the shot which was to decide the question.

It came. It also hit the bottle well in the middle and scattered it in a thousand pieces one of which hit and imbedded itself in the forehead of the hero, who was felled to the ground in an instant, and over whom the trembling marksman bent, thinking he was a murder (sic).

Perhaps it was his tears which brought the lifeless form back to this world for Jimmy opened his eyes to look into the most relieved and thankful face he had ever seen, and he was tenderly supported to his home where a doctor soon appeared and remedied all ills.

Tags: 1905, Pooler

The Fort Dodge Messenger: March 10, 1905

Fort Dodge as an Art Center

What is Being Accomplished by the Constant Efforts of Fort Dodge Artists

An Interesting Sketch Club

Anyone is Privileged to Join and Much Interest is Being Awakened Among Lovers of the Fascinating Art – Meets Thursday Afternoons

A sketching club has been organized which meets Thursday afternoons after school in Recital Hal (sic). The class has been sketching for several weeks and a great deal of interest is being awakened and about twelve gather every week to take advantage of this excellent opportunity to develop talent.

Different members of the club pose each time, or furnish some one who will and fifteen minute sketches are made. By timing the sketches, there is a certain amount of ambition aroused to see who can accomplish the most in the allotted time.

Among those who sketch are Miss Lizzie Newberry, one of Fort Dodge’s best known artists,; and Carl Hepler, who studied recently at the art Institute in Chicago. Mr. Hepler as well as Miss Newberry is able to suggest a great many points to the amateurs who sketch, and much good is being derived from the classes.

Anyone who wishes is privileged to join the class, and as there is no stated instruction, there is no charge to the ambitious beginner, although they can not but be helped by the regular practice, and association with those interested.

Another art class which is accomplishing much good in Fort Dodge is that instructed by Miss Florence Young at the Mosaic club, one evening a week for the benefit of those who cannot study at other times. This class has been sketching all winter and is accomplishing much.

Miss Young is also elevating Fort Dodge art by teaching china painting and Miss Edna Richardson has a very large class in this line of work.

At Recital hall Miss Carrie Newberry and Miss Lizzie Newberry also have a very interesting class in china painting, and the hall itself is an artistic place to visit, with its many pretty pictures on the walls and the quantities of beautiful china which helps to adorn this attractively arranged hall.

The smell of the plants and oils is very attractive to one who has the craving for art, and this  Bohemian den is worthy of many visits from Fort Dodge people who are interested.

With these professional instructors quietly and constantly at work and the instruction which is developing the school children together with the many able artists who work in their homes, the artistic developments of Fort Dodge should surely not suffer.

Tags: 1905, Hepler, Newberry, Richardson, Young

The Fort Dodge Messenger: March 6, 1905

Physicians Equip Common Laboratory

The Doctors in the Oleson Block Will Have a Laboratory for Themselves.

The Project is  New One

Four Physicians Are Working Together in Equipping This Labratory (sic), Which Will Be in The Back Room On The Second Floor.

The physicians in the Oleson block have adopted a novel plan, by which they will all be able to progress in their work in medical science. There are four physicians in this block besides Dr. Carver, who is a specialist, and the four men will jointly equip one of the rooms in this block for a labratory, which they can all use. Thus all will have the advantage of a well equipped labratory, and at a less expense, than if each had to equip his own.

The men have been talking of this plan for some time, but have been unable to get a room until this week. J.N. Millker, who has had his office, and that of the Fort Dodge Clay Works located here, today moved his fixtures to the office of J.M. Kincaid in the Messenger building. This leaves his large office room vacant.

Dr. Charles N. Mulroney will take this office and add it to his office suite, while he will give up the room he formerly used as his private office, for the use of a labratory for all the physicians. The new office is much larger than his former private office, and it will enable him to better handle his work, wh ile the former office will be sufficiently large for the labratory.

The labratory will be fitted up in the near future, but as Dr. Churchill, one of the prime movers in the new venture is out of the city this week, it will probably not be fitted up until next week. The project is a new one but will aid all the physicians in their work, as they will gain the help of the other men.

(Editor’s note: The word laboratory is misspelled labratory consistently throughout, but I only noted it once.)

Tags: 1905, Carver, Churchill, Kincaid, Miller, Mulroney

The Fort Dodge Messenger: Feb. 28, 1905

Marble Season in Full Blast

Fort Dodge Dealers Are Kept Busy Supplying the Small Youth With Marbles.

The Games Remain the Same

In Some Ways the Class of Marbles Has Been Bettered, But Still The Higher Classes Are Not in As Big Demand.

The small boy and marbles are connected in everyone’s thoughts at this time of year, and no matter if the streets are covered with mud, you can find the small boy at his game everywhere you go. The local dealers report the sale this year as being very large, and that already, hundreds of thousands have been disposed of.

One dealer in speaking of the matter to a Messenger reporter this morning said that the class of marbles most in demand continued to be the “comies” and “chinies,” while “glassies” held a good place in the sale. He said that as far as he knew there was little demand for the more expensive agates or cornelians this year.

The small boy changes his whims with the marble constantly. One dealer says that he finds the crockery marbles, that is in marble terms the “crockeries” were in big demand. These marbles are more expensive than either the “comies” or “chinies” but are still a cheap grade of marble. This man said that two years back the demand for these was very small but last year it grew greatly, and that before the end of this season he expect4ed that the demand for these would out reach all others.

With the older marble players, the “crockeries” and “glassies” will be used almost exclusively, as the cheaper grade do not make a big enough stake for the players with the more pronounced gambling spirit in them. Thus far however the sale has been confined to the cheaper grades, but as the season advances, the dealer expect that the sale of the better classes will grow greater.

The games played by the marble players have not changed much so far this season, and as a rule the games are the same as have been played for year. Of course as the streets are muddy, much of the playing so far is the games “Odd or Even” of (sic) “Five or Under Five” or with the figures changed.

Tags: 1905

The Fort Dodge Messenger: Feb. 14, 1905

Amassing Fortune Raising of Skunks

John Lucas, of Lake City, Has Chosen a Peculiar Business

He Runs a Regular Farm

The Pelts are Valuable And Are Shipped to The Cities For Fur Garments – Has About three Hundred of The Animals in Prime Condition

Lake City, Feb. 14. – John Lucas, who lives a mile west of Lake City, is slowing amassing a small fortune by breeding and selling skunks.For the last three years the business has been thriving and the quality of the hides is first class. Lucas has an option on two acres of rough ground and was first attracted to his novel occupation by observing the numerous holes these animals had dug in the banks. This gave him an idea. He had the lace fence by strong galvanized wire netting five feet above ground and two feet under ground and let the animals breed without disturbance. The nature of the tract of land is naturally a home of these small animals, as it is bluffy, along a small creek and covered with a heavy growth of hazelnut bushes. Long grass is common,a nd it is let grow. Thus the roots of the bushes furnish feed and the grass is the home of many mice and other rodents and numerous insects, on which the fur bearing animals live.

There were some three hundred animals in prime condition for fur this season. The harvest is a matter of small import. Mr. Lucas has arranged an enclosure of wire in the center of the large field and when he wants to sell a few hides he puts some kind of attractive bait in the small enclosure. Peculiar holes in the netting readily admit the skunks but a clever device as readily prevents all exit. The feat of the killing is merely selection and a small club. The pelts are largely shipped to Sioux City and Minneapolis, Mr. Lucas receiving good prices for them.

The proprietor of this novel farm has been able in this time to select prime animals for stock and is now raising but pure black skunks, though occasionally a striped one appears. Artificial feeding has been found to make the quality of the pelts better and so roots of various kinds are raised for the consumption of the detestible (sic) little animals.

Tags: 1905, Lucas

The Fort Dodge Messenger: Feb. 13, 1905

Stratagem That Worked All Right

How Fort Dodge Women Relieved Herself From Bother of Canvassers.

Dose of Their Own Medicine

When The Oily-Tongued Agent Talked to Her About Buying His Wares She Opened a Masked Artillery in the Way of a Rival Set of Good Things.

In spite of the strict enforcement of the peddler’s law in Fort Dodge, there are still many canvassers extant, and there is one lady in the city who has been particularly bored by this class of people. Up to a month ago she was besieged by them day after day, and they took up the greater share of her time. Finally she decided to get a little enjoyment out of the eternal, unconquerable besiegers of her purse. She is a young and attractive lady, and enjoys fun with a zest, so she laid her plans deep, and with an eye to getting paid for the time she spent.

She decided that the most effective way of doing the agent to a turn was to give him his own medicine so she ordered a book canvassing outfit, and a number of “money-making specialties” among which were a patent nail trimmer, a skirt supporter and a few other trifles, so she would be prepared to suit the most fastidious disturber of her peace. When she had prepared her masked battery of “things that every person ought to have,” she laid low and awaited the coming of the unlucky victim.

It was not long until a dapper, and self-confident young man stepped up to the door and rang the bell vigorously. She was on hand to let him in herself, and as he slid his toe in the crack to prevent her closing it in his face, he was nearly taken off his feet by the cordiality with which he was received. She led him in and seated him in a most comfortable big easy chair, took his hat and treated him in every way as a guest. When he had somewhat recovered from his surprise he came to the conclusion that he had found an “easy,” and was not long in stating his mission. He was introducing into only a limited number of the best homes  of the city a “Complete Compendum (sic) of Common Sense Knowledge,” gathered from the four corners of the universe, which should adorn the shelves of every library in the land.

The lady was delighted to have a chance to look at so valuable a work, but would the gentleman mind glancing thru a book she had? She would take only a very few minutes of his valuable time. She knew as soon as she saw his refined face that he would appreciate the volume at its true worth.

Here she picked up a prospectus of “The Home Maker and a Complete Encyclopedia of Cooking Receipts for the Things That Mother Used to Make.” She sat down in front of him and beginning at the binding, read every word of the specimen pages from start to finish, not omitting the index and preface.

After the first ten minutes the dapper young man began to squirm; in twenty minutes he was white to the lips and in half an hour he was fairly haggard. She held her victim a full two hours, giving him a canvass that should have sold seven sets of Shakespeare and a complete library of the poets.

However, the young man had found the big easy chair such a seat of thorns that he was unable to appreciate the book at its true worth and made the sickly statement that as he was boarding and had no home, he would be unable to use it in his business.

“Oh, that’s all right,” said the woman sweetly. “If that book doesn’t suit you I have three others and surely one of them should prove to be just what you are looking for.” The agent staggered up, grasped his hat and pleading an appointment, fled as tho pursued by a thousand demons. He reached the street in three steps, threw a frightened look back over his shoulder and sped west almost on a run while the lady of the house retired to her room to have a good laugh. On the lady agent with an assortment of cosmetic she worked off a skirt supporter and took up 45 minutes of her time in exploiting the merits of a newfangled mouse trap and a cockroach extinguisher. The man with the patent broom holder was given a dissertation on a duplex automatic mop stick, guaranteed to do the work without an effort on the part of the operator. The gentleman with the luminous name plate was sold seven packages of bunion cure and the girls with the “gems of the musical world” was forced to listen to a description of a book on “How to Land Big Fish From The Matrimonial Stream.”

This sort of thing went on for a week and the lady became more finished in her work of working the undoing of the wily agent at every encounter. At last the visits of the canvasser became less and less frequent until now she is let entirely alone. The skull and cross bones are suspended in the air over the house and the agent jumps sidewise and quickens his pace every time he catches sight of the place.

Tags: 1905

The Fort Dodge Messenger: Jan. 18, 1905

Safety Deposit Vault in Chicken’s Gizzard

Remarkable Recovery of Jewelry Lost by Fort Dodge Girl

Found the Chain in a Hen

Had Been Lost For Several Months Without Any Suspicion of its Whereabouts – Chain Showed Signs of Wear From Digestive Organs.

As the result of having chicken for a Sunday dinner, Miss Mamie Gaulson, living on the flat in this city has recovered possession of a much prized necklace that was lost by her two years ago. The chain was found stowed away in the gizzard of the fowl, where it had evidently been for some time, as it is quite noticeably worn in some places altho in the whole it is in very good shape.

Miss Gauson (sic), with her parents, has only recently moved to this city from a farm south of Gowrie. Two years ago, last summer while picking pansies from a flower bed in the yard, she lost the necklace in question. She prized it very highly, and as soon as it was missed by her, made a thorough search of the premises, but without result. After a few days the incident faded out of her thoughts and the chain was given up as lost for good.

When the family decided to leave the farm and most to this city they sold off all but a few of their fowls, and these they killed, dressed and after freezing them, packed them down in a barrel and brought them here to Fort Dodge with them.

There were a dozen of them and they have been eating them along on special occasions every since they arrived there. There was one very fat hold hen that had been saved  until the last.

On Sunday it was decided to pick the bones of the old biddy, and she was brought in and thawed out. When the gizzard was opened, owing to an accident, the inner lining was cut into, and a speck of what appeared to be gold shown out from the contents. On investigation, what was the joy and surprise of Miss Gaulson to draw forth from the half digested mass in the sack, the long lost chain. It was as bright as the day it was lost and with the exception of the few links that showed considerable wear it appeared to have suffered little damage.

Of course it is highly improbable that the chain was swallowed as soon as lost, as it would surely have been entirely worn out by the actions of the digestive organs in that case. It was probably made a meal by the old biddy only a short time before her sudden and tragic death.

Tags: 1905, Gaulson

The Fort Dodge Messenger: Jan. 6, 1905

Engine Knocks House to Kindling

No. 26 on the C.G.W. Returning from Lehigh Demolishes a House.

Was on the Right of Way

Was a Two Story Structure, 16×24 and Was Being Moved by Wood and Fortney – Engine No. 26 was Slightly Damaged.

Engine No. 26, of the Great Western, when returning from Lehigh last night in charge of Engineer Schoonmaker and Fireman Tennant, ran into a house which was on the right of way, and split it into kindling wood, as well as damaging the engine to such an extent that it will be laid up for repairs for some time.

The accident is decidedly a peculiar one and perhaps anything similar to it has never happened before, and decidedly not in this part of the country. It happened about two miles from Fort Dodge, between here and Carbon, and a firm named Wood and Fortney were moving a good sized, two story house, the house resting on wagon wheels.

They were on the Great Western right of way and not on any public highway when the accident occurred, and had given no notice whatever to the company, that they would be near the track when any train passed.

Just as the Lehigh train appeared, coming back to Fort Dodge, the house movers became aware of their predicament, and knowing that it was too late to get the house out of the way, they unhitched the horses and go thtem and themselves out of danger.

The train came on and was two (sic) near, when the danger was noticed, for Engineer Schoonmaker to stop the engine.

The engine ran full into the house and came out badly crippled on the other side, leaving a shower of kindling wood on both sides of the track. Knowing that nothing could be done Fireman Tennant had jumped and was uninjured but Engineer Schoonmaker, who stayed on the engine was badly was badly skined (sic) and bruised.

They  managed to get the engine up to the yards here, but it is so badly crippled that it will need a great deal of repairing.

The house was said to be a two story structure about 16×24 in size, and there is practically nothing of it left except the kindling wood.

Tags: 1905, Schoonmaker, Tennant

The Fort Dodge Messenger: Jan. 3, 1905

Pugilist Jim Jeffries to be Here Soon

Champion Will Appear on Stage of Midland as Davy Crockett.

He is Drawing Large Crowds

After The Performance Jeffries Will Give an Exhibition Three Round Bout With Soft Gloves With His Trainer.

James Jeffries, the greatest pug on earth, will actually appear in Fort Dodge and “act” before a Fort Dodge. The added attraction of a three-round bout between the big pugilist and his trainer will also be put on after the play at the same price of admission.

It is expected that the big fellow will draw one of the largest crowds that ever filled a Fort Dodge opera house, and that S.R.O. signs will occupy prominent places in the lobby as early as seven o’clock on the night of his appearance.

The play put on by the big bruiser will be “David Crockett,” in which Jeffries takes the title role, and in the impersonation of the husky countryman, it is stated he appears very well indeed, acting the part in a most pleasing manner.

Jeffries in “The Man From The West,” in his tour thru the east last year, made a decided hit with his part, and he is said to be no less a success in his present part. This city will be one of a very few in the state that will be favored with a visit from the pugilist on his way thru.

In his tour of the country on the stage, he is keeping himself in trim for his work in the ring, by the three round bouts after each performance in which he appears with his trainer. This feature, beside keeping the fistic (sic) champion in constant trim, is a great drawing card and adds greatly to the number of seat sales in each engagement. The exhibition while not in the nature of a fight, is a thoroughly scientific affair and will be of great interests to the entire crowd.

Tags: 1905, Jeffries