The Fort Dodge Messenger: Jan. 14, 1907

Cocaine Sellers Look Out

Mayor Bennett Says He Will Prosecute if Parties are Discovered.

“Some druggist or other is selling cocaine to a bunch of drug fiends about town,” said Mayor Bennett this morning. “I don’t know who it is but if we find out they will be prosecuted to the limit. They will do almost anything to get the drug but that is no excuse for a merchant and if the thing keeps up somebody will have to sweat for it good and plenty.”

Tags: 1907, Bennett

The Fort Dodge Messenger: Jan. 14, 1907

Fort Dodger Invents

Ernest Green Has Automatic Equipment to Close Switches

Ernest Green, a former Fort Dodge young man, is the inventor of a railroad device that promises to come into general use on all traffic lines. It is believed that no little fame is in store for its inventor. Regarding a test of the appliance recently made the Buffalo Express has the following:

“Ernest Green’s device for automatically closing an open switch before an oncoming train was recently tested with great success on the Lake Shore at Silver Creek where Mr. Green lives.

“Freight locomotive No. 5830 was used in the tests and was run over the portion of the track equipped at speeds that varied from 25 to 55 miles an hour. Roadmaster Connors and other officials who witness the test say the device worked perfectly and promptly.

“It appears to be a very simple and inexpensive equipment. It makes it possible for a train to take an open switch. A switch left open carelessly or by design closes automatically in front of the train.”

Tags: 1907, Connors, Green

The Fort Dodge Messenger: Jan. 7, 1907

Small Pox Appears in the City

Two Cases are Under Quarantine – Mayor Issues Warning to People.

Two cases of small pox have appeared in the city. One is at the residence of Grover Harris at 316 South 5th street where Mr. Harris is ill with the malady. The other is on North 7th street where Frank Devore a black smith employed at the Dan Noonan shop is confined.

Both cases were promptly placed under quarantine by city physician Mulroney, who pronounces them both of light form and not likely to become dangerous.

Neither of the afflicted parties have an idea as to where they contracted the disease. Sioux City has one hundred and twenty-five cases and it is thought probably that it came here from that city in some manner.

Mayor Bennett, desiring to warn the people says: “All should take very precaution to prevent the spread of contagious disease. Physicians inform me that soft weather like this makes it much more likely to spread. On the first appearance of sickness that gives indication of turning into scarlet fever, small pox or any other infectious sickness do not hesitate to call the city physician. If quarantine is promptly enforced the danger is small, whereas if the disease is let run three or four days it is likely to be transmitted to others.”

(Editor’s note: There was a related brief on another page of the same edition of the paper, in the “What They Say” section, which follows. It appears he is referring to the home of Frank Devore.)

“The other day I noticed a milk wagon drive up in front of a home on north 7th street where a family is quarantined for small pox. The milkman poured out a quantity of milk into the pitcher brought out to him, looked at it, then evidently thinking he had given too much, poured part of it back from the pitcher into the big can from which he supplies all his customers. He drove on then to peddle milk from that same big can all over town. It looks as if that were a pretty good way to spread disease in case there were any germs on the pitcher, for milk is said to be the worst medium for carrying germs known.”

-Robert M. Wilson

Tags: 1907, Bennett, Devore, Harris, Wilson

The Fort Dodge Messenger: March 23, 1907

Yes Easter is Near at Hand

A Glance at the Easter Novelties in Store windows Will Tell You.

Easter Teddy Bear is Newest

He Make Take the Place of the Easter Rabbit in Time – Easter Eggs, Candies, Postcards and All Other Kinds of Novelties.

A stroll down Central Avenue and a look into the store windows will tell you that Easter is near at hand even if you had no way of reckoning it by the calendar.

It is not alone the displays of fancy toggery and O! trite expression, “the Easter Bonnet,” that tells the story. The appearance of the windows of the novelty stores fairly shout it into your ear.

Easter Postcard The poem reads: A Hearty Easter Wish The time for rejoicing is here, Winter's dead, and the spring is robust, In front is the best time of the year, And the best of your life,dear, I trust.

Novelties newer and neater, more varied and heterogeneous in the nature of the displays have never been seen in Fort Dodge. Of course the old time Easter Rabbit, the friend of the children, takes greatest prominence, but he bids fair to be displaced by the newer “Easter Teddy Bear.” The Teddy Bear is a pusher but the latest example of his goatlike propensities is his getting into the Easter novelty crowd. the easter Teddy Bear is a little fellow, fuzzy and comical and but little larger than the Easter rabbit. He sits in a nest of eggs or holds one in his clumsy, wobbly arms.

Hens sitting on nests of eggs, soft downy little chickens and ducks that look wonderfully like the real thing, beautifully colored artificial Easter eggs and the rabbit in dozens of sizes and hundreds of poses are on the list.

The most popular pose of the rabbit is where he is seen, like a chick just emerging from the shell of a big white egg. He is shown in several states of the process of getting out of the shell.

All kinds of creations in candy goods are to be seen, too. hens, chickens and ducklings, candy eggs, chocolate Bunnies make up the list. Egg dyes which are warranted to color the barnyard fruit of Mistress Cackle any desired hues are advertised.

Easter postcards are in interesting lot too. Sentimental ones are somewhat in evidence but the artistic kind prevail. Easter lillies, pictures of Easter choirs and many cute and quaint verses may be found on the cards that are set out everywhere.

Tags: 1907, bunny, chocolate, Easter

The Fort Dodge Messenger: March 20, 1907

Town Topics

Today is in every way an ideal Spring day. The opening of Spring to a country boy means many things. It means that he will soon be fishing under the banks of the Des Moines for suckers. It means that he will sprout potatoes on the barn floor, or get the little onions ready for planting on the back lot.

The prospect of a productive season is a change even from the slush and ice of a long and dreary winter. The farmer goes out to see whether the bees are getting ready to swarm; the town man prepares to plant some flower seeds on the front lawn. The housewife, the whole land over, looks up the mops and brooms and gets in readiness for the Spring housecleaning.

Everything takes a new start, as it were, in life; we begin anew and feel brighter and better natured and feel glad that we are living.

And now that Spring seems to have run up the curtain in readiness to open the show there are many things which while we enjoy nature and its changing forms, the town dweller should attend to. Nature will do her part to beautify Fort Dodge, but it will not remove the accumulations of ashes and refuse in the cellars of our citizens. It will not repair bad pavements, muddy street, stopped up gutters or sinking crossing stones.

Nature will cause flowers to grow in the country wood, but not on the citizens lawn unless seed be planted. Nature will make the shade trees burst into leaf but it will not remove unsightly wires, broken limbs or dead trees from the streets.

The sun will shine brightly on pretty dwellings and business places, but it will not apply the paint or the whitewash brush to the back fence or the front shutters where the wintry storms have caused a former application to wear off.

Nature will make the parks look green and beautiful, but the corner lots will still have an unsightly appearance unless man assists in “clearing up.”

Nature will asist (sic) in Spring housecleaning, but as this has been a very strenuous winter, there is much for the average citizen to do to make Fort Dodge look more beautiful than ever before.

Tags: 1907

The Fort Dodge Messenger: March 12, 1907

Police News

One lone unfortuunate (sic) who gave his name as Orin Carter was before the mayor this morning in police court.

Drunk and disorderly was the charge hurled against him. he entered a plea of guilty ard (sic) was given three days at hard labor.

■ ■ ■

The officers have received word to be on the lookout for a consignment of stolen furs. On the night of February 28th the warehouse of C.A. Lind of Marathon (sic), Iowa, was broken into and $600 worth of valuable skunk, mink and weasel furs were stolen. A reward of $100 is offered for the capture of the thief and the return of the proparty (sic).

■ ■ ■

Former Police Officer Peter Dittmer was a caller at the station renewing old acquaintances and chatting with the men one day last week. Peter, the veteran member of the force for six years, retired because of a desire to take some ease during the remaining years of his life. He cheerfully says he is doing nothing except to take a life of ease and finds the occupation a pleasant one at that.

Tags: 1907, Carter, Dittmer, Lind

The Fort Dodge Messenger: March 12, 1907

Town Topics

The six weeks reign of the groundhog is drawing to a close. The Candlemas day phophecy (sic) has been remarkable for its nonfulfillment this year and hereafter the doubting Thomases will be more clamorous than ever in declaring that the conditions of that day have nothing to do with the settling of the weather for the six weeks to come.

■ ■ ■

When the sun is permitted to have a clear course in a blue sky these days, puffy little yellow clouds are seen going in no particular direction, bobbin up and down like a boy’s kite with not enough of bobs to held (sic) it in a dignified position.

That’s March for you.

It’s the breaking up time of Winter and while seasons change and the doings of the weather seems to be in strange variance with the programme (sic) of years ago, March is the same old windy month it always was, and so for its steady habits it deserves public respect.

Tags: 1907

The Fort Dodge Messenger: March 6, 1907

Martin Luther Bible Sold

The Treasured Volume Changes Hands for $700 consideration

Considered Precious Possess

Volume Believed to Be One of Three Which Luther Printed – Has Interesting History.

Britt, March 6 – John Jacobs this week provisionally sold his Martin Luther Bible to F. Klein east of town for $70 – an enormous price for a bible yet much less than his book would bring if Mr. Jacobs should bring the volume to the notice of those who prize such genuine antiquities and are willing to pay accordingly.

The volume, 18 inches in height, and 10 inches thick, is one of the three bibles printed by Martin Luther, at which he consumed nearly 40 years. Mr. Jacobs came in possession of it by befriending a poor old fellow while living in St. Paul a dozen or more years ago; an old German, in destitute circumstances, appealed to him for assistance and confided his possession of this treasured Bible which has come down thru many generations of his family. John assisted “old Richard,” who in gratitude promised that when he died he should have the book delivered to Mr. Jacobs. About five years ago he passed away, out in Nebraska, and shortly after his aged wife came to Bancroft and personally delivered into Mr. Jacob’s hands the bible as the old man had promised in his will. Mr. Jacobs has not paraded his possession, and but few have seen it, but those who have examined the heavy old volume are readily convinced of its genuineness. Another citizen here in town, stands ready to pay an even thousand for the book any time, but it is doubtful if he will ever induce another change of ownership.

(Editor’s note: The second headline says $700 but the article says $70. I believe the amount must have been $700, based on the last sentence. Recently, a Martin Luther Bible was discovered in Wisconsin. I can’t verify that only three were made, or how much one would be worth.)

Tags: 1907, Jacobs

The Fort Dodge Messenger: March 4, 1907


Gold Tooth Caught Him

Gilt Molar Was Undoing of Forger Caught by Chief Tullar

A gold tooth in the front of the mouth of Oscar Walker, alias H.R. Williams resulted in his being arrested Saturday afternoon by Chief Tullar on the charge of forgery, and today he will be taken to Omaha to await the time when the machinery of the law will get in motion and pass upon his crime. Mr. Tullar received a letter Saturday morning from Chief of Police Donahue of Omaha asking him to look out for Walker, who was wanted for forging checks on the manager of Collier’s Weekly while acting as canvasser for the publication. A good description telling that the man wanted was 35 years of age, high 5 feet 11 inches, florid complexion, weight 180 pounds, sandy mustache, and that he had a gold tooth in the front of his mouth accompanied the letter. It also stated that a man named Williams has applied for a position with Collier’s from Fort Dodge and that Williams would probably prove to be Walker. This turned out just as expected. Chief Tullar was walking along First Avenue South that same afternoon when he met a man answering the description. He spoke to him and when he opened his mouth to reply Tullar caught sight of the gold tooth and nabbed him. A detective from Omaha arrived here yesterday and identified the prisoner as the man wanted. He had been here only a week or so and went under the name of H.R. Williams.

Tags: 1907, Donahue, Tullar, Walker, Williams