Saturday, February 10, 2018

On This Date in Minnesota History: February 10

February 10, 1911 – Charles Stolberg, for 12 years register of deeds of Carlton County, shot and killed himself this evening about half a mile from Carlton, presumably while suffering from the effects of a severe attack of grip*. So far as known his office and family affairs furnish no cause for the act. He left this afternoon for a walk to Scanlon, he said, intending to return later on the train. His failure to return resulted in a searching party tracking him about half a mile north of town, where he was found lying dead in the snow with a bullet hole in his head. A new revolver near the body indicated the manner of death. The body was taken to Cloquet, where Coroner Nydquist will conduct an inquest.

It was about 4 this afternoon when Stolberg left the courthouse after remarking to a friend that he believed he would walk to Scanlon, a distance of about three miles, and return on the evening train in the hope the walk in the fresh air would prove beneficial for a severe attack of the grip*, with which he had been wrestling a good part of the winter. Nothing was thought of his action, as he appeared to be in a rational mood, until about 10 p.m., when Mrs. Stolberg became alarmed at his failure to return and notified friends of the family.



1


James B. Gillespie and John B. Thompson, who had been requested by Mrs. Stolberg to search for her husband, learned from Scanlon that he had not boarded the train there nor been seen in that vicinity and they started on foot for Scanlon in about the direction he would take.

About half a mile north of Carlton they followed very fresh tracks in the snow, then came across some blood and finally the body, indicating Stolberg had walked a few feet after firing the bullet into his head. A small piece of rope or string hanging to a tree and marks in the snow indicated Stolberg had first tried to hang himself, but the rope was too small and he then used the pistol. He had been dead some time when the body was found. The pistol used was new and he evidently bought it for the purpose.

The news of the tragic fate of Mr. Stolberg created a sensation and came as a great shock to the community, as he was very popular, having been elected register of deeds several successive times without little or no opposition. He was a native of Hester, Sweden, aged 46, and had lived in this country many years. He is survived by his widow and one daughter, age 12.

The Duluth Herald; Register of Deeds of Carlton County Ends His Life By Shooting. Charles Stolberg Commits Suicide While Walking to Scanlon. Indications Show He First Attempted to Hang Himself. Deceased a Well-Known and Popular Resident of Carlton.”; Feb. 11, 1911; pp. 1 & 3.


*Definition of grip: https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/The+grip

1https://24timezones.com/staticmap/?center=46.7216,-92.4594&zoom=10&size=350x200&maptype=roadmap&language=en





Photo taken by Pamela J. Erickson. Released into the public domain Aug. 24, 2013,
as long as acknowledgement included.


               __________________________________________________________

If you are interested in finding out more about your family history in Minnesota, I specialize in researching  genealogical and historical records in Minn. and western Wis., including:
census records,  birth records,  death certificates, obits, grave site photos, ship passenger lists, marriage records and declarations of intent/naturalization records.  I will visit locations to research local history and county records, as well as take photos. Quick turnaround on MNHS records. Both short searches and family history reports available.

                                                         


Discover your roots, and watch the branches of your family tree begin to grow.


Website:  TheMemoryQuilt.com > click on Family History

Contact me at:
pjefamilyresearch@gmail.com



Friday, February 9, 2018

On This Date in Minnesota History: February 9

February 9, 1903 – The right of a horse to kick a man when being mistreated was established in a decision filed today by Judge Hine of the St. Paul municipal court.

W. J. O’Hearn, recently employed by Edward D. Donahue, a grocer, brought suit for $250 damages for injuries sustained by being kicked by one of defendant’s horses.

While driving the animal one day he hit it several blows with a whip, in recognition of which the horse planted its heels in O’Hearn’s stomach and face, causing him to forget who he was for several minutes.

He declared that his employer had not warned him of the nature of the horse he was driving. Judge Hine found that the driver had been warned regarding the facts, but intimated that this would make no difference, in view of the manner in which he was treating the animal.

The Saint Paul Globe; “Beaten Horse May Make Kick. Judge Hine Decides That Equine May Retaliate When Whipped.”; Feb. 10, 1903; p. 2.




https://cdn4.iconfinder.com/data/icons/animals-attack-human/564/animal-attack-01-002-512.png

               __________________________________________________________

If you are interested in finding out more about your family history in Minnesota, I specialize in researching  genealogical and historical records in Minn. and western Wis., including:
census records,  birth records,  death certificates, obits, grave site photos, ship passenger lists, marriage records and declarations of intent/naturalization records.  I will visit locations to research local history and county records, as well as take photos. Quick turnaround on MNHS records. Both short searches and family history reports available.

                                                         


Discover your roots, and watch the branches of your family tree begin to grow.


Website:  TheMemoryQuilt.com > click on Family History

Contact me at:
pjefamilyresearch@gmail.com





Thursday, February 8, 2018

On This Date in Minnesota History: February 8

February 8, 1889 – A horrible tragedy took place a mile and a half south of Delano early this morning. It was reported that Joseph Berneck, a German widower and well-to-do farmer about 65 years old, had committed suicide by cutting his throat with a razor. His wife was killed by a threshing machine boiler explosion some 14 years ago, a few miles from where Berneck met his tragic death.

The coroner, Dr. Pinneault, was summoned and an inquest held, and at 9 p.m. the jury returned a verdict that Berneck came to his death by the hands of some person or persons unknown.

The facts brought out seemed to be that the deceased rose much earlier than usual, that he gave some medicine to his brother who was sick, that he went outdoors and remained so long that the family became uneasy. His son-in-law, Mr. Martin, found the granary door barrel on the inside, but did not force it open. He called Joseph Berneck, Jr., who came and forced the door open, and there lay deceased in a pool of blood with his throat cut from ear to ear, the windpipe completely severed as well, and all parts of the throat clear to the spinal column. The deceased still held the razor in his hand.

The jurors say the cuts about the throat indicate that several gashes were made, and the manner in which they were made clearly indicate that some person or persons other than the deceased did the cutting. Still, this is a case where public opinion cannot safely make it out as murder without further evidence.

The Minneapolis Tribune; “Was it murder? Joseph Berneb (sic), of Delano, Found with His Throat Frightfully Cut.”; Feb. 9, 1889; p. 1.

St. Paul Daily Globe; “Cut His Throat.”; Feb. 9, 1889; p. 4.




Photo taken by Pamela J. Erickson. Released into the public domain June 23, 2013, 
as long as acknowledgement included.

               __________________________________________________________

If you are interested in finding out more about your family history in Minnesota, I specialize in researching  genealogical and historical records in Minn. and western Wis., including:
census records,  birth records,  death certificates, obits, grave site photos, ship passenger lists, marriage records and declarations of intent/naturalization records.  I will visit locations to research local history and county records, as well as take photos. Quick turnaround on MNHS records. Both short searches and family history reports available.

                                                         


Discover your roots, and watch the branches of your family tree begin to grow.


Website:  TheMemoryQuilt.com > click on Family History

Contact me at:
pjefamilyresearch@gmail.com



Wednesday, February 7, 2018

On This Date in Minnesota History: February 7

February 7, 1905 – Fire was discovered in the building of the Faribault Flour & Feed Co. this morning about 8:45. At that time the building was full of smoke, and the flames were beginning to shoot out of the front of the building. Eugene Lieb, who was returning from church with some friends, immediately telephoned the fire department and they responded with speed. It was not difficult to master the fire, but the great danger lay in its liability to spread to the Leach Lumber Yards, which adjoin it. Within three quarters of an hour, however, all traces of the fire had vanished except the blackened and water soaked front of the building.



Faribault Flour & Feed Co. Ad1

The cause of the fire was probably the stove in the office, which was of sheet iron. It is thought that the stove was burned through. There had been precautions taken in case such an accident might occur.

The building was one of the oldest in Faribault and a sentimental loss attaches to it, as it was used as a school building in early days.

The Faribault Journal; Faribault Feed Company Fire. Building of Faribault Feed Co. Destroyed Yesterday Morning. Flames in Dangerous Proximity to Lumber Yard.”; Feb. 8, 1905; p. 1.

1Faribault Journal; Jan. 28, 1903; p. 11.
               __________________________________________________________

If you are interested in finding out more about your family history in Minnesota, I specialize in researching  genealogical and historical records in Minn. and western Wis., including:
census records,  birth records,  death certificates, obits, grave site photos, ship passenger lists, marriage records and declarations of intent/naturalization records.  I will visit locations to research local history and county records, as well as take photos. Quick turnaround on MNHS records. Both short searches and family history reports available.

                                                         


Discover your roots, and watch the branches of your family tree begin to grow.


Website:  TheMemoryQuilt.com > click on Family History

Contact me at:
pjefamilyresearch@gmail.com



Tuesday, February 6, 2018

On This Date in Minnesota History: February 6

February 6, 1912 – Rather than face a winter of starvation, Mrs. Konsta Mattala, mother of nine children, donned her husband’s big boots and walked nine miles through the snow drifts and half broken roads to the station of Tower and came from there to Duluth to apply to the county poor authorities for relief.

She claims she is the sister of Axel Pakkala, the well-known and wealthy Virginia saloon owner, who was murdered on Christmas morning last. His relatives have shunned her, she said, although her family has been in hard straits for some time.

Not only has she been forsaken by her brother’s relatives, but she also is confronted with another problem. Her husband is in the St. Louis County Jail serving 60 days for stealing. The poor authorities are now trying to secure his release on the ground that it was his first offense and that he has always been a sober and industrious farmer.


Duluth, St. Louis County Jail1

Nine miles from Tower in a little farmhouse well snowed in, nine children today are waiting for their mother’s return. The oldest child is 14 years old. Since the arrest of their father at Tower last week the big family has been in hard straits.


Mrs. Mattala first came to the county jail to visit her husband, who is serving three months for getting drunk and stealing a $15 harness when he came to Tower last week. She had not learned the particulars of his arrest until she talked with him. She spent the night at the jail by the side of her husband.

This morning, she visited the office of Charles Shogran, secretary of the county poor commission, and told her story of privation and suffering. Being of Finnish descent, she was unable to speak English well and an interpreter was secured. She also begged the county poor agent and the sheriff to have her husband sent back.

In 16 years of married life, this was her husband’s first offense, she said. He is able and willing to work and is usually sober and industrious, she explained. She expressed surprise that he had been sent to jail and according to her version of the trouble, the arrest came about as a result of a misunderstanding over a trade.

Konsta Mattala, the man who is in jail, was sent down from Tower last week to serve three months for stealing a harness. He had been arraigned and convicted by Magistrate A. D. Fuller of the Tower municipal court. The county poor authorities will take the matter up with Judge Fuller and will ask him to have Mattala’s sentence suspended, with the view of giving him a chance to support his family.

In the meantime, the Mattala family will be provided for. This afternoon Shogran bought the woman a ticket to Tower and gave her a letter for A. W. Ackerson, the county poor agent at the place with instructions to see that the family was provided for until arrangements could be made for the release of her husband from the county jail.

The Duluth Herald; “Nine Children Left Alone in Snow Covered Cabin. Father Serving Jail Sentence—Mother Leaves to Seek Food. Tramps Nine Miles Through Drifts to Appeal to County.”; Feb. 6, 1912; p. 2.

1http://zenithcity.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/StLCtyJail1889_DPL.jpg

               __________________________________________________________

If you are interested in finding out more about your family history in Minnesota, I specialize in researching  genealogical and historical records in Minn. and western Wis., including:
census records,  birth records,  death certificates, obits, grave site photos, ship passenger lists, marriage records and declarations of intent/naturalization records.  I will visit locations to research local history and county records, as well as take photos. Quick turnaround on MNHS records. Both short searches and family history reports available.

                                                        


Discover your roots, and watch the branches of your family tree begin to grow.


Website:  TheMemoryQuilt.com > click on Family History

Contact me at:
pjefamilyresearch@gmail.com



Monday, February 5, 2018

On This Date in Minnesota History: February 5

February 5, 1910 (Sunday) – The bully of Walker, Minn., is dead.

Walter McDonald, saloon owner, pool room proprietor and notorious “bad man” who shot and mortally wounded Howard Sexton, day clerk at the Chase Hotel Thursday afternoon, paid the penalty for his crime early this morning by shooting himself through the head.


Walker, Minn.1

Sexton, the young victim of his attack, died this morning about 11 in spite of every effort made by several well-known physicians and surgeons to save his life. Four bullets penetrated his body, any one of which would ordinarily have caused his death. His widowed mother and brother, who arrived from Duluth on Friday, were at his bedside when the end came.

The shooting was unprovoked, and the victim defenseless.

Thursday afternoon about 2:30, McDonald sauntered into the bar of the Chase Hotel. Bert Chase, the proprietor of the hotel, had stepped out and asked Sexton, who was clerk to attend to the bar while he was gone. Sexton was serving drinks when McDonald entered and asked for a drink.

Sexton asked him to wait until he had finished serving the men with whom he was engaged and he would wait on him. McDonald began cursing and swearing in a loud voice and fearing that ladies in the lobby might hear, Sexton told him to be quiet.

“You mean that do you?” asked McDonald.

“Yes, I mean it,” said Sexton.

“Say, have you got a gun?” McDonald asked.

“No,” said Sexton. “If I had one, I wouldn’t know how to use it.”

“Well, you get one,” McDonald said, “and I’m going to get mine and we’ll settle this when I get back.”

He went out and Sexton didn’t pay any more attention to the matter. When McDonald came back in five minutes, Sexton was alone in the bar. He greeted McDonald affably and asked him what he wanted.

“A bottle of beer and get it quick,” said McDonald.

Sexton turned around to the back bar and got the bottle of beer and a glass. He turned around with one in each hand and looked into the threatening muzzle of the revolver in McDonald’s hand. Then he made the futile attempt for his life. The first shot entered his hand and the next two penetrated his abdomen. He never had a chance to fire the revolver he picked up after three shots had been fired. He fell to the floor and the murderer walked over to where he lay. “I guess you’ve got enough,” he said. “I won’t give you any more.”

James Valentine, who was in the lobby and had heard the talk between the two men rushed into the barroom when he heard the shots, McDonald turned the gun on him, but didn’t fire. “I won’t kill you, Jim, you’re a friend of mine,” he said. Removing the empty shells from his revolver, he reloaded the gun and walked back to his house where he barricaded himself and defied the officers.

Since Thursday afternoon, McDonald, with doors locked and window shades pulled down, had defied Sheriff Robert DeLury of Cass County and his posse of over a dozen hand-picked men, all noted in the northern country for their ability with a rifle. The fugitive served notice on the sheriff that he would shoot the first man who attempted to enter the house, knowing the man, there was little doubt in the minds of the sheriff and posse men that he would do exactly as he said he would so.



Cass County Sheriff Robert DeLury2



Until Friday evening, Mrs. McDonald remained with her husband in the house, refusing to desert him, even when begged by her brother M. J. Sitzar, who came over from his home in Cass Lake, to do so. Sitzer intended to save his sister from possible violence at the hands of her husband, who on several occasions had threatened her life or accidental death from a stray bullet should there be a general shooting up of the place. Late Friday afternoon she decided to leave, and, in the company of her brother, walked through a cordon of guards about the place and boarded a train for Sitzer’s home in Cass Lake. At that time she felt confident McDonald would soon tire of his vigil and give himself up.

Early this morning the sheriff and posse raided the house, broke down the door and entered without firing a shot. No sound was heard from any portion of the building, and after a brief search of the rooms the dead body of McDonald was found in the bathroom. He had placed the muzzle of his 44 caliber revolver in his mouth.

The body was barely cold and it is presumed that he ended his life during the early morning hours, probably about 5 a.m. The coroner’s inquest was held an hour later and the remains taken in charge of the local undertaker who will prepare the body for burial at Cass Lake.

The remains of Howard Sexton were taken to Duluth, his former home, by his mother and brother.

The Minneapolis Morning Tribune; “Walker Desperado Ends Own Life With Bullet. Sheriff and Posse Raid House and Find Body of Walter McDonald. Murderer’s Victim, Howard Sexton, Dies and Double Tragedy Is Complete.”; Feb. 6, 1910; p. 5.

The Duluth Evening Herald; “Murder of Howard Sexton Most Brutal of Crimes. Shot Down as he Stood With Arms Above Head. Brother and Mother Return to Duluth With the Body.”; Feb. 7, 1910; p. 3.

1https://www.bestplaces.net/images/city/walker_mn.gif

2The Bemidji Daily Pioneer; “Minnesota Sheriffs Gather for Meeting. Headed by Sheriff Dreger of Minneapolis, President of the State Association, a Big Delegation Is Assembled in Bemidji.”; Aug. 14, 1907; p. 1.

               __________________________________________________________

If you are interested in finding out more about your family history in Minnesota, I specialize in researching  genealogical and historical records in Minn. and western Wis., including:
census records,  birth records,  death certificates, obits, grave site photos, ship passenger lists, marriage records and declarations of intent/naturalization records.  I will visit locations to research local history and county records, as well as take photos. Quick turnaround on MNHS records. Both short searches and family history reports available.

                                                        


Discover your roots, and watch the branches of your family tree begin to grow.


Website:  TheMemoryQuilt.com > click on Family History

Contact me at:
pjefamilyresearch@gmail.com



Sunday, February 4, 2018

On This Date in Minnesota History: February 4

February 4, 1914 – Six persons are known to be dead and ten seriously injured as a result of the burning of the Kelliher Hotel early this morning. The hotel was built in 1911 at a cost of $18,000 and comprised 50 rooms. It was a frame building.

There are several people who cannot be accounted for, and two men are believed to have perished in the flames who had not registered.

Many travelling men were guests of the hotel, and were forced to jump from the second story windows.

The fire is believed to have started in the hotel furnace and spread throughout the building so rapidly that shouts were the only warning that could be given the sleeping guests.

All means of escape by way of the stairs was completely cut off soon after the fire started and those who reached safety did so by jumping from the second and third floors.

The fire department was powerless in fighting the flames and devoted their time to rescuing lodgers.

Only a few of the lodgers had an opportunity to dress, most of them jumping clad only in their nigh clothes and outer garments.

The building was a total loss.

The Bemidji Daily Pioneer; Six Men Meet Death in Early Morning Kelliher Hotel; Ten are Injured. Flames Start From Furnace Room And Sweep through Newly Constructed Building At Rapid Rate. Several Hurt in Jumping. Escape By Stairs Impossible And Lodgers Forced to Jump From Second And Third Floors.”; Feb. 4, 1914; p. 1.




The Kelliher Hotel
http://www.lakesnwoods.com/images/Kellih53.gif

               __________________________________________________________

If you are interested in finding out more about your family history in Minnesota, I specialize in researching  genealogical and historical records in Minn. and western Wis., including:
census records,  birth records,  death certificates, obits, grave site photos, ship passenger lists, marriage records and declarations of intent/naturalization records.  I will visit locations to research local history and county records, as well as take photos. Quick turnaround on MNHS records. Both short searches and family history reports available.

                                                         


Discover your roots, and watch the branches of your family tree begin to grow.


Website:  TheMemoryQuilt.com > click on Family History

Contact me at:
pjefamilyresearch@gmail.com