The Princeton union. [volume], December 01, 1904, Image 1

About The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976

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WICEN BOYDROWNED
Rickard Wicen, Seven-Year-Old Son
of Louis Wicen, is Drowned
Near Three Corners.
Runs on ice Into Open Water and
Sinks Before Help Could
Reach Him.
A sad and sudden death by drown
ing- occurred at Mud lake near John
Shannon's place just over the line in
Wyanett last Sundav morning about
9:30 o'clok. Rickard Wicen, the
seven-j ear-old son of Louis Wicen,
ran into open water in the lake and
drowned before assistance could reach
him. His older brother, twelve years
of age, was on the lake skating with
the Steadman bov and a few other
companions. Rickard had followed
his brother to the lake, but the little
fellow did not have anv skates and
was following the bov around while
they were skating. They had skated
over to the opposite side of the lake
and Rickard started straight across to
them, not noticing open water about
fifteen feet wide ahead of him, and he
ran right off the ice into the water,
which was less than three feet deep,
but the bottom of the lake was very
deep mud. The elder Wicen boy saw
his brother fall into the water and ran
to his assistance and in trying to save
bun nearly lost his life, his compan-
'^j ions rescuing him. The little Wicen
boy struggled hard to keep above
water but his strength failed him and
he slowly sank deeper and deeper into
the muddy depths until all that re
mained out of water was the top of his
liead.
The boys ran to the Wicen home and
gave the alarm but when Mr. Wicen
and his neighbors reached the lake
there was no way to reach the boy and
a boat had to be brought from Silver
lake. The bod was easily recovered
with the boat and removed to the home.
The funeral was held yesterday af
ternoon at 2 o'clock at Mr. Wicen's
home, Rev. Erick Shogren of the
Swedish Baptist church officiating.
The interment was in the new cemetery
near Nystrom's at Green lake.
The sad accident has cast a gloom
over the community and the grief
stricken parents and family have the
symptathy of all in their berea\ ement.
HIGH SCHOOL REPORT.
Interesting: Data Gleaned From Geo. B.
Alton's Report.
The eleventh annual report of Geo.
B. Alton inspector of State high
schools, has been received, and as
usual contains manv interesting
statistics.
Mr. Aiton savs the increase of
State aid from $400 to $800, to $1,000.
and later to $1,500, together with the
settlement of the newer parts of the
State, has caused the building of
many new schools the past few years.
Reference is made in the report to the
new wing added to the Princeton
school.
The total number of high school
students enrolled in the State last
year was 18,622 exclusive of students
doing grammar school work. Of the
total number enrolled 7,499 were bojs
and 11,123 girls. Mr. Aiton thinks
that, while reports indicate 2,433 non
resident students, one-fifth of all high
school students are non-residents.
The number of graduates is increas
ing at a much higher rate, showing
that a greater proportion complete a
course.
In the table showing the enrollment
Princeton is creidted with 29 boys and
40 girls, with 56 resident and 13 non
resident.
In the expenditure for high school
outfit last year Princeton did not
spend a dollar for chemistry, while
$84 was paid for physics, $20 for
botany and zoology, $10' for general
library and $75 for supplementary
reading, a total of $189. As the in
spector says: "As a matter of justice
previous reports should be consulted
before comparisons are made.'' The
assessed valuation of the Princeton
school district is $613,000, and last
year the total school tax was 15.02
mills.
The most important part of Mr.
Aiton's report is what he has to say
on the work of a school superintend
ent. Mr. Aiton has sounded the true
note when he says.:
I am convinced that in the interest
of better schools, the superintendency
should be made more attractive by a
specific and systematic enlargement
of its duties. The more attractive the
position can be made the greater the
inducement to able young men. More
responsibility in the eye of the com
munity would bring with it compensa
tion and a longer term. It is notice
able that a board of education dis
posed to confine the superintendent
closely to class room work is also
disposed to pare his salary and sees
no harm in changing at the end of the
vear, verj possibly realizing that a
man anxious to remain under such
conditions lacks the ability to secure
a position elsewhere and should not
be retained.
'The true wav to carrj on a school
and at the same time de\ elop the su
perintendent is to de\elop on him
e\er\ dutj that he can do as well or
better than a board member. Half
the business brought before boards of
education, leading to no end of petty
squabbling, ought to be transacted
beforehand b\ a competent superin
tendent, thus clearing the way for a
discussion of school policy. If the
meetings of school boards were more
like the meetings of the board of
directors of an important business
enterprise, the result would be an im
provement in the standing of the su
perintendent, more respect for his pro
fessional skill, greater demand for ex
perience and business ability, and
correspondingly increased attractive
ness in the position.
"My observation is to the effect
that the more responsibility a board
places on the superintendent the bet
ter the school. Economy, loyaltv,
harmony, and efficiency go hand in
hand with the centering of responsi
bilitj Six men cannot sit down of
an evening, go through a mass of
recommendations, most of them worth
less, and select a well-balanced corps
ot teachers. Business men would not
buy even a flock of sheep in any such
haphazard way, and yet a school
board not infrequently arranges by
guess work for the expenditure of sev
eral thousand dollars in salaries,
while the superintendent sits helplessly
by plucking the sleeve of some mem
ber, or begging the board not to act
hastily or unwisely. A man who is
not qualified to hunt up and recom
mend a corps of teachers suited each
to a particular position is not pre
pared to act as a superintendent. If
he has the professional ability for
such duties it should be called into
requisition. In my judgment a super
intendent should be expected to travel
enough during the school year to
know what other schools are doing
and to be ready whenever occasion
demands to suggest suitable candi
dates for vacant positions. In the
matter of supplies, too, the closer a
board follow the superintendent's ad
vice, the less money is wasted. A
superintendent seldom piles up charts,
worthless sets of books, and the ill
begotten devices sold by agents.
Enough money is wasted annually at
the suggestion of canvassers to build
up a fine lot of libraries."
HIGH SCHOOL BIDGET.
School opened Monday with almost
all pupils in their seats.
Last Wednesday there were pro
grames and an air of joyousness in
all the grades. The high school had
a review entertainment made up of
dialogues and recitations which the
high school desired to hear over
again. The Eighth grade was invited
in to listen to the entertainment.
Miss Woodruff, the principal, went
to her home last Wednesday to spend
Thanksgiving with relatives, returning
home Saturday evening.
Miss Stigner of St. Paul will act
as substitute for Mrs. Phipps until the
holidays.
Jesse Orton who went to school here
last year was at the high school Tues
day morning shaking hands with his
old school mates, who were all very
glad to see him back.
Earl Hatch has returned to school
and we hope that he may go right on
with his work without any interference
from this on.
A literary program will be held in
the high school room Friday, Decem
ber 2nd, in the afternoon. The pub
lic is cordially invited.
The Eighth grade will also hold its
first literary program Friday.
Miss Jessie Williams entered the
Eighth grade Monday.
CLOSE JUDICIAL VOTE.
Baxter's Small PluralityMason May Ask
for Recount.
It appears from unofficial returns
that Mason, Republican candidate for
judge in this district received 13,649
votes. Baxter 13,811 and Valentine
6,121. Baxter's plurality is 117 ac
cording to returns as follows:
Benton Becker
Clay Douglas Mille Lacs
Morrison
Otter Tail
Stearns Wadena Todd
Totals
Mason Bax-
ter
698 667 716
1332
R. C. DUNN, Publisher. Terms 81.00 per Year. PfllNCETON, MILLE LACS COUNTY, MINNESOTA, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1904.
Valen-
tine
612 245
294 425 201
1019
572
1980
146
1335
1109 1327
867
1459
2646 1618
582
8953
717
1662
3354 3217
736
1401
13694 13811 6131
BLEW HISHEADOFF.
Frank Kurrasch, Son of Well-to-Do
Orrock Farmer, Shoots Head
Off With dun.
Had Been at Insane Hospital at Fer-
gus Falls, But When Home
Became Worse.
An Elk River dispatch of Nov ember
29th to the Minneapolis Times says:
Frank Kurrasch. the son of a well-to
do farmer living in the town of Or
rock, ended his life with a shotgun
earlj yesterday morning.
He had just returned home from
the insane asylum at Fergus Falls,
where he had been for a few weeks,
the doctor believing him to be weak
minded rather than insane.
Sunday he tried to cut his throat
with a knife, but was prevented b\ his
father, who sat by his bedside that
night, fearing he might again attempt
something desperate.
Toward morning he dosed off and
the oung man got up and, clad in
nothing but a thin shirt, he slipped
out into the frosty air, with a single
barreled shotgun in his hands He
pressed the muzzle against his fore
head and pulled the trigger. When
found the top of his head was blown
completely off.
PRINCETOfc SALOONS.
Tliej Were Discussed by Rev. Sw Innerton
Last Sunday Evening.
"An evening in Princeton Saloons."
The subject was certainly of a nature
to attract a large number of people to
hear Rev. Swinnerton of the M. E.
church talk on this very practical
topic last Sunday evening. Rev.
Swinnerton wanted to get at the root
and core of the question and in com
pany with the village marshal and
another citizen of Princeton he vis
ited every saloon in town on Monday
evening of last week, where he person
ally met the bartenders and many of
the saloon-keepers themselves to whom
he extended a hearty greeting and
gave them a personal invitation to at
tend services at his church on last
Sunday evening, stating to them that
he would talk on the temperance ques
tion. Some of them did attend.
Rev. Swinnerton chose for his text
Prov. XXIII31. 32: "Look not thou
upon the wine when it is red, when it
giveth its color in the cup, when it
moveth itself aright. At the last it
biteth like a serpent and stingeth like
an adder." His companion text was
from Matt. IX, 13: I am not come
to call the righteous but the sinners
to repentance."
Rev. Swinnerton spoke of the
world's temperance Sunday and of the
antiquity of the liquor habit. He said
that the history of antiquity was re
plete with proofs that the chief de
stroyer of the individual and nations
was drink. After reviewing the mighty
conquest of rum power from the earli
est ages to the" present time he dwelt
on the great factors and movements
throughout the world that are com
batting the evils of the rum traffic,
and then he came to the practical ap
plication andjreatment of his subject.
He did not forget to refer to the whole
sale consumption of alcohol by the
habitual users of patent medicines
and analyzed a few of the leading
bracers that are on sale at all the
drug stores throughout the land. The
well known stomach bitters with twelve
ounces of alcohol and four of water
and other alcoholic mixtures were
placed side by side with the clear stuff.
Rev. Swinnerton devoted a large
part of his sermon in reciting his ex
periences in the seven saloons that
he visited in Princeton. By way of
introduction he remarked: Someone
said only the other day that he saw
the Methodist preacher coming out of
a saloon Monday evening. Well if he
had watched more closely he would
have seen me come out of seven Sa
loons walking straighter and more
sober when I came out of the seventh
than when I entered the first. This is
intended for the gossiper."
He stated that all received him
courteously and not one of them asked
him to take a drink. He told of the
personal talks that he had with many
of the bartenders and saloon-kepeers.
After showing the dark side of the
traffic he referred to the bright side of
the saloon wherein it attracts the
young and the old. The saloons of
Princeton from Rev. Swinnerton's
standpoint are not repulsive places to
spend an evening, as they are well
lighted, warm and clean, "a good
deal more inviting than some homes I
have seen," said the speaker.
As to the remedy he laid particular
stress on individual prohibition and
stated that persons should prohibit
themselvs and the way to do this was
to get converted and start a new life.
THE PRINCETON UNION.
*-\i */Ste*j-J$& d"1-
Hd did not believe in prohibition as a
party issue, but believed in being as
sociated with all those agencies that
work for direct good. For fifteen
vears Rev. Swinnerton said that he
had been a member of the I. O. G. T.
and was a member ot tfle anti-saloon
league and would go as far as anyone
in he practical work of stopping the
e\ ils resulting from the saloon power.
Churches should be made more at
tractu and endeav or to get a hold on
that class of people who drift toward
the saloons The lodges were a sav
ing grace along this line and men are
better oft in the lodge room than in
the saloon.
THE MURDERERS CAUGHT.
The Minneapolis Police Capture the Co
lumbia Heights Murderers.
The murderers of little Freddie
King, the innocent lad shot down in
cold blood at the Mingo saloon hold-
u& at Columbia Heights the night be
fore Thanksgiving, have been caught
in Minneapolis.
The men were captured at the Grand
Central hotel in Minneapolis at about
four o'clock Saturday morning by
Detectives Brown, Crummy and John
son shortly after they had entered the
house.
On account of the well known des
perate character of the men the officers
made no attempt to arrest them until
they had separated
Two of the men, Kolb and Ham
mond were in one room while the third
man, Calderwit, remained in the office
of the hostelr
As soon as Calderwit saw the offi
cers aproach he made a desperate at
tempt to escape through the rear
door, but was caught before he could
work the lock.
Kolb and Hammond were placed
under arrest just as they were disrob
ing preparatory to retiring. In the
room in which they were arrested were
found three masks similar to those
worn by the highwaymen at Columbia
Heights. A large 38-calibre revolver
together with several knives and other
articles were found.
When he was placed under arrest
Kolb sank back on the bed unnerved.
He trembled like a leaf when told the
crijne of which he was charged. The
aWW.ives^vsre forced -*to aid' Mm in
walking to the station.
An odor of petroleum was detected
on the men, and the cast-oft clothes
found near the scene of the murder
had the same odor to them
Manv of those who were in Mingo's
saloon have identified the three men.
The three men found in an empty
box car on a Great Northern train
on the Bee Line, and who were cap
tured near Grandy, proved to be in
nocent of the awrful crime, though
from their actions they no doubt have
crimes of their own to answer for.
The brakeman discovered them be
tween Coon Creek and Bethel and the
three men were in an ugly mood and
showed fight. At Bethel the brake
man locked the ear door and wired
Minneapolis authorities and also
wired the Cambridge marshal to be
ready to capture the men, but Mar
shal Nesbitt had only the assistance
of Deputy Holmberg, and they were
poorly supplied with guns. While the
train was en route to Cambridge the
men cut the door and pulled the lock
off, and when the train reached Cam
bridge they jumped from the car and
started to run. Marshal Nesbitt cried
"Halt!" but the three men never stop
ped and went out of town unmolested.
At Grandy, Station Agent Snyder
held them at bay with a gun and his
cool nerve until a posse arrived and
took the men.
A. NEGRO COLONY.
One to be Started by Booker T. Washing
ton Near Blackduck, Minn.
A correspondent at Blackduck says:
"Booker T. Washington, president of
Tuskagee institute and leader of the
colored race in America, will in the
near future establish a colony for
southern nergoes in Blackduck town
ship. It is said on good authority
that an agent for Mr. Washington has
been here for some time and that he
has already secured options on most
of the lands in the township and will
soon close a deal whereby the great
educator will become owner of them.
"The negroes, who will be trans
ported directly from the south, will
be housed in comfortable cabins, and
will each receive an allotment of land
sufficient to farm at a profit.
"Mr. Washington's reason for es
tablishing the colony is. it is said, on
account of the superior educational
advantages the north has to offer.
The negroes in the south are heavily
handicapped and but few of them can
attend school.
"The people of Blackduck resent
the possible intrusion of the colored
immigrants, and if the deal goes
through, there may be trouble in Bel
trami county before the strangers are
allowed to settle."
fB^i JLdiiife&y ifijtififelib&&^
A DOUBLHOMEST.
The Doubled-Barreled Piano Contest
is Now on With Hot Race
for the Instruments.
Catholics Lead in Wesley Contest
and Mrs. Oswald King in the
Storey & Clark.
The two piano contests are now well
launched, and the announcement of
the first ballot in the Storey & Clark
piano contest has given the double
barreled or double-headed contest a
start for an exciting finish.
The result of this week's balloting
in the Welslev piano contest shows
that the Catholics have added a few
thousand votes while Mrs. Mark's
vote has been increased a few thou
sand. The Methodists seem to be
standing pat, but the simoon of bal
lots last week that swept the Catholics
out of all sound and hearing of their
contestants has had a dull, thud effect
on the also rans. Still the end is not
yet. There are heavy orders for
coupons coming in to the printer that
make a counting machine tired, and
who can tell the final story of the con
test. It is not settled, with two long
months ahead.
Catholic Church Punceton 54 873
Mrs Emmet Mark, Princeton 7 660
M. E Church, Princeton 4,488
Rathbone Sisters, Princeton 1 35t
Good Templar Lodge, Wyanett 1,174
Swedish Lutheran Church, Princeton g75
Sweedish Baptist Church Spencer Brk 40
Episcopal Church, Princeton 36
Dalbo Lutheran Church, Dalbo 5
69,912
The Storey & Clark piano contest is
being conducted by L. W. Pierson and
J. C. Herdliska, and the ballots so
far cast were counted yesterday with
the following result:
Mrs Oswald King
Swedish Lutheran Church
Northwestern Hospital
Mrs N. Jaax
Mrs Frank Peterson
Lutheran Church, Princeton
E Church, Spencer Brook
Catholic Church
Good Templars
462 141
91 57 40 26
6 3 1
The ballots will be counted again
December 14th at J. C. Herdliska's
jewelry store and all interested in the
contest are requested to be present.
A TOBACCO INDUSTRY.
A '-Weed" Plant in Princeton that is De
veloping: into Quite a Business.
There are manv people who per
haps do not realize that Princeton is
becoming quite a tobacco manufactur
ing center, but such, nevertheless is
the case. Princeton-made cigars have
alreadv taken their place on the best
markets of the State and are becom
ing regular trade favorites.
When Julius Sugarman came to
Princeton last spring and made ar
rangements to open a cigar factory,
he was "given the laugh" to use a
slang phrase. Princeton in years past
had had a few so-called cigar fac
tories, which made up a little saloon
stock, and found an early grave.
Many placed Mr. Sugarman in the
same catagory, but he paid no atten
tion to what people thought or said
and went about his business. Those
who looked upon his business venture
with a bit of suspicion little dreamed
that the new cigar maker had grown
up in the tobacco business, that he
was born amid the tobacco fields and
for twelve years he was boss packer
for the Barnums and Fairbanks, the
bonanza tobacco raisers of Connecti
cut. In his capacity as packer Mr.
Sugarman sorted the stock into fillers,
binders and wrappers, a very impor
tant position, and what Mr. Sugar
man dosn't know about tobacco isn't
worth knowing.
After sixteen years experience in the
tobacco business in New York city
Mr. Sugarman moved to Minneapo
lis, and desiring to find a satisfactory
field where he might conduct a cigar
and tobacco factory with less capital
and expense than in the city he looked
over Princeton and decided to locate
here. No bonus awaited his coming,
hardly a half-hearted welcome in pass
ing, but he came and on the first of
last May started Cigar Factory No. 1
of Minnesota in small quarters on the
north side of the river. He was for
tunate in securing license No. 1, which
had been surrendered by the original
applicant and the internal revenue
officer allowed Mr. Sugarman to have
it.
The new factory began placing sev
eral brands of five and ten-cent cigars
on the market, and they have proved
popular brands. Among his ten-cent
goods, are "Our Bob." "La Cedella"
and "El Artisto," while "Princeton
Stock." "Princeton Winner," "Fac
tory No. 1" and "Little Pets" are
leading five-cent grades, that will
average better than most five-cent
cigars.
Mr. Sugarman has worked Up an
extensive business in the manufacture
of special brands of cigars for the
VOLUME XXVIII. NO. 51.
trade of the country. He is at present
filling a large order for a Nebraska
house, the brands being "The Babies"
and "The Western Girl." He has a
big trade with twin city jobbers, and
since locating in Princeton has
worked up a fine business between
here and the head of the lakes.
On Oct. 1st Mr. Sugarman secured
the building formerly occupied by S.
M. Byers' clothing store where in ad
dition to his cigar factory he opened
a large cigar and tobacco store, and
started to make a line of smoking
tobacco, his principal brand being
"Princeton Clippings" that are be
coming popular with smokers. In a
single shipment this week he billed
out 637 pounds of clippings, and
while the Union man was at his store
Tuesday he was filling two large or
ders for cigars for St. Paul and Min
neapolis jobbers.
I am very well satisfied with my
trade since coming to Princeton" said
Mr. Sugarman. "It has grown from
1,000 cigars daily to 2,200 per day and
is steadily increasing. Since I started
making smoking tobacco I have in
creased the output from 100 pounds
to 500 pounds weekly and am more
than satisfied with my trade."
Mr. Sugarman also manufactures
the celebrated "Wheeling" and "Orig
inal" stogies, and they are genuine
stogies. He lived many years in
Pittsburg and vicinity where the
stogie occupies a higher place in the
smokers' realm than it does in the
west.
The Princeton factory employs ten
persons, many of the employes being
girls who find lucrative employment,
and have since the factory started up
been able to lay aside a few dollars.
Every legitimate industry helps a
town, and Mr. Sugarman's business
enterprise adds many hundreds of dol
lars to the trade of Princeton in a
year's time. He is deserving of en
couragement and support by all the
business interests of Princeton. We
need a lot more of those small indus
tries to help make our town prosper
ous.
December Weather.
According to Rev. Irl R. Hicks, the
St. Louis weather man, storms may
be expected on the first three days of
December. By the first of the month
a well defined change to falling ba
rometer, warmer weather and areas of
ram will be advancing from western
extremes. During the second and
third these storms will make their
transit eastward over the country.
Change to colder, with rain turning
to snow and sleet, will follow these
disturbances, with a high barometer
and northwesterly gales. Freezing
weather will prevail generally for a
few davs after these storms. Change
to much warmer will be noted in the
west by the sixth. The barometer
will begin falling in all western sec
tions earlj in the period, and from
about the sixth to the 10th general
rains will move eastward over the
country and in the west and north
west these rains will turn into snow
and sleet, with strong probabilities
of a December blizzard. If the
weather should be warm and bright
as we enter this period, especially if
the barometer is at a very low read
ing, there will be almost certain dan
ger of severe winter storms to follow.
No one should be thrown off his
guard b\ open weather, or by any de
lay of storm developments. While
electrical storms are probable at the
first, look for sudden and sweeping
change to much colder, covering
everything with ice and sleet, and
bringing a cold wave out of the
northwest. A change to warmer and
more decided storms of rain ^and
snow, may be counted on from the
12th to 15th, and blizzards may be ex
perienced at this time. From about
the 19th to 22nd storms of rain will
spread over the country eastward,
while in all western and northern
parts of the country, snow and sleet
will follow the rains. The culmina
tion of these storms will fall on and
touching the 22nd, about which date
the storms will assume the character
of blizzards in many parts of the
country. A rapid rise of the barome
ter and high cold gales from the north
west will bring up the rear of these
storms, sending a December cold
wave into most parts ot the country
by Christmas day.
Blue HlU'g New Church.
The new M. E. church at Blue Hill
is fast nearing completion. It is a
structure 30x30 and will seat nearly
150 persons. Rev. Burns has been
working hard to get the new edifice
completed'and has met with very good
support in his work.
Proofs of Death.
Insurannce AgentWhat are the
proofs of your husband's death,
madam?
The WidowWell, he has not been
home for the last three nights.Smart
Set. &*
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