Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883

History of New Rockford: Dec. 16, 2019

On Nov. 21, 1902, Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Oglesby came up from Valley City; he was employed by the telephone company and was looking over telephone matters. Advance agent for the Sanford Dodge Company A.C. Godfrey was in town putting up bills for their upcoming performance. Mrs. John Olson and children left for a couple weeks in Minneapolis. Dick Bohmbach and Jack O’Keefe were in from western Eddy County. Miss Helen Oliver returned from McHenry. H.J. Mitchell of H. Peoples & Company left on an eastern buying trip. That evening there was a social in the Morris schoolhouse, sponsored by the Ladies’ Aid of Morris. Refreshments were served and a collection taken up.

On Nov. 22, Dennis O’Connell came in from Denhoff, where he had been a grain buyer. William Bow was in town; he had been making improvements on his 80 acre homestead west of New Rockford. E.S. Severtson, F.C. Davies and H.J. Mitchell were in Fargo, where Mitchell joined the Elks; the men [without Mitchell?, see above] returned to New Rockford on Nov. 24. Albert West and Walter Imel went to Jamestown to see the play “Barbara Freitchie”; Imel then went on to Steele to visit. Farmer Joseph Maxwell and family; Mrs. James Hackney, wife of the Eddy County Auditor; and Fred Pietsch left for a winter in San Diego. That evening, J. Newton Moore’s singing class met in the courtroom to organize for the winter.

On Nov. 22 and 23, Fred I. Lyon was down from Bowbells, where he was a lawyer; he and his brother H.L. Lyon were in a land, law, and loan business. The Lyons were former New Rockford residents.

About 5 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 23, Arthur Robert Pomranke, son of Mr. and Mrs. [Otto] Robert Pomranke, died at home seven miles northeast of New Rockford from typhoid fever aggravated by congestion in his right lung and heart failure. He was 14 years old. He left his parents, two brothers, and five sisters. Funeral services with Rev. E.T. Quam were held on Nov. 25 at the family home with burial in a cemetery east of Sheyenne [the Nystrom Cemetery]. His gravestone reads Arthur Robert Pomranke Feb. 5, 1888 Nov. 23, 1902. There are three other Pomranke graves there; his parents and a brother. James Walsh and Frank Fahrer went to Sheyenne.

On the morning of Nov. 24, a $40,000 fire in Lidgerwood destroyed two blocks; another one owned by F.W. House of New Rockford was badly scorched and all the plate glass windows were broken.

The jury list for the Nov. 24 District Court included Earl Anderson, Eddie Anderson, John A. Bailey, Olof Barkland, Philip Brand, George Burnett, W.H. Chamberlain, Hans Christofferson, F.H. Dutee, George Gillette, Frank Graham, H.M. Greely, John Guler, J.T. Hamm, Peter Hanson, Ole Hegna, James Hobbs, J.P. Horeness, E.J. Horn, H.B. Johnson, G.W. Johnston, George W. Justice, W.G. Milne, Peter Nelson, George O’Connor, Pat O’Connor, L.D. Ostby, Ed Qually, William Randolph, J.W. Richter, C.H. Ruland, L.A. Sanderson, William Thorn, Martin Walsh, Charles Werner, and O.O. Wolden.

The court was opened at 1 p.m. with Judge S.L. Glaspell; E.S. Rose was the court reporter. Cases included:

P.J. Hester vs. David Carlton and Almira Carlton; the plaintiff recovered $502. Attorneys for the plaintiff were Maddux & Rinker; for the defendants Manly & Knauf.

Gudgell vs. Carroll; verdict for the plaintiff for $90. Allison and Baldwin represented the plaintiff; Maddux & Rinker for the defendant.

Gregory and Skidmore vs. John McIver; verdict for the defendant; P.M. Mattson for the plaintiff; James A. Manly for the defendant.

Farley vs. John McIver; verdict for the defendant; P.M. Mattson for the plaintiff; James A. Manly for the defendant.

Pister vs. Ackerman; appeal dismissed on plaintiff’s motion; Maddux & Rinker for the plaintiff; Mattson for the defendant.

Wolf vs. Mortinsen and Hatch; appeal dismissed by stipulation; Maddux & Rinker for the plaintiff; Manly for the defendant.

Monroe Wilden vs. Adam; appeal dismissed.

Wolly vs. Baird & Crossen; judgment for plaintiff.

M.T. O’Connor vs. St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Company; judgment for the Company; Baldwin for the plaintiff; Maddux & Rinker for the defense.

Baldwin vs. Studebaker; appeal on law questions decided in favor of defendant; Mattson for plaintiff; Manly for defendant.

F.N. Chaffee vs. John Mulvey; verdict for plaintiff for $118.35; Maddux & Rinker for plaintiff; Manly for defendant.

State vs. Jacob Portz and J.G. Nelson charged with assault with a dangerous weapon; convicted of assault and battery; fined $25 each; State’s Attorney, Mattson; Maddux & Rinker for defendants.

State vs. Otto and Gustave Kruger; dismissed.

The following cases were settled out of court: Lathrop vs. Davies; Sonnenberg vs. Allmaras; Studebaker vs. M.T. O’Connor.

Around 20 other cases were continued to May 1903. Visiting attorneys were George Bangs, Grand Forks; F.I. Lyon, Bowbells; S.E. Ellsworth, F. Baldwin, and John Knauf, Jamestown; W.E. Hoopes, Carrington.

On that day, Prof. J. Newton Moore started a children’s singing class, with lessons at the school Thursdays and Fridays. Tuition was one dollar per student for 12 lessons. Oscar Bauer came home “from up on the Soo” where he had been a grain buyer. Charles Fay returned from Velva, where he had been a grain buyer. John McCrum was in on business from Tiffany. Rudolph Indergaard came in from southeast of town. Matt Wiltschko of Foster County was up on business. Farmer H.M. Johnson was over from Twist on business; he said the crop was light in his neighborhood. George Gillette was in from Freeborn for jury duty. Frank Crepps was in town. John Schmid left to work on the “Carrington Independent.”

From Nov. 24 to Nov. 29 or 30, the Union Revival Services continued, moving from the Congregational Church to the Methodist Church On Nov. 24, Rev. Thomas E. Greene of Valley City and Rev. A.J. Allen of Cathay preached in the evening.