Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1902-10-30
Formerly County Treas
urer of Day
County.
TALKS ABOUT COURT HOUSE
Tells Why Day County Should
Vote the Bonds For the
New Building.

one that is not progressive.
To the electors of this county this
question will be submitted: "Shall Day
county, South Dakota, issue bonds, not
to exceed the amount of $50, 900, for the
purpose of building a court house and
Jail at the county seat of said county?"
With a population of more than $1,000
intelligent citizens, and an assessed
should not require much thought in
order to decide in favor of building a
new court house. The best reason is
that the old one is not adequate to the
needs of the present time. The business
of the county having out-grown the
capacity of the present structure, there
being no place in which to safely deposit
the records, as the present vaults are
more than full and many of the records
cannot be stored in them, but have Il
be left outside, and i'll case of a fire
would be destroyed, and written books
cannot be insured as no insurance COM
pany will write a policy on written
books.
From what L can learn from PEG
Pile who are able to give a good
opinion on such matters, the vault III
the office of register of deeds is not
safe, and i'll case of fire the most valu-
able records of the county would be
badly damaged and some of them could
not be replaced, and the expense of
replacing the others would be several
times the amount asked for to build a
good fire-proof building which will be a
credit to the county aud enhance the
value of every farm i'll the county.
Now l have heard men say that it
would increase their taxes, and | will
admit that it will, but only to the
extent of about go cents on each quarter
section of land. That certainly is not
very burdeusome and we are just as
able to pay this small sum as the citi-
zens of Brown and Roberts counties,
where in each county named they are
building more extensive buildings than
could be built for the amour asked for
iii this county.
Now, my friends, let US no be behind
our sister counties III enterprise, but
carefully consider the beuefts to be
derived, aud vote for the bonds, and
build a court house which will be a
credit TO the county.
Some people may say that this article
was written for the benefit of the City
of Webster, but this is true only in u
slight degree. l will admit that | am
interested in the welfare of the city,
but more interested in the prosperity of
the whole county, as my taxable prop
erty outside of Webster, in Farminton,
Oak Gulch, Highland and Racine town
ships, is worth more than tour times
the value of the property which | own
III the city; but l believe that what is
for the interest of the county benefits
the whole people, Webster included.
J. T. Goodwin.
A. j. Earling, president of the Mil
waukee road has issued a circular
announcing the appointment of Colonel
H. f. Hunter as general agent of the
company in North and South Dakota,
the appointment to take effect Noyem-
Der LIST. This appointment is in the
nature of a promotion for Colonel Hun
ter, who has heretofore for several years
held the position of immigration COM
missioner for the company in this state.
The new position will enlarge the scope
of his authority and responsibilities and
add to his labors. Friends in both states
will congratulate both him and the COM
pany on the advance, knowing that no
better appointment could have been
made. !
Tuesday John Lett discovered al
prairie fire raging in the vicinity of his
home near Summit aud Immediately
went out and made an effort to extin-
guish the flames. After fighting the fire
for some time alone he saw that it was
going to get away from him and he
started for assistance. The fire followed |
him with great speed and the man was !
soon completely surrounded by the
flames. His clothes We're completely ,
burned from him, and he was compelled
to walk a quarter of a mile to reach a
house after being thus terribly burned.
Tuesday evening Mr.. Lett was brought
to Webster and taken to st. sMary's
hospital where he is under the care of
Doctor Carl f. Hash. When the doctor |
removed the dressings from the burns at
the hospital almost all of the skin came
from the mans body. He is frightfully
burned but the doctor thinks he can
save his life but at this writing is not
sure but that it will be necessary to
amputate n leg at the ankle. Mr.
Lett thinks the fire originated in the
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