The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-01-22
Capt. Henry Ruegg Dies at the Age OF
Eighty-Eight.
He Was in Two Wars, and Was a
Good Soldier.
Was But a Boy When He Received His
First Commission.
During Latter Years of Life He Was
a Helpless Invalid.
From Mondays Daily.

From Mondays Daily.
Capt. Henry Ruegg, one of the very
old settlers of this county and veteran
of more than one war, died at seven
o'clock this morning at the residence of
his daughter, Mrs. j. j. Haggart, 5l2
Marshall street. The captain was eighty
eight years old. Pneumonia was the
immediate cause of his death, though he
had been an invalid for years. Eight
years ago he recovered his first paraly-
tic stroke from which he never recovered.
Successive strokes left him without the
use of his left side, his speech or his
eyes, except very imperfectly. During
the past two years he has lain almost
helpless, being unable to talk, though he
could at times utter word or two.
The funeral will be held tomorrow
morning at ten o'clock from the Metho-
dist church at Eagle Lake. The body
will be inferred at Tivoli by the side
of the remains of his wife who was
buried there two years ago.
Mr.. Ruegg is survived by two daugh-
tiers, Mrs. j. d. Humiston of Eagle Lake
and Mrs. ]. j. Haggart of Mankato.
There are three grandchildren: Frank
Humiston of Rec Heights, S. d., where
he lives with his wife and two little
children; Glen Humiston, a boy of
twelve, living at his home at Eagle
Lake; and Miss Ethel Haggart a girl of
sixteen living at the family home on
Marshall street.
Henry Ruegg was born at Strasburg in
Lorraine, then part of France, in the
year 1916 He attended the military
school at Metz, from which he received a
commission in the French army, first
as second lieutenant in the infantry
service and then as first lieutenant in the
cavalry. At the time of receiving his
first commission he was only eighteen
years old 1t battle between the
French and Austrians on the Austrian
Swiss frontier, he was badly wounded
and was obliged to remain six months in
the hospital.
At the age of twenty-five he came to
America landing at New Orleans. He
Arst obtained employment as foreman in
large wholesale house in st. Louis.
Later he went to Kenosha, Wis, where
he was married fifty-one years ago to
Miss Fidelia Bennett. In 1855 he went
to Tivoli where he settled down as far
mer. At the time Mankato itself con-
sisted only of few log shanties. He
was one of the company of soldiers that
was hastily organized to go up and de-
fend New Ulm at the time of the trou-
bles with the Sioux. During this same
bles with theSioux. During this same per-
iod of strife he enlisted in Company E of
the Second Minnesota cavalry in which
he served as first lieutenant from 1868
to 1865.
At the close of the war he returned to
his farm at Tivoli where he remained
during the next twelve years. He then
decided to retire from active business
life and moved with his family to the
village of Eagle Lake. 1t was here
that he received his first paralytic
stroke, that left him cripple. 1t was
here, too, that his wife died two years
ago. Since that time he has been living
at the homes of his two daughters.
Capt. Ruegg during his long career OF
usefulness often served the communi,
ties in which he lived in various public
offices. He was seldom out of town Of
flee during his long residence at Tivoli
He was the first postmaster at Tivoli
Capt. Ruegg was Free Mason being
one of the early members of the lodge
at Mankato.