The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1905-05-03
AN OCTOGENARIAN DEAD.
John Weiss, an Old Resident Of North
Redwood, Passes Away.


John Weiss, an Old Resident Of North
Redwood, Passes Away.
Last Wednesday word was re-
ceived here of the death of John
Weiss, for 81 years familiar figure
to North Redwood residents, and
well-known in this city also. The
news came as surprise to most
people here, who were not aware
that Mr.. Weiss had been seriously
i'll. AS matter of fact Mr.. Weiss
had been confined to his bed less
than a week, and up to day before
his illness his condition had not
been thought critical. He was per-
suaded to remain in bed more on ac-
count of weakness than from any,
thing else. Mr.. Weiss illness was
attended with little or no pain, ac-
cording to his own admission. Just
before the last breath his wife's at
tention was attracted by his assum-
ing a sitting posture in bed, and as
she gently lowered his head upon
his pillow she noticed an unusual
paIlor in his face and called her
daughter. The aged man sank to
sleep without any expression of
struggle or distress. He had long
been affected with a troublesome
cough, and this fact undoubtedly
FASTENED. if it did not directly bring
about his final dissolution.
John Weiss was native of the
town of Gosheim, in the Duchy of
Wertemberg, Southern Germany.
his natal day being in the month of
June, 1925. He remained in the
fatherland until attaining manhood,
learning the brewers trade, which
occupation he followed for some
years after coming to America. He
settled at Sheboygan, Wis, just be-
fore the civil war, and there made
the acquaintance of Miss Louise
Fleischer. who became Mrs. Weiss
in 1861. Subsequently Mr.. and
Mrs. Weiss removed to Illinois, but
remained there only four years, re-
moving to what is now North Red
wood in 1871. At that time there
was no railroad nearer than ST. Pet
er and Mr.. Weiss started brewing,
continuing to make beer up to the
time of the extension of the North
western road to this city in 1873.
Mr.. Weiss had b0ilt a good sized
house on the hillside, midway on
the road leading up from the pres
emit North Redwood 10 the table land
on which this city is situated. To
his house came many landseekers
and others for lodging and enter
and by virtue of the rep
u tation of the Weiss household for
good fare and scrupulous neatness,
Mr.. Weiss house became hotel
without any intention on his part,
and he abandoned his littlebrewery
venture soon after Redwood Falls
became railroad town. In 1884
the Minneapolis & st. Louis made
North Redwood a station on their
line, and soon after Mr.. Weiss built
his present hotel near the North
Red wood depot, his old house hav-
ing been destroyed by fire from
some unknown cause. At the time
of coming to North Redwood the
family included two sons and a
daughter, but before their removal
to Hotel Weiss, the youngest son,
Willie, lost his life while bathing,
while Anton, the older son, had
already taken up newspaper work,
and not many years later started in
at Duluth on career which led to
the ownership of controlling in
terest in one of the best newspaper
properties in the Northwest the
Duluth Herald. Mr.. Weiss in his
later years shrank from taking long
journeys, and never visited his son
at Duluth, much to the regret of
the latter. His daughter Louise
and Mrs. Weiss gradually relieved
Mr.. Weiss of all business worries
as his strength failed during his
declining years, and for several
years past the aged man has been
able to take life easy. He was a
great reader of the newspapers,