The Watertown news. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1917-1919, 1917-06-22

created one day over a large cask of
gin having been left, in the evening,
in front Of the store now occupied by
j. G. Harrison, when it was found that
some miscreant had bored hole in
the cask valued at $500 and let the
contents run into the gutter. Macs
and Roper then occupied the basement
of that building with their stock of
liquors. George H. Bot was accused
OF having tapped the cask, but the evil
dence was not sufficient to convict.
About 1855 the people demanded a
new bridge on account of the three
heavy ratings dividing the wagon
tracks as well as the sidewalks,
scarcely day passing without some
greenhorn taking the wrong or left
hand track, and being met by some
mischievous driver half way or more,
would be compelled to back off the
whole distance as best he could. The
new bridge, constructed by Mr.. Steger
was the full width of the street and
about three feet higher than the old
one, which compelled Macs to move
the shanty back about three feet and
raise the ground floor about the same
amount. About this time a determina-
ton manifested itself in the cOmmuni-
cation with the bridge. BY what means
the railing in front Of the Werner
building was removed 1 cannot call
to mind. AS to how that in front of
Macs shanty was taken down l re-
member very well. While two men
took the night watch up town and
filled him with beer, two others pre-
tending to be drunk, sawed the open
ing and threw it into the river.
During the time the shanty was be-
ing remodeled so as to accommodate
itself to the new bridge, my barber
shop was removed to the basement
under Miners drug sore, now Aug
ust Wiggenhorn's jewelrv establish
ment, where in short time sold out
to M. F. Paulfranz for ten $40 gold
pieces. The building in the river be-
ing in condition to be occupied, and
Macs and Roper having been attacked
by the western fever, sold out their
liquor business and moved to Mime
sofa with family, bag and baggage, To-
eating at or near place where Owa-
tonna is now situated. Being now out
of business and the shanty vacant, 1
rented it of Henry Macs at $500 year
1oo IS 81
capital became associated with Fred
Brandt under the firm name Of F. P.
Brook & Co., and started a fruit, con-
fectionery, cigar and tobacco store on
the ground floor, with ice cream and
oyster rooms in the basement Alonzo
W. Straw being our first clerk, 1 be-
lieve. High rent, ignorance of bust
ness methods and general needless
| ness, soon reduced our stock so that
Joe Giles used to say had to set my
soda crackers up edgewise to fill up
the shelves, and the probability is that
in maturer years l would have given
up the business as f1zzle. Neverthe-
less, at the very time when my world
ly affairs were in the most deplorable
condition | got married, paying the
Rev. Mr.. Niles So for performing the
ceremony, it being all the money 1
had-boarded few months with Jerry
Mowder and then went to housekeep-
| ing in the basement of the shanty, US
| ing the furniture, dishes, etc., connect
ed with the ice cream and oyster room,
for family purposes, and while thus
keeping house in the lower story of
the building our first child was born.
My first associates in Watertown
were almost exclusively Americans,
not by design, but, and for reasons
that 1 have never been able to ex-
plain, unless it was that Mrs. P. B.
| Basford, finding me rather a likely boy
took me under her wing and got me
to join the Cadets of Temperance.
where was considerably lionized as
being the only member of German
birth and on account of which 1 in
Cured the enmity, so to speak, of
such Germans as disapproved of all
temperance moves, being most fire.
quently spoken of as Yankee Peter"
These cadets were principally young
| boys and at every meeting one of the
members had to read an essay on the
temperance cause, and when it came
my turn to do so, though l could
scarcely speak any English, 1 pro-
duced one of the most wonderful ad-
dresses ever heard in that hall; in
consequence of which 1 Immediately
became one Of the leading spirits of
the society, and the speech was spread
on the records in full, though / re-
NAMED as dumb as an oyster about
the fact that DR.. James Cody had
written the composition for me. This
and other circumstances throwing me
into American society, and conse-
quently chiefly among republicans, it
naturally followed that when 1 be-
| came of age l found myself a full
| f1edged member of that party, and
Peters shanty republican headquar-
ters; and let me say to you, dear read
er, that at that period of the history of
Watertown, much pluck and determin-
alton was required in a foreigner