The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1917-05-05
HALDEN HUNTS HIS HOLE A BUSY BEER BUYER

paid it
Now the facts are, the Rip-saw
has high authority, that contrac-
tor Harris did not really pull the
stumps until the next spring.
| If he had not been a strong,
healthy man, he might have died
during the long, cold winter and
st. Louis county would have
been out $125 in real money.
Once upon a time, several
clerks in the county treasurer's
| office got into the habit Of draw
! ing their pay before they earned
it, with the result that they were
sent on along visit to Saltwater,
where they wore raiment with
heavy stripes.
Honest Farmer Harris Jared
less ill.
At another time the kindly old
county paid good granger $11O
for doing some ditching along
the Harris road up there in
Northland township. This road
was named after the agricultur-
ist who once entertained the
royal visitors and it was a feeder
or tributary to the famous Miller
trunk road.
The good farmer put in his bill.
1t was approved by the county
commissioner. The board Of
county commissioners passed the
approved bill. Then good old st.
Louis county coughed up a
check in the sum of $110.
|, Reliable settlers in that region
stand ready to swear in any
| court that the ditching really
! was done on. the farmers own
land, quite remote from the right
Of way of the Harris road, and
that the ditching improved the
little farm but was of no real
benefit to the road. It was not
even close enough to the road to
keep it company through the
long, lonesome nights.
... This little story shows how a
careless commissioner and q
thrifty farmer can make good
old st. Louis county serve as a
genuine Santa Claus.
| Once upon a time, after proper
procedure, the Scott-Graff Com
pany Of Duluth, a reliable and
honorable firm, pulled $4s.75 out
Of the county treasury in return
for supposedly supplying ''lum-
ber" to the Harris county road,
mentioned in the foregoing. Com
petent testimony is available to
furnish proof that not a single
silver Of that lumber ever went
into the Harris county road.
There are those who ought to
know where the $4S.75 worth of
lumber really went but the man
who received benefit at the good
nstured expense Of St. Louis
county, is not talking much for
publication.
Once upon a time, the county
road engineers laid out a ditch
in Northland township to run
along the Miller trunk road for
two or three miles. This road
should have been drained to the
southwest but, instead, the wa
ters along it were directed south
erly into Hellwick creek, across
the 120-acre farm of Isaac Mel
son.
Now farmer Nelson has a fav-
orite meadow from which he cut
much hay last season. Aside
from feeding his stock all win
ter, he sold over $100 worth Of
hay to one customer and still
more hay to other customers.
| Mr.. Nelson maintains that this
ditch damages his dear meadow
to the extent of $4,000, more
than the entire farm is worth.
Some time ago, the board of
county commissioners refused 10
pay his claim for damages, there
fore he has started suit in the
sum of $4,000 and the courts will
have to settle the. matter.
| Neighbors claim that Mr.. Mel
son had no real meadow there
until ditch work and bridge
building was done on the land
instead Of along the county road,
as previously narrated. They
think it the utmost gall to do
ditch work on private land at
county expense and then sue for
damages, when, in reality, the