The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1921-04-14

regulars, and were QeclQeQly fOuSI
in their manner towards civilians.
have known them to actually ruin
property with no cause in view, ano
remember one incident in particular
in which l played part in securing
justice.
"a crowd of soldiers from COM
panies which had just arrived, came
into the store one day and demanded
LIQUOR. Mr.. Capser, who was always
strict in his methods Of selling liquor
to the local troops, refused their de-
mands. The soldiers had crowded
into our small store, filling the place
up. Mr.. Capser was behind the coun-
ter and when these troops demanded
drink, he refused them outright.
They continued their demands, and
finally pushed forward in an attempt
to help themselves, saying at the
same time that they would get all
the liquor in the house,
81 was in our shack behind the
store and heard the disturbance. l
ran into the store just in time to see
my husband, with Ratchet in his
hand, attempting to protect himself
against the crowd of troopers. l
grabbed the Matched from his hand,
and at the same time siezed one OF
the soldiers by the throat. They
stopped fighting when I appeared on
the scene, and I managed to hold the
soldier until an officer, who had been
advised of the trouble, entered the
store The officer, who was Cap
tain, put the fellow under arrest and
offered to hand out any punishment
I prescribed, but I declined to be
further interested in the case, and the
man was taken away to the guard
house in the stockade and VIE he
was severely punished"
Of the Indians, Mrs. Capser said,
there was little trouble at the store.
The Chippewas traded there continu-
ally, but the Sioux at no time be-
came friendly with the settlers here.
Even after the Indian wars, they did
not make Sank Centre a trading
point.
"The Chippewas were funny people
to deal with at the store" said Mrs.
Capser. "They would come in with
a packet of pelts but instead of trad
ing in the whole packet as was the
custom with other tribes, they would
lay out each skin separately, and
barter it for a bit of calico or what
ever rations they needed"
***
Mr.. Capser was the first German
settler to come to Sank Centre. He
was a native of Bavaria, where he
was native of Bavaria, where he
was born in 1881, coming to America
in 1916. For several years he was
employed as a clerk in a store at st.
Joseph before coming to Sank Cen
tire, where he first went into business
for himself. ..
In later years, the Capser store
was moved into the old Moore build
ing at the corner of Third and Main
streets where the owner continued in
business for many years.
Mr.. Capser served Stearns coun-
ty as member of the early legis-
lature and in 1876-7S represented
this district in the state senate.
) Among other ventures of this early
was the founding of the
first fire department and company in
Sank Centre. The first fire bell used
in the community was presented by
Chief Capser to the school board and
served as a school bell in the old
school building which was destroyed
by fire in 1915.
In referring to their dealings with
troops of the old stockade, Mrs. Cap
ser said that the soldiers stationed
at the post were very honest in their
dealings with the store keepers. Mr..
Capser allowed each soldier his cal
lowance' daily but never permitted
them to out-date their "limit."
"When the troops left here" said
Mrs. Capser, "they all owed us large
bills but in every instance the men,
after their departure, sent Mr.. Cap
ser money to meet their obligations
1t was on April 8, 1865, that Henry
C. Capser was born in the Capser
home just outside of the stockade.
This is unusual to those who are fa-
miliar with old army post days on
the frontier
1t was on April 3, 1865, that Henry
C. Capser was born in the Capser
home just outside of the stockade.
Henry was the first white child born
in Sank Centre. He was raised in
this community and is at present a
business man in st. Paul.
Mrs. Capser related here an ex-