#february 1886

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A Much Needed Improvement

28 FEB 1886. Austin Daily Statesman.

A NEW BRIDGE.

Work on the new stone arch bridge on Pecan street, over Waller creek, will commence tomorrow, and the iron bridge now spanning the creek at that point, will be removed and placed over the creek on Pine street, where the Central railroad used to cross it. The new bridge on Pecan will be the width of the street and is a much needed improvement.

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Glittering, Golden Objects Were Nowhere to be Found.

27 FEB 1886. Austin Daily Statesman.

A GOLDEN NUGGET GETS AN EX-POLICEMAN INTO TROUBLE AND JAIL.

Some time during the month of June last, a Mr. A.J. Ward, a citizen of Austin, living on the Raymond plateau, made up his mind to take his family north for the summer, and being loth to leave his premises without someone to look after and care for the same, he decided to secure a good man and his family to live in the house until his return. With this object in view, Mr. Ward set about hunting up someone whom he could trust, and running across Mr. William Wagenfuher, then on the police force, prevailed on him, without much earnest suasion, to take charge of his premises and household effects. Mr. Ward was more than pleased with his selection, for was he not a member of the police, whose sworn duty it is to protect the property of all citizens? Being satisfied, he turned over his house and furniture therein and left on his summer’s jaunt. On his return home, months after, Wagenfurer was still on the premises and police force, but a lot of twenty $1 gold pieces, and a golden nugget, obtained by Mr. Ward in the gold mines of Oregon, and which was valued at over $20, were nowhere to be found. They had been inadvertently left in a desk which, however, had been carefully locked, and the key carried off with the family on their summer rounds. On Mr. Ward taking possession of the house, of course the officer vacated. The nugget and the twenty one-dollar gold pieces were thought of and the key of the desk fished up from the bottom of a trunk and the desk unlocked, but the glittering, golden objects were nowhere to be found. A strange key, however, was discovered in one of the rooms, and, strange to say, it exactly fitted the lock of the desk wherein the valuables had been left. No suspicion attached to Wagenfuher until some time after, when Mr. Ward incidentally heard remarks of his having displayed a golden nugget to admiring friends. He watched Wagenfuher and had him watched, and lo it was ascertained that he had soaked the nugget at a saloon, and had been seen spending with a lavish hand of a lot of gold dollars. The saloon was visited by the detectives -- the the clue finders -- and the nugget found where it had really been left by the guardian of the peace, and yesterday he was arrested by Officer Chenneville, and arraigned before Justice Von Rosenberg, who remanded him to jail in default of $600 bail.

Wagenfurer is the same officer who brutally assaulted his wife some three weeks ago, for which Marshal Lucy removed him from the police force.

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The Effects of Heat, Smoke and Water

26 FEB 1886. Austin Daily Statesman.

FIERY FLAMES. AN AVENUE MILLINERY ESTABLISHMENT UTTERLY RUINED.

A destructive fire broke out last night in the millinery establishment of Mrs. Gossett, next door to George Brush’s stove and tinware house.

The discovery was made about 12 o’clock, just when the fire was beginning to burn well, and had the room so heated as to be cracking the glass in the front doors. The policeman on the beat first discovered it, and raised an alarm, which caught the ear of Officer Brown, who was in the vicinity, not far from the station, and he hurried thither and soon sent out a general alarm, which was promptly responded to by the entire fire department.

The fire was located far back in the room, and from the intense hear and dense volumes of smoke which pervaded the whole building, it must have been burning some time. Two streams of water were soon playing on it, and, in a few minutes, the flames were subdued, but not until the entire stock of handsome millinery goods were totally ruined by the combined effects of heat, smoke and water. The loss will probably reach two thousand dollars, and if there is any insurance, the fact could not be ascertained last night.

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The March of Improvements

24 FEB 1886. Austin Daily Statesman.

NEW BUILDINGS. THREE LARGE AND COSTLY BUILDINGS TO GO UP IMMEDIATELY.

The work of demolishing the old frame building on the lot adjoining the Masonic Temple was about complete yesterday, and after its final removal the work of erecting Mr. Nalle’s elegant three-story brick will be begun and pushed with all dispatch. It will cover the entire lot, the lower story to be divided into four store rooms, white the two upper stories will be arranged with water, gas, and so divided as to make an excellent hotel, the location for such being admirable, as it is withing easy reach of the business part of the city, the street railway and is, besides, in a quiet place.

In a few weeks, at most, work will commence on Mr. Eugene Bremond’s large and elegant building, to go up on the corner opposite the Avenue hotel on Hickory street. This building, the Statesman understands, is to front on the Avenue 46 feet and will extend through the entire lot to the alley in the rear, a distance of 128 feet. It is to be used for the wholesale grocery business, and will be fitted up for that special purpose.

Dr. Cummings, too, not to be outdone and have that part of the city east of East avenue lag behind in the march of improvements, has pushed to the fore and will erect of brick a commodious two-story building, fronting seventy-six feet on East Pecan street and extending back 128 feet. It will be two blocks east of East avenue, and will be arranged with huge scales and powerful hay presses for the wholesale and retail grain and hay trade. Digging the foundation for this building commenced Monday last, and the building will go up as rapidly as possible.

In addition to the above business houses, several very elegant and costly residences will go up during the year.

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Their Wits and Wicked Experience

23 FEB 1886. Austin Daily Statesman.

A BIG HAUL. BURGLARS ENTER AN AVENUE STORE AND SWAG VALUED AT $15,000, CARTED OFF -- A HOTEL ALSO ENTERED AND GUESTS ROBBED.

Early yesterday morning Mr. E.V. Hamilton, clerk in J.A. Jackson’s store, the door below the clock corner, opened up for the day’s business as usual. On going into the building and passing down toward the rear he was surprised to see the back door standing wide open. This was the more surprising from the fact that it had been carefully closed the Saturday night before and had not been opened by any one connected with the establishment on Sunday, and from the further fact that it opened on a small court surrounded by towering buildings, which, it was supposed, prevented ingress to the same without scaling the buildings. Mr. Hamilton, astonished, at once made an investigation, and found a goods box standing on end withing the door jams and on top of it dirt and other indications that it had been stood on by some one. He then went back and examined the show case and racks on which the watches are hung within easy reach of the repairer. Here he found missing one hundred watches, some of them left for repair, some left in pawn, and others the property of the establishment. They were there Saturday night and Sunday evening when the gas, which is kept burning all night was lighted. Now they were gone, and a further search disclosed that fifteen pistols and a lot of clothing had also been carried off by the burglars, who left no trace behind them. It is also possible that other articles were taken, but yesterday Mr. Jackson was unable to state positively that such was the case. The watches, pistols and articles known to have been packed off are valued at fifteen hundred dollars, and possibly more, as some of the watches were very fine and costly. How they gained admission to the court in the rear of the building was a mystery, until a careful inspection of the premises showed that the burglars had been a wide awake set and that at some time had made a careful survey of the surroundings, and a very satisfactory on to them. They had discovered something that even Mr. Jackson himself knew nothing of. They had their wits about them and also a large lot wicked experience, and Mr. Jackson had the watches and other things.

In his, or their survey, it was found that entering the clock corner building on Bois d’Arc street, by the stairway leading to the telephone office, and passing through a room that the court below in the rear of the pawn shop could be reached, and thus it was entered. Once there, he or they found one blind off the door and one glass broken out at the top. This glass was too small for a man to enter, and it is certain that a small boy was with the gang and that he was put through the opening into the store, and entered the door from the inside. Sam Sandell was passing down the avenue a little after 12 o’clock, and says he thinks he saw a man standing in the center of the room, and some distance back from the front door, and about ten feet from the burning gas jet. At one time he thought of going back to see, but remembering that Mr. Jackson had a dummy or two on which he displays clothing, it flashed across his mind that it was one of them, and he continued on his way. About the same time, the telephone man heard a noise in Mr. Jackson’s store, but under the impression that a clerk slept there, he paid no attention to it.

The work must have been performed rapidly and with consummate adroitness, being done as it was under the full glare of a gas jet.

The same night, and presumably about the same time, the Globe hotel, on the corner of Pecan and Colorado streets, was entered and $105 stolen from a guest and $7 from another. Here, too, no clue was left, and up to a late hour last night no arrests have been made.

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Accidental Discharge Death

21 FEB 1886. Austin Daily Statesman.

SHOCKING ACCIDENT. DEPLORABLE RESULT OF A FALL OF A GUN. A BRIGHT LITTLE BOY KILLED.

Last afternoon, about half past four o’clock, at the residence of Mr. A.S. Rutherford, 1112 Lavaca street, a most shocking accident occurred, which resulted in the instant death of little Frank Conner Finch, the bright, lovely and winning 6-year-old boy of Mrs. Howell M. Finch, who live at 1504 Congress avenue. 

It seems that a young man, whose name could not be learned, had been hunting during the day, and returning to the residence of Mr. A.S. Rutherford, where little Frank was visiting, he handed the gun to Homer, Mr. Rutherford’s little boy, aged 10 years, with the request that it be carried into his room.

He took the gun, and followed by little Frank, proceeded to the room, where he stood it against the wall in its usual place. He and his little friend then commenced to play, when Frank climbed onto a bed, while Homer Rutherford got on a trunk, from which he slipped, striking the floor with force enough to jar down the gun, one barrel of which was discharged, the contents entering the right eye of little Frank, penetrating through the skull and scattering his brains over the bed, killing him instantly.

Justice Purnell was notified and held an inquest, the jury returning the following verdict:

That the death was caused by a gun shot wound in the head, which shot was accidentally fired by the gun falling from or against a trunk in the room where he and Homer Rutherford were alone. Homer Rutherford, in his evidence, says he fell and struck the gun, and in falling it was discharged, the contents entering his (Frank Finch’s) head, and killing him instantly. He was at the time visiting Homer Rutherford, at A.S. Rutherford’s home. We also find that the said death was purely accidental, and no blame can be attached to any one for the same.

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Paralyzed By the Vision of Beauty

20 FEB 1886. Austin Daily Statesman.

COOKING CLUB GERMAN. YOUTH AND BEAUTY AND A DELIGHTFUL TIME.

When some old moss-back had the audacity to growl that the Austin Cooking club would soon die from mere inattention, he was way off, if we are to judge from the German given by that distinguished society last night, at Dr. William Tobin’s residence.

When the reporter arrived there about 11 o’clock he found the whole house in a blaze of light, and when the door opened in answer to his timid ring he was for the nonce paralyzed by the vision of beauty before him. He thought that he had happened upon a retreat of Houris and Nymphs, until he saw the preparations in one of the back rooms to satisfy the craving of the still small voice within us mortals. After being pulled around by several fairies the pencil-pusher soon crept into a corner and commenced to take notes, and what ever else he could get, notably a lot of salad made by the hands of one of the most accomplished cooks in the club.

The lunch, consisting of salads of every description, chocolate, coffee, etc. was elegant, and Mrs. Tobin did the honors with a grace that even did herself honor.

The dancing kept up until after 1 o’clock, and everyone left with the same opinion, that it was a success.

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A Regular Set-To

19 FEB 1886. Austin Daily Statesman.

CUTTING AFFRAY. A COLORED LASS, SOUTH OF THE CITY, IS DANGEROUSLY WOUNDED.

Over on Williamson Creek, some six miles from the city, is a settlement of colored people, known in that section as Kinchenville, it having derived its name from one of the most popular denizens. Hard by this Senegambian settlement, odoriferous it may be, is a public school, where the young population are directed in the pathway of knowledge, and where a day or two ago, after school hours, while on their way home, two of the girls, about 16 years of age, became involved in a quarrel, when one of them struck the other. The blow made her more furious than ever, and they had a regular set-to, during which a companion ran to the assistance of one of the girls, and the two taking hold of the one, threw her to the ground, where she was held by the friend of her antagonist, while the latter proceeded to carve her up after the most approved style in vogue among the Senegambians of Kinchenville and elsewhere. She was punctured in the arm, and stabbed in the left breast, just over the heart, when her assailants fled. The wounded girl was conveyed home, and a physician being called pronounced her wounds serious, if not dangerous, and if the one in the chest had been a quarter of an inch lower, the heart would have been penetrated and death followed almost instantly. The one doing the cutting, it is understood, was arrested last afternoon by the constable of the precinct in which the difficulty occurred.