A Swindler Abroad
Eau Claire Weekly Telegram | March 8, 1904

Chippewa Falls- The Independent says: C.R. Natt of Menomonie who was in the city recently, said that he believed that a man is operating in Dunn and Chippewa counties is a fraud and is heading north. He dresses in the garb of a minister, and claims to be a state agent of the “National Helping Club,” alleged to be a society of people all over the United States who are banded together for the purpose of extending financial help to people placed in need by great catastrophes. His particular stunt is the solicitation of funds for the Baltimore fire sufferers, when as far as known, no appeal for relief has yet been made in behalf of the stricken city. He claims to be a clergyman from Tomah, Wis. This supposed fakir is a smooth faced man of medium build, fair complexion and has a habit of squinting one eye when he talks.

Chad’s Take – Another Slow News Week
You can breathe a sign of relief this week as I was unable to dig up any reports of UFOs, odd deaths, mysterious creatures, or haunted places filling the pages of the local papers. However I did discover this fun little story of a swindler afoot in the Chippewa Valley. Now swindlers were not uncommon in the area as fake psychics, snake oil salesmen, pickpockets, and other scammers regularly made the headlines of our papers. However, this gentleman created a unique, albeit not convincing, scam to separate residents from their money. I can only imagine that if this guy was alive a few weeks ago he would have certainly tried to capitalize on the Haiti disaster. And as a general rule of thumb you may want to avoid any traveling men who squint one eye while talking to you.

Keep an eye out…

Jack the Chaser is a Nuisance
Unknown crank who pursues women and girls after dark.
Eau Claire Weekly Telegram | February 9, 1904

Eau Claire- A man described as elderly, slim, about medium height and “stoop shouldered,” has been pursuing women and girls after dark in the Third Ward. He was seen the other night on State St, where he scared a girl who was on her way to the house where she is employed. She ran for dear life, and when she was near home he disappeared.

It is expected that this fellow is the same one who has been making a nuisance of himself on the North Side Hill, scaring girls by chasing them, peeking into windows and making himself generally obnoxious. He is likely to be landed in the county jail next time he makes an appearance.

Chad’s Take- Just Another Chippewa Valley Character!

When you factor out all of the chasing and terrifying women, “Jack the Chaser” has to be the coolest nickname anyone in the Chippewa Valley has ever had. Every once and awhile I stumble across a story like this that truly makes me pine for the good ol’days of the Chippewa Valley. Obliviously I am not advocating that people should go around acting obnoxiously in the Chippewa Valley (Water Street excluded), but I am extremely curious for more information about this unique character. According to the article, the unknown man seemed to strangely combine the actions of a Peeping Tom with that of a stalker. I decided to do some searching and much to my surprise, “Jack the Chaser” was not exclusively a Chippewa Valley phenomenon. In 1891, a town in Ohio had several reports of Jack the Chaser. In 1896, a town in Kansas was also being plagued by a similar man also dubbed Jack the Chaser. With some further research I discovered that reports of Jack the Chaser had surfaced all over the country including:

• Pennsylvania 1898
• Indiana 1901
• California 1902
• New Jersey 1906
• South Dakota 1919
• Iowa 1931
• New York 1937

The list of mysterious men all exhibiting very similar behaviors goes on and on. Although I had never heard of such a character it appears that during the early to mid 1900s the country was flush with these odd men. I was unable to determine if the chaser was ever captured in Eau Claire, but I can tell you that the thought of encountering a horrifying stooped-shouldered elderly man makes my evening Chippewa Valley walks much more exciting.

Keep an eye out ….

Sight Returns Just Before Death
Eau Claire Leader | February 6, 1907

Miss Mamie Kentbon died at the home of her niece, Mrs. Joseph Hintz, last week in the town of Sherman, with who she had made her home for the last thirty years. Twenty years ago she went bind, but almost two weeks before her death she again recovered her sight and once more beheld the surroundings amid which she lived for the last thirty years. She could easily distinguish the distant hills and the pictures, which were hung in her room. The cause of her returning eyesight is a mystery, which had has been exciting much interest. Doctors are unable to explain it and many people regard it as a special act of providence.

Chad’s Take: I have some good news and bad news.

Generally speaking I feel as though I have explored a lot of Wisconsin. Having researched several books on strange Wisconsin stories, I have been given the opportunity to travel around much of the state. Yet even with my extensive wandering throughout Wisconsin, I am still puzzled by the endless towns and cities that I have simply never heard of. The Township of Sherman was one such place, and to make matters worse, it is located right over in Dunn County, just north of Menomonie, where I spent my college years. However, it is not the close proximity of this case that grabbed my attention, it was Miss Mamie Kentbon’s tragic good news that sparked my interest.

Over the years I have stumbled across dozens of stories similar in detail to this one. In each of the stories, before death settles in, the person recovers some physical or mental function that had been lost for years. Normal people have reported gaining back their eyesight, hearing, use of limbs, and even their ability to speak, just as death was a knocking. Of course the doctors at the time we seemingly baffled by the drastic change, leaving many to attribute it to an act of providence (an act of divine intervention). However, with nearly every case that I have researched, the good news (the return of some missing function), was always followed by the bad news (death), as evidenced by this case. So if any of you suddenly regain some previously lost ability, you can bet that death is not far behind….or maybe not.

Keep an eye out ...

Freak Fish Is Snared
Eau Claire Leader | January 6, 1909

What may be termed a “chameleon fish” has been discovered by the government seiners working in the Black and Mississippi rivers near here, and so far local scientists, who have been trying to establish the identity of the freak, have failed. The fish differs in many particulars from the usual fish both in habits and in looks. During the time it has been in the hands of the local fishery crew it has changed in hue several times, each variation coming with a drop or rise in temperature.

With the recent cold spell that invaded this part of the state it shifted from a light “pike color” to a dark, almost the color of a channel catfish. With the head of a black bass it has the body of a sand pike. The head tallies with that of a the bass with the exception of the red mark in the eye, characteristic of the black bass. The body, shaped like a pike has none of the pike’s characteristic colorings. When startled by a touch, instead of darting forward, or to the side, as do most fish, it dives to the bottom of the tank and with a few flips of its tail stirs up the sediment, completely enveloping itself in the cloud. It rarely swims forward but down and over- practically “looping the loop.” The attention of Congressman Esch has been called to the freak and he is in communication with the United States fish commission in an effort to establish its identity.

Chad’s Take- Just another odd Chippewa Valley creature.

For some inexplicable reason the Chippewa Valley was once rife with some very odd creatures. In past articles I have written about the sword fish caught in the Eau Claire River, the small hippopotamus looking thing dug up in Shawtown, Water Street’s monster black snake, the Third Ward’s trained porcupine, Chippewa’s giant wolf, and an unknown vicious animal causing terror in Eau Claire. For those of you keeping track of Chippewa Valley oddities get out your pencil, because you can now add “Chameleon fish” to your ever-growing list. Why was the Chippewa Valley such a hotbed of weird animals? One could certainly understand these stories coming from the logging camps of the North Woods where stories of Paul Bunyan, twenty-pound mosquitoes, and the Hodag were commonplace. But when these same stories originated in the heart of the booming Chippewa Valley community their explanations become a bit clouded.

Were these bizarre cases simply a matter that the science of the day wasn’t advanced enough to identify these creatures, or do these mysterious creatures remain unknown today? Unfortunately in this case we will never know. Word was never given whether Congressman Esch, or anyone else, was able to identify this strange fish. Even the final whereabouts of the fish have been lost to history. Perhaps the preserved fish is tucked away under a pile of dust in your attic waiting patiently to finally be discovered.

Keep an eye out…

Novel Scheme of a Farmer
Wants to take charge of Water street bridge, repair and control it.
Eau Claire Weekly Leader | January 2, 1902

Wm. Brown, a substantial farmer of the town of Washington, has conceived a novel plan, which, however has its drawbacks. His idea is to lease the Water-street bridge, repair it and charge toll for traffic. He is confident the farm traffic over the bridge would make it a profitable investment, for, he says some farmers don’t like to cross Grand-avenue on account of the trolley-cars. He would charge ten cents for a team and five cents for pedestrians.

Chad’s Take: Eau Claire budget troubles solved

I am a big advocate for taking road trips. The feeling of the open road coupled with the endless possibility for adventure make the road trip a timeless American ritual. However, the road trip does contain a few drawbacks, and tolls are certainly at the top of that aggravating list. Have you ever enjoyed a nice trip to Chicago only to have the frustration of having to stop and pay $1.60 every ten miles diminish your fun? Last summer I was able to travel along Route 66 from Illinois to California without paying one single toll, and I must say that they were certainly not missed.

Tollways can have their fees, but what about the idea of a toll being setup inside the city of Eau Claire? I wonder what kind of condition the Water Street bridge was in during this time. It must have been a bit dilapidated if the city was considering letting a private citizen fix it up and operate it. Needless to say the idea would not have received my support. Yet in today’s world of quickly shrinking city budgets, maybe the Water Street bridge toll idea’s time has come.

What really excited me about this article was not the toll suggestion, but the Eau Claire trolley-cars. How amazing would it be to still have trolley cars operating in the city? Many tourist cities like San Francisco, Deadwood (SD), and Branson (MO) still have functioning trolleys to ride on, why not Eau Claire? I know Eau Claire already has a fantastic bus system, but I have always considered buses a poor man’s trolley, at least in the summer time. Rest assured I do not suffer from the disillusion that Eau Claire will get some trolley-cars anytime soon, or that they are even really necessary for the city, but it is nice to dream. Until that dream comes true, you can always travel over the Grand Avenue bridge knowing that the trolleys of the past were once there too.

Keep an eye out ...

Has A Grudge Against Dogs
Eau Claire Weekly Telegram | Dec. 12, 1905

The supervisors’ report shows that nearly $200 paid by the county within twelve months for sheep killed by dogs. These worthless, hungry, mangy, vermin-eaten, bowlegged, lopsided, snarling, speaking, night-prowling, noisy, tow-lived, swift-footed, annoying, shot-dodging, oath provoking, poison-defying, backsliding, sorry cuts ought to be annihilated totally and forever and let the sheep have a chance. Let the work of exterminating go on day and night, including Sunday.

Chad’s Take- Alert PETA! 

About a year ago I wrote about an article that told of someone in Eau Claire poisoning the neighborhood dogs. The unknown culprit was responsible for causing the death of several dogs while many others suffered prolonged sickness due to the poisoning. The case was never solved, but perhaps the authorities should have questioned the person who wrote the above article, as it seems like they have a hatred for Chippewa Valley dogs as well.

On a more personal note I also thought that this article would make the perfect companion piece for all of the Christmas cards you receive from your friends and family where their dog is posed with them around a roaring fireplace. Even though this person is obviously upset with the loss of sheep in the community, I think their rant was a bit overboard, redundant, extravagant, superfluous, melodramatic, excessive, bitter, out-of-line, mean-spirited, over-the-top, cantankerous, ill-tempered, discourteous, gruff, blunt, crude and a bit rough.

Anyway, I hope this heartwarming article brings some bizarre holiday cheer to you and yours.

Keep an eye out ... 

He Stole Her
A remarkable story which came from the Town of Ludington in Eau Claire County.
Eau Claire Daily Leader | December 13, 1891

A young farmer comes to town and carries off the wife of another man.

Ludington township is enjoying a rich sensation. The story goes that a farmer in that precinct, whose name is withheld for the present, made a trip to Eau Claire about one month ago and stole away the young wife of a man living not two miles from Barstow street. How he managed to get the woman to his little farm in Ludington township secretly and without resistance has not been explained. But Friday the woman returned to her hubby repentant and humiliated, and declared she had been stolen away and kept a prisoner. And he believed it. The facts are vouched for by a reliable citizen of Eau Claire, but the names of the parties are withheld for the present.

Chad’s Take: Lock up your spouse

First off, let me save you the trouble of having to ask Frank Smoot where the town of Ludington is located. The town of Ludington is just east of Fall Creek in Eau Claire County. Consisting of nearly 1,000 people, the rural town normally gets lumped in with Fall Creek.

Now that I have done Frank’s job, let’s move on to the real heart of this article. Before any of you add this case to your running total of Chippewa Valley kidnappings, you should be aware that stories like this one were fairly common during this time period. Perhaps this woman really was the victim of a kidnapping and held hostage at a Ludington farm. Although stranger things have happened in the Chippewa Valley, I am a bit skeptical of this story only because over the years, I have discovered dozens of cases in which the woman simply ran off with another man, and when the forbidden romance did not work out, they inevitably returned to their waiting husbands. Upon returning home some of the women followed the advice of this article and told an amazing tale of being kidnapped by some unknown man. However, many other returning “kidnapped” women were much more creative and clever. These women claimed to have been drugged, hypnotized, and even tricked into leaving with another man. You see, during this time period men mostly thought that women were weak minded, and therefore they could easily be tricked or fooled by any suave and cunning man that came along.

However, these bizarre kidnappings were not exclusively reserved for women. Men also left their wives for other women, and many times when their new love did not flourish, the men also retreated to the safety of their previous home and spouse. Yet these strong and proud men could not claim that they had been kidnapped by some mysterious woman. No, these tough and rugged men had to suffer from amnesia, or have been robbed and beaten by a gang of traveling thieves.

So what really did transpire in Ludington? The simple answer is that I do not know. The article stated that it was withholding the names of the parties involved, and I was unable to find any other article that followed up on this kidnapping story. I did fin it interesting that the paper also hinted at its skepticism toward the kidnapping when it wrote “and he believed it,” referring to the outlandish story told by the wife. In the end I guess this case will remain unsolved, but maybe you should lock up your spouse just in case.

Keep an eye out ...

Sausage Was Doped
Eau Claire Weekly Telegram | December 12th, 1905

More Prosecutions in Eau Claire Under Pure-Food Law
Fines Paid by Several
In Two Cases, Defendants Plead Not Guilty and Will Stand Trial

Asst. Dairy and Food Commissioner Moore, as result of the state chemist’s analysis of the samples of bologna sausage which Mr. Moore secured in this city recently, had more meat market men arraigned before Judge Gilbertson this morning. The charge against each was that of unlawful offering and exposing for sale, taking orders for selling and being in possession of bologna sausage containing artificial coloring matter and boric acid.

The defendants were Gustav Walter, Herman Alf. L.E. Cranie, J. Blasius, John Welch and Chris Diefenbach, the sausage maker for the Drummond Packing Co. All pleaded guilty –except John Welch and Chris Diefenbach—and paid the fines and cost of $29.95 each under the protest.

Messrs. Walter and Alf did not think it was right to fine them, as hey did not know that there was any preservative in the sausage and had not made it themselves but bought it of the Drummond Sausage Company. John Welch pleaded not guilty and said that he would consult a lawyer. He too had purchased his sausage from the Drummond Packing Co., and he did not think it right that he should pay a fine for somebody else’s offense.

Attorney Frank R. Farr appeared in behalf of Chris Diefenbach, who pleaded not guilty to the charge, and his case was adjourned till later, the date, however, not being set. Its looks as though the Drummond Packing Company is going to contest the case. Mr. Moore left this morning for Madison. As a net result of his work, eleven of Eau Claire’s eighteen butchers were arrested and fined as a result of his investigations during the present week and two cases are pending against two.

Chad’s Take – A tough choice

On numerous occasions I have written about the fallacy that our great grandparents were more grounded, had more common sense, and were overall stronger than we are today. This article serves as one such example to bolster my argument. In today’s world we routinely eat chemically modified food, play with China’s lead infused toys, and build our homes right next to industrial waste producing plants, without so much as a second thought. Yet this 1905 article tells of several Chippewa Valley residents being arrested for selling the fine folks of the area some sausage with a little Boric acid in it. Sure there are those of you who will state that Boric acid is not meant for consumption, that it is primarily used for insecticides, flame retardants, antiseptics, and nuclear power plants. I’ll concede the fact that at first glance Boric acid does seem quite harmful, yet it is still generally considered a weak acid.

However, as a researcher of the strange and bizarre, I strive to give every side of an argument fair treatment. Perhaps, you critics are right in the belief that the Chippewa Valley residents should have been protected from Boric acid in their sausage. For this experiment I am going to compare your expertise of sausage, versus the expertise of the sausage makers, Drummond Packing Company.

Myself and the normal (or abnormal) readers of this column.

1. I am guessing that the majority of you are similar to me in the fact that most of my yearly sausage intake is in the form of a topping decorating a pizza.

2. A few of you may even enjoy the occasional tasty sausage stick throughout the course of the year.

3. And perhaps, by some far-fetched chance, one of you readers even makes his/her own homemade sausage.

I must admit that so far, we the people of the Chippewa Valley possess a fairly impressive sausage resume.

Now, let’s take a look of Drummond Packing Company.

1. David Drummond came to Eau Claire in 1870, and formed a small meat packing business that mostly provided lumbermen with the necessary food to get them through the day.

2. In 1881, David’s brothers joined in the business, and it became known as Drummond Brothers. In 1893, the business was incorporated, and the business name was changed to Drummond Brothers Packaging.

3. By the year 1927, the Drummond Packing Company was handling 2,000 hogs per week, they employed over 15 people, and sold over 10,000,000 pounds of product annually. All of this was from their plant on the north side of Galloway Street in Eau Claire.

4. David Drummond is a member of the Wisconsin Meat Industry Hall of Fame.

5. For 120 years, some variation of the original Drummond Packaging Company existed in the Chippewa Valley, until Armour finally closed down the plant in 1990.

This was an excruciatingly tough call to make. I tediously studied the qualifications of both sides of the argument. And after much thought and debate, when it came to sausage safety, I was left with two options. I could throw my weight behind myself, and several other avid pizza fans (Chippewa Valley Residents) or behind the Wisconsin Meat Industry Hall of Fame business (Drummond Packaging Company). In the end, I decided that maybe eating sausage and not consuming Boric acid could go hand in hand. After calling a few local butchers, and several proprietors of meat selling establishments, I quickly found out that today’s sausage contains no Boric acid at all, which made my locally made pizza taste even more delicious.

Keep an eye out,
Chad Lewis

Big Wild Cat Shot Near Here
Eau Claire Weekly Telegram | Dec. 4 1902

Finest specimen ever brought to Eau Claire Weighed thirteen pounds. Captured by Edward Anderson about two miles north of the city.

Yesterday afternoon while Edward Anderson of 736 Franklin street was out hunting he ran up against a specimen of game he was not looking for in the person of a genuine wild cat. Mr. Anderson was fortunate enough to shoot the animal, which is a fine specimen of this almost extinct species, at least in the vicinity. The wild cat is the largest ever brought to Eau Claire, it weighed 13 pounds, and the hide was 14 inches wide and 27 inches long. The animal was killed about two miles north of the city, along a bank of the Chippewa.

Chad’s Take - Revenge of the Hunter!

Last year, during hunting season, I brought to you the bizarre story of a man being viciously attacked by a ferocious caged deer. But when it comes to the weird, I always strive to be fair, which is why this year I have decided to include the animal revenge story of Mr. Edward Anderson. Although it is not truly a revenge story, it does have Mr. Anderson coming out victorious over a vicious wild animal. Okay, so maybe a wild cat isn’t really a vicious wild animal in the way a bear is, but Mr. Anderson still bested it all the same.

But what did Mr. Anderson really kill? Although the newspaper called it a “wild cat,” no accompanying picture was included. The wild cat name was often given to the panther, cougar, lynx, mountain lion, puma, and bobcat. The wild cat family actually includes 36 species of animals throughout the world. The article never specifies which creature was actually taken. Weighing in at only 13 pounds, the animal would have been an extremely diminutive panther or mountain lion, yet adult bobcats only generally weigh between 16 and 30 pounds, making it a possibility that the creature was a young bobcat. Whatever it was, Mr. Anderson shot and killed it, and then dragged his trophy wild cat back to Eau Claire where he proudly showed off the fine specimen for all to see. Mr. Anderson also gained a much needed point for man, which tied up the Bizarre History of the Chippewa Valley score at animal 1 - man 1.

Keep an eye out,
Chad Lewis

The Porcupine Came Down
Prickly animal belonging to J.M. Charles is shot.
Eau Claire Weekly Telegram November 27th, 1902

For some time J.M. Charles has been the possessor of a porcupine- at least the animal made his abode in the yard adjoining Mr. Charles’ residence on South Farwell street. “Porky” was quite a pet and would go through a number of tricks at Mr. Charles’ command. The little fellow was a familiar sight to the neighbors and passers-by, and it was with curiosity that he was observed, nearly a week ago, to ascend into the higher branches of a tree in the yard, and remain there. Everything possible was done to persuade him to descend; he declined to do so. The tree was so tall and slender, and yesterday believing further effort to be futile, and rather than to allow the animal to starve Mr. Charles secured a rifle and brought him tumbling to the ground. The residents of that portion of the city will know little “Porky” no more, but some secured sharp little quills to remember him.

Chad’s Take- Eau Claire’s Old Yeller

I hate to admit that I had never head of “Porky” before I read this article. How could a story featuring a pet porcupine capable of performing multiple tricks escape me? I guess it just shows that the Chippewa Valley can always surprise you, no matter how many weird stories you have been privy to. However, I suspect that there had to be more to this story than the article included. How else could the neighborhood become so attached to a porcupine that they felt the need to secure some of his lifeless quills as remembrances?

I dug up this article a little over a week ago, and now that I have had some time to sit with it, I can truly say that I wish I never heard of Porky. My reasoning for turning on this article is due to the fact that for the last week my mind has been overloaded with questions about Porky. Usually when I find these stories I write about them and have no trouble moving on to the next article.

Yet this story about Porky the porcupine was different somehow. Instead of simply forgetting about it and moving on, I found myself on numerous occasions throughout the previous week wishing that I had a little more information about Porky. What tricks could he perform? How long did Mr. Charles have him? Where did he come from? Where did he sleep? Was he buried somewhere? Did they have a funeral service? Was a marker placed at his grave? What did the neighbors do with the quills? Now you can see why I do not like this article, because I continue to obsess about these questions nearly two weeks later, which perhaps answers my own question as to how the neighborhood got so attached to Porky in the first place. Damn this article.

Keep an eye out,
Chad Lewis