The Justice of the Peace docket is a handwritten record of civil and criminal cases heard by Justices of the Peace in Otsego, Minnesota from 1884 to 1921. These records include the names of plaintiffs and defendants, arresting constables, evidence presented, and judgments made. These details reflect local values, customs, and personalities. Included are Justices of the Peace: Z. L. Case, Charles Snow, A. W. Praught, A. Plaisance, Joseph McDonald, D. W. M Leod, and Edson Washburn, Jr. Also included are Constables A. J. Wood, L. B. Hamlet, Barnard Duffy, W. H. LaPlant, Theodore Aydt, Edmund Fisetle, and J. A. McEachern.
Game wardens were important men in the backwoods of Minnesota. Noted above most was the Native American warden, John or Jack Linklater. Another of lasting fame was William Hanson.
Haben began his career as a policeman sometime in the early 1900s. In a career that spanned nearly thirty years, he ascended to the rank of chief of police.
The report lists the names of probation officers, summaries of the duties of probation officers and the medical inspection program. Crime statistics by offense, nativity, religion, and sex are also listed. An account of detailed probation laws is included.
Contributing Institution:
Hennepin County Library, James K. Hosmer Special Collections Library