Researched by Michael J. Caylor Jr.
12-26-73
Sheriff Robert Basset is warning residents of the dangers of old dynamite after a joint investigation removed 20 pounds of the material from the area. The incident began on Sunday when a caller informed the Sheriff that the aging explosive was stolen from a farm building at a home in the Town of Skanawan. According to Sheriff Basset, five men removed the dynamite and drove it to Merrill where they took it to an apartment with the intention of melting down the dynamite in order to remove the nitroglycerin. Changing their minds, the group then transported the dynamite to a site north of Merrill where they left it. When the Sheriff and his men discovered the dump site, they guarded it until a demolition expert from the State Traffic Patrol in Stevens Point came up to dispose of it. The Merrill and Tomahawk Police Departments assisted with the investigation.
The Court House is one of many offices which will be closed until Jan. 2. If love strikes your heart during this time, you can call County Clerk Ken Oldenburg at his Gleason home, and he will issue you a marriage license.
The State of Wisconsin is offering the City of Merrill a mass transit system at their expense. A meeting was held Monday in the office of Mayor to discuss the project. Prior to the meeting, state representatives checked out the dial a bus service and the city’s taxi service with members of the city’s traffic commission. The state is offering to pay the startup and one year’s worth of expenses for the bus service if the city would take over its management after one year. If the bus service continues to operate at a level that satisfies the state, they would continue to pay for two-thirds of the service. City Comptroller Robert Klug emphasized that they are just looking for the best transit system at the lowest cost for the community.
12-28-83
Richard Swanson, 28, of Tomahawk, has pleaded guilty to the first degree murder of an elderly and nearly blind Lincoln County woman. Swanson faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison for the murder of 63-year-old Ruth Tiffany. Formal sentencing will take place on Jan. 5. Tiffany was killed the night of June 1, 1983 at her trailer home about six miles north of Merrill. She died as a result of stab wounds and her body was found five days later when the rural mail carrier reported she wasn’t picking up her mail. Swanson had originally pleaded not guilty due to insanity. A part of a plea bargain between Swanson and special prosecutors Douglas Haag and Steven Ebert called for the armed robbery charge to be dismissed for Swanson’s guilty plea to the murder.
In a letter to local historian Doris Mielke from Anita Hein Streeter of Los Angeles, CA we learn a little more about the T. B. Scott Mansion. Mielke has long been interested in the mansion’s history and has spent considerable time writing about it. In her letter, Mrs. Streeter notes that her grandparents moved into the mansion in the spring of 1900. Her mother graduated from college and arrived in June of that year. When the family arrived, Streeter’s grandmother was aghast at the prospect of moving into a house that had never really been a home to anyone. It was uncared for and littered. Heating was a considerable problem and there were nine fireplaces and a huge furnace. The furnace in the basement could burn whole logs according to her grandfather and in the dining room there was a coal furnace. Streeter knew the infamous Popcorn Dan and she never really thought of him as a caretaker, more like someone who camped out in a few rooms. Another resident was a man remembered as “Sousamehl” or “Suzamehl.” He was a slight man with a little mustache and he edited the German newspaper in town. When World War One broke out, he packed his bags and left on the morning train and was never heard from again.
Looking for something to do on New Year’s Eve? Tanglewood Bar has the Polish Cowboys. Liermann’s Ballroom will feature Family Tradition, Grunty’s Bar has Hickory Mountain, Stueber’s Country Way will have the music of Silverado, the Legion Lounge has breakfast specials on New Year’s morning starting at 10 a.m., the Black Heath has a couples special where for $45 you can get a prime rib or lobster dinner along with appetizers all night and a bottle of champagne per couple as you listen to live music.
12-29-93
Local donations are spotlighted on the front page where Ron Hornischer, president of Lincoln County Bank, is pictured presenting a check for $4,000 to Sr. Peggy Jackelen of the Food Pantry. Other groups benefiting from the generosity of others includes plenty of warm hands thanks to the mitten tree at Miller Furniture and at Family Medical Center. Good Samaritan had its love lights and the Sixth Ward had its Tree of Hope. WJMT had a gift tree at Courtside Furniture and the Merrill Fire Department gave out tons of toys for tots. The Humane Society was remembered by the local 4-H Groups with various food drives. A new organization, the Habitat for Humanity, is getting help as they look to assist people with their housing needs. The MARC Center and the Historical Society Museum require local support to stay alive, and the Lincoln Community Theatre entertains us thanks to citizen support. A ton of booster clubs and civic organizations are credited for helping accomplish much of this support.
There are lots of specials as Wisconsin gets ready to cheer on the Badgers in the upcoming Rose Bowl. Subway will give you a sack of Subs for $12.99, Salvo’s will give you $1 off every pizza ordered during the game; Carl and Debbie’s Liquor has cases of Blatz for $5.79, Cheesers Pizza located on E. Main St. (later known as the U-Boat building which burned down) has a 16-inch five pound supreme pizza for only $10 on game day, Eli’s Mile High Club on County Rd W and WW has a 70” screen to watch the game on, and as a drink special Grund’s Bar promises when the Badgers score you score!