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This Day in History By Tanner Kent Feb. 6, 1920: During the annual meeting of the St. Peter Mission District of the Augustana Synod, members not only elected officers but passed a number of resolutions. Among them, a measure endorsing the stance against “modern dance” taken by Gustavus Adolphus College officials and another measure denouncing gambling and “pleasure seeking tendencies.” Feb. 11, 1920: After calling dozens of witnesses and deliberating the evidence for six days, a grand jury of Blue Earth County residents handed down 17 indictments against the Mankato chief of police, John D. Martin, and other officers in the department. The jury also recommended a complete reorganization of the department. Among the findings: Chief Martin allowed rampant gambling in Mankato in pool halls and other establishments, even going so far as to cover up investigations prompted by other officers; minors and students were allowed to participate in gambling activities; and, the department was not willing to cooperate with the Blue Earth County Sheriff’s Office in “detection of crimes and apprehension of criminals.” The day before the jury’s indictments were handed down, Chief Martin was arrested for malfeasance. The matter came only weeks after a heated exchange during a City Council meeting in which women from various community organizations complained about the conduct of Chief Martin, especially toward the city’s recently resigned policewoman. Their complaints drew a sharp rebuke from Mayor Watters, who said the policewoman actually quit because of unfriendly behavior from other women in town. Feb. 13, 1900: The Free Press offered unabashed praise for the nurses and physicians of St. Joseph’s hospital (now, Mayo Clinic Health System of Mankato) after a medical team removed a large tumor from the neck of a Cottonwood man. Though the tumor stretched from his “lower jaw to his collarbone,” St. Joseph’s hospital (now, Mayo Clinic Health System of Mankato) the tumor was as seen in 1912. | Photo courtesy of Blue Earth County Historical successfully removed. Society The Free Press wrote: “It is quite unnecessary for patients in and about Mankato to go elsewhere for surgical operations or hospital treatment.” Feb. 28, 1913: After going missing on Dec. 19, Augusta Jennings appeared unexpectedly at her brother’s home in Brown County. She had gone missing from St. Alexander’s Hospital where the 30-year-old was being treated for “melancholia” and had not been seen or heard from since her disappearance. When found, she was weak and emaciated, wearing the same clothes in which she was last seen and her feet frozen to the point of requiring amputation. What’s more, she had no recollection of where she’d been or what she’d experienced while away. On the day after she was found, while staying at her brother’s house, Jennings attempted another escape through a bedroom window. Police tracked her for several hours through the snow until they retrieved her once again and transported her back to St. Alexander’s.