The Sheriff’s Office

by Anoma Hoffmeister

        During the years of the Depression in Chase County, as in other parts of the Midwest, hard times caused many farms to be foreclosed upon. At that time there were organized groups who were upset about the government foreclosures and who threatened to stall the wheels of the courts on the farm property foreclosures. Carl W. Anderson was Sheriff during the Depression in Chase County. Through his own courage, Carl kept the proceedings of the court moving without incident.

        Carl was told to hold a sale of a pair of mules which were security on a Note. Carl was warned that he would be stopped from selling the team, but that he should not worry because he would not be harmed. He was told that they were only going to take him out in the country until the sale hour was over. When he received the warning, he told them, "No no one was taking me anyplace". On the day of the sale, he did not deputize anyone to assist him even though a crowd had gathered around the Courthouse and there was a chance that there might be some trouble. Nick Foster sat in the Sheriff’s car to keep an eye on the proceedings, but he was not deputized. The mules were tied to a wagon east of the Courthouse, and Carl sold them without incident.

        Following the sale of the mules, he had a big sale northeast of Imperial. The organized group spread the word around to people "not to do any bidding". George Brewer was the auctioneer. A cow was put up for sale and there were no bids.

        Carl told George, "I’ll bid on the two sows coming up next, up to a certain amount." When the bidding started, no one knew who was bidding. Carl got the sows. After that, everything sold, even the original cow first put up for sale.

        Another problem confronting the Sheriff during the Depression years was the trekking of unemployed men through our County. Carl had great sympathy for these people and fixed them a sleeping place in the northeast basement room of the Courthouse, making beds from the mattresses, pillows and blankets from the jury room. He brought blankets from home to add to the comfort of the men staying there.

        The men never stayed more than one night, unless they were sick. Carl said, "They all wanted to get to somewhere or some place." He never had more than two men at a time sleep in the Courthouse basement.

        In the beginning Carl carried food to them from his home, but it soon became too much of a job. He obtained an oil cook stove and utensils to put in the basement. From that time on arl would bring groceries to the men and they would do their own cooking.

        On two separate occasions during these trying times, two of the men passing through town were declared insane. In the first case, Carl was called to Lamar to pick up a man who was scaring the people by his actions. Carl promised the Lamar folks he would be there in 30 minutes. Two miles east of Lamar he came upon a man sitting by the side of the road. He had built a fire and was trying to cook coffee in a tin cup. Carl stopped and the man said he was hungry. Carl invited him into his car and promised him food. When they reached the Courthouse, Carl put him in jail and fixed him pancakes. "He ate 12 good sized ones", Carl said. The hapless man said he had eaten no food but roasting ears out of corn fields for many days. After a hearing, the man was taken to an institution at Ingleside, NE.

        Carl paid for all the food given to the unemployed men who stayed at the Courthouse out of his own pocket. "I was going to turn a bill in for the food for the mental cases, but I never did." he said.

        On March 2, 1933, the Nebraska legislature passed a moratorium law stopping foreclosure proceedings if the defendant made payments on the indebtedness. In Chase County, only a very few were able to make payments and benefit from the moratorium.