The Chariton Leader, Chariton, Iowa Thursday, February 8, 1906 "Knoxville, Ia., Feb. 4 -- Special: Mayor ALEXANDER of Chariton has been taken to the Iowa inebriate asylum to serve a term of one year. His unwilling departure leaves the city in a peculiar predicament that of practically being without a city government, as three of the six city councilmen are out of the city, so that no quorum could be present, even if one of the three were mayor. Councilman FUNK has moved to Ohio, Councilman FRANK MANNING is on an extensive trip to California and Mexico and Councilman J.H. DARRAH is serving in the Iowa Legislature. MR. DARRAH offered to resign his position on the council before he went to Des Moines, but his fellow members urged him to remain, as the offices do not conflict. Whether the city will run without any government until the honorable mayor comes back from Knoxville, or the city council will go to Knoxville to hold its meetings there in order to have a quorum, is not known. Mayor ALEXANDER has shown no inclination to resign his office, in spite of the disgrace that has been brought on the city by his being sentenced to the inebriate asylum. He may not realize the disgrace, but the citizens feel it keenly, and a petition is being talked of to demand his resignation. The idea of a city of 5,000 population having its mayor in the inebriate asylum is too much. Mayor ALEXANDER was in bygone years a heavy imbiber of intoxicants, but about ten years ago resolved to live a temperate life, and since that time, until the death of his wife last fall, he remained sober. During the last days of his wife's sickness he got started to drinking again and since then has been drinking heavily most of the time. In the October term of court his friends took steps to have him sent to the inebriate asylum for his own good, and the district court issued an order sending him to Mount Pleasant, but the order was withheld in the hope that he would quit drinking. he did not quit, however, and another order was secured from Judge ROBERTS this week, committing him to Knoxville for treatment for one year. He was brought here today by Sheriff BOSS." The above dispatch appeared in Monday's Register and Leader under a Knoxville date line. It shows a pretty fair knowledge of Chariton's affairs for a "foreigner." But let us presume it emanated at Knoxville. It is barely possible it was sent out from Chariton. A great many people here could guess the color of the man's eyes who sent it. Don't let it become noised about that Knoxville knows more about Chariton's condition than Chariton does itself. To Be Continued -- 'Current Comment' -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copied by Nancee(McMurtrey)Seifert September 27, 2004 [email protected]