website watertownhistory.org
ebook History of Watertown,
Wisconsin
William Krebs
Business
and home
1906
10 26
Tuesday
disclosed the fact that another forgery had been perpetrated in Watertown,
adding one more to the long list of these depredations which have been worked
here during the past few months. The
victim this time is William Krebs,
the Main Street grocer.
On
Thursday evening of last week a man entered Mr. Krebs's store and made a
purchase of groceries amounting to a little over $2. In payment, a check for $12 on the Wisconsin National Bank payable to Jas.
Fremont and signed “Edward T. Bartlett,” was presented. Thinking that the check had been issued by
Edward L. Bartlett, the contractor for labor performed and not detecting the
difference in the initial in the name, Mr. Krebs readily cashed the check. His suspicions were not aroused, also for the
reason that the fellow presenting the check was dressed and conversed like a
laboring man. The fellow made the claim
that he had worked for Mr. Bartlett on the street improvement work at Jefferson
and also made the claim that he had worked on sewer construction work here for
Mr. Bartlett . . . The check was honored at the Bank
of Watertown, but was refused and declared a forgery when presented at the
Wisconsin National Bank, which was on Tuesday.
The
party presenting the check at the Krebs store was a young man about
twenty-seven years of age, of medium size and wore a mustache. He was dressed like a workingman and his
conversation would not lead to the belief that he was a rogue.
1909
01 22 William Krebs [Jr],
son of William Krebs [Sr] and wife of this city, died
at Omaha, Neb., on Tuesday, January 19, 1909, of typhoid pneumonia. Deceased was born April 24, 1869, in this
city. His wife,
and two children survive him. His
parents were with him when he died. His
remains were interred at Omaha. WG
2001 Krebs Building Moved
03 22 The Watertown Plan Commission approved the concept of selling a
portion of a city parking lot for the relocation of the historic former Krebs
building downtown. Commissioners
unanimously agreed to the concept of selling the northern third portion of the
lot at 208 S. First St. Later in the day
the finance committee recommended the sale at a price of $10,000. That recommendation will come before the full
council for action on Monday, April 2.
Commissioner Carol Bohlman abstained from
voting on the matter because she proposed purchasing the lot space to relocate
the Krebs building at 605 E. Main St. for potential commercial use. WDT
05 24 Relocation of the Krebs building this
morning to a riverfront location was a “smooth” operation. Movers of the 115-year-old brick building
were doing a “really good job,” Robert Hallett, owner
of RJ Hallett House Moving in Beloit. RJ Hallett supplied
equipment for the move. At about 9 a.m.,
the building arrived in the 200 block of South First Street after traveling
from the 600 block of East Main Street, a distance of about nine city
blocks. WDT
_______________________________________________________________________________________
1898
Max Krebs
1876 - 1898
Krebs, Max, b. 1876, d. 1898, Co B 1st Wis Inf Sp AM War 1898
Watertown
Gazette, 10 21 1898
Private
Max Krebs, son of William Krebs and wife of this city, died in the U.S.
hospital at Jacksonville, Florida, on
Upon
the second call for troops at the breaking out of the late war with Spain,
young Kreb’s patriotism asserted itself and he enlisted
in Co. B., First Wisconsin Volunteers, in what is known as the Fort Atkinson
Co., he being the 10th member of that company to sacrifice his life in defense
of his country.
June
21 he enlisted and went with his company into camp at Jacksonville. A few weeks ago his regiment left
Jacksonville and the members thereof went to their homes. But Mr. Krebs, with a number of others, was
too sick to undertake the journey home and remained behind.
He
made a good fight against that dreadful disease, typhoid fever, and was on the
road to recovery when he suffered a relapse and grew steadily weaker until
death relieved him.
A few
days before his death his mother reached him and did all a mother could to
nurse and comfort him in his dying moments.
Previous
to enlisting he was employed as a tinner by D. &
F. Kusel.
He was
22 years of age and unmarried.
Sunday
night his remains arrived here at
Monday
afternoon his funeral was held from his parents’ home to Turner opera house,
where a public funeral was held.
Before
leaving the home of the deceased Adjutant George Henzie,
of the O. D. Pease Post, G.A.R., delivered an address in German. The exercises at Turner opera house were
opened with music by the Sinnissippi band and the
Iroquois male quartet.
Major
Charles H. Gardner then delivered an appropriate funeral address, after which
Capt. R. C. Burchard of Co. B., under whom Private
Krebs served, paid an eloquent tribute to the memory of the deceased as a man,
citizen and soldier.
The
opera house was appropriately draped in mourning and was packed to overflowing
with people, and though the rain poured down in torrents during the afternoon,
hundreds of people were unable to obtain admittance.
From
Turner Opera House the funeral cortege wended its way to Oak
Hill Cemetery in the following order:
Northwestern
University Band
Northwestern
University Cadets
German
Old Soldiers’ Society
The Liederkranz
Members of the G.A.R.
Sinnissippi Band
Fire
Department
Turner
Society
Other
Societies
Co.
B., 1st Wisconsin Volunteers
City
Council in Carriages
Lieutenant
Colonel Solliday, Surgeon F. C. Moulding
and Private George Aumann of the Second regiment on
horseback headed the procession, Lieut. Col. Solliday
being in command.
Five
armed comrades of Co. B. acted as the guard of honor and six members of the
same company were pall-bearers.
Arriving
at Oak Hill Cemetery, salutes were fired by the military and the usual military
services were conducted, and the remains of Private Krebs were laid to rest to
await the final bugle call.
It was
the largest and most impressive funeral ever held here, and speaks well not
only for the character of the dead soldier, but for the patriotism of the
people.
The
deceased was one of Watertown’s most esteemed young men, and his death has
caused many a silent tear to be shed. As
a boy at school, as a fellow-workman and as a soldier, he was a model young
man, possessed of the highest traits of manhood, which were truly exemplified
when he went to the defense of his country; hence all who knew him could not
help but honor and respect him.
He
died for a good cause, the defense of his country and for the relief of a
half-starved and persecuted people; hence the bereaved parents and family, no
doubt find solace in their sadness when they view the matter in this light.
About
thirty members of Co. B. came up from Ft. Atkinson to attend the funeral, and
while here they were entertained and given dinner and supper by the Woman’s
Relief Corps in the G.A.R. Hall.
