Who was P. J. Bollig?

I clipped this charming article from the Pierz Journal when we first realized the PJ was online, but then misplaced it for a couple years ☺.  It tickled me then (and still does) because I recognize the snark, but not the man, P J Bollig.
A little looking online fleshed him out some: FamilySearch and Find A Grave say Peter Joseph Bollig was born in Germany in 1860, and died in Morrison Co in August 1943, so in 1916 he was 56, old enough to sass like this in the paper.

It looks like PJ was fairly enterprising, too. There were years when it seemed like stud horses were the Next Big Thing--from about 1909 to 1915 or so. Here's the report of a group of locals who bought a percheron for $2,400, and also mentions who got cold feet and backed out.  It's interesting to see that it was the salesman who threatened to sue, not the other buyers. Wonder if deals like this were made under the influence...

But then, see, it looks like PJ was in on local jokes, too. He's not mentioned till the last sentence, but he IS the punch line ☺.

Scofflaws of 1900

We're familiar with German tempers, right?   We grew up with the German sense of propriety and order, righteousness and stubbornness.  We even find those dubious qualities in (gasp) ourselves sometimes, and then we deny em.  But no, those 'qualities' came to us legally.  It's only accidental that Larry found accounts of the hotheads below; whew, a Hesch wasn't involved.

 Were there widespread incidents in 1900 that pissed off the priest?  Did women come to mass hatless?  Were people  genuflecting without a thump of the knee?  In any event, I can't believe that many people came to mass directly from the field, as Theo Stumpf did here.  Besides, working on Sunday was a worse sin.  Luckily, there was a defender of the faith there in St Josephs, ready and willing to toss him out on his ear.  I've never heard of a Church Policeman before.  It must have been a thankless job, and pretty unpopular too. No wonder it didn't last. Besides, Joe Bollig was only 31 in 1900--who'd listened to a youngster like that?

Here's a little tiff between neighbors Mary Kuder and Frank Otremba 

from July 27, 1900.  

Was 1900 a particularly BAD year?