Married Anka Margaretha Eisenhauer on August 26, 1919


A short story about August as we searched for an obituary for him
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August Messing, Law Officer

The Gilead Jail was a wooden structure located on the northeast corner of the intersection of South High Street and Manton Avenue. Until recently a tree marked the site.
We assume it was necessary for Gilead to have a jail since it was one of the three cities in Thayer to remain “wet” until the passage of prohibition in 1916. There also was some gambling and card games. We suppose a combination of these factors may have provoked the following incident. These comments are taken from the Hebron Register.
February 1904, there was a shocking fight in the saloon in Gilead about 9 o’clock Tuesday night. The bartender, W. M. Garber, had the first finger on his right hand bitten off at the first joint. Garber’s first finger on his left hand was also chewed and his face badly cut. It is said the dismembered finger was later picked up from the floor of the saloon. The prelimary hearing of the culprit was set for the next day; but has been moved to March 4th.
A follow up story said:
Mr. Garber, who recently had a finger bitten off in a saloon fight in Gilead, has had another finger amputated. We are informed this had to be done to prevent gangrene from spreading to the rest of his hand. Mr. Garber is the nephew of the former governor of this state.
A still later article about Garber reads
Blood poisoning has set in for the man, Garber, bitten on the hand is a fight at the saloon in Gilead. It appears the injured man will surely die.
August Messing was the last paid person to serve Gilead as a “Law Officer.” His service was discontinued in 1969. Volunteers have served as night watchmen since.
Gilead did have it bank robbed a couple times.
One must wonder if the jail could speak, what it would say of the thieves it housed.

Taken from Files of Hebron Journal Register