About December of 1899 Andy Hayford was released from custody regarding the murder of George A. Barclay. There is not much information about Andy Hayford, who he was and where he was from. The 1900 U.S. Census has an Andy Hayford living in Crow Wing Co. who is married with two children born about 1866 in Wisconsin. Whether, this is the same Hayford is unclear, but it is interesting.
Here is a photo of St. Paul about 1908 which is a little later than our subject but it gives you an idea of what the city was like.
St. Paul, Minnesota, Ramsey County about 1908
Here is a summary of: In the Matter of the State of Minnesota vs. Andrew Hayford, Indicted for Murder in the 1st Degree.
That we Andy Hayford as principal and Con O’Brien and J.W. Koop as sureties of the County of Crow Wing – $1000 dollars. The Condition of the Above Obligation is Such, that is the above bounden Andy Hayford shall personally be and appear before the District Court of the County of Cass 1st day of the term at the Court House in Walker on the 7th of May [1900] to answer to the indictment of the Grand Jury on 9th of May, 1899 etc. Witness Our hands this 29th day of November 1899 and signed by Andy Hayford and others.
What follows is from the 15th Judicial District Court, State of Minnesota, County of Cass.
State of Minnesota, Plaintiff vs. Andrew Hayford, defendant
Application having been made to this Court, for an order admitting the defendant Andrew Hayford, alias Andy Hayford, to bail and fixing the amount of bail bond, for defendant’s appearance at the next general terms of District Court to be held at the Village of Walker, Cass County, Minnesota. Messrs. Jones and Peterson appearing for defendant in support of said application, and after due consideration, an order was made, dated November 25th, 1899, whereby said defendant was admitted to bail on approval of his bond by this Court, said bond for his said appearance being fixed at the sum of One Thousand dollars, with two sureties; and a bond as prescribed by said order having this day been duly approved by this Court and filed with the Clerk of District Court of said Cass County. IT IS ORDERED, that said defendant, Andrew Hayford alias Andy Hayford be discharged from your custody. Dated December 1st, 1899. By the Court. [ Holland] Judge. To the Sheriff of Ramsey County, St. Paul, Minn.
The Sheriff of Ramsey County writes:
State of Minnesota, County of Ramsey, I hereby Certify and return that by Virture of the hereto attached order of the Honorable G. W. Holland Judge of the District Court in and for the County of Cass in the State of Minnesota, I have this day released from Custody Andrew Hayford Alias Andy Hayford. [J. Noll, Agent] Sheriff of Ramsey County, Minnesota. Dated at St. Paul this 5th day of December 1899.
There are no other court documents except these since May 1899 when the Grand Jury convened that explain what happened and why Hayford was released.
I am also puzzled as to why the defendants were in the jail in Ramsey County. I suppose that Pine River was too small to have a jail and Walker was recently designated the County seat of Cass and maybe had not built a proper jail. Brainerd probably did have a jail but according to this website from the Crow Wing County Historical Society it was pretty small. To find the 2nd jail information and a picture you will have to scroll a long time or use your “Find” and the term “City Jail.”
http://www.crowwinghistory.org/buildings.html#CITYJAILSECOND
The Barclays of Pine River 