The First Grand Jury – 1915 Tales From Old Timers #10 –

The meeting of the first Grand Jury was held in a schoolhouse at Burlington. Judge Francis presided and Steve Whitbeck was appointed foreman of the jury. The trials were conducted in a rather careless manner. As each juryman arrived he deposited his whiskey bottle in a straw-stack behind the schoolhouse. The court opened and one by one, the prisoners ranging from cattle thieves to murderers were brought before the judge. “Are you guilty or not guilty?” asked the Judge. “Not Guilty,” replied the prisoner. “This court is adjourned for consultation,” said the Judge. “And to attend to the needs of nature,” added Steve. One by one the jury filed out to the straw-stack. The Judge grew tired of waiting for the jury to reach a decision, dismissed the prisoners, and joined the consultation himself.

When Minot was a third-class Post Office, the Postmaster’s salary was derived from the cancellation of postage stamps up to a certain amount. When the postmaster had cancelled sufficient stamps to pay him his salary, he would ship the balance of the mail to neighboring postmasters in order to enable them to earn their salary