It was December 2nd, 1874. The beginning of the 4th coldest December Minnesotan's had ever experienced. The country was in the last few years of the Reconstruction Era following the American Civil War, and Republican President Ulysses S. Grant was fighting for the protection of African Americans in the South through the use of the Enforcement Acts passed by Congress. Christmas was just a few weeks away. The depression had been going on for about a year, but the railroad business was strong, especially in Winona MN thanks to the Winona St. Peter Railroad.

Special Officer Mathew Hamilton was patrolling the depot, when he came up against a drunk patron who wasn't going to go peacefully....

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