Page 56 - Cornelius Hedges Story

43 The Cornelius Hedges Story

Judge Hedges elaborated further on the situation in his “Grand
Secretary’s General Report” for that year:

“In the matter of filling up and furnishing, some expense will be
involved, which for the coming year, may be covered, perhaps,
by the ordinary appropriation for rent.” Hedges suggestion was
followed.162
On April 27, 1878, the Hedges’ last child was born; she died of
diphtheria in 1880, shortly after her father’s defeat for reelection as
Probate Judge. And on September 17, 1878, Will, their oldest son, left
home for his own ranch on the Sun River.163 This was the beginning
of the natural dispersion of a large, very close family. Hedges were
not immune to sorrows, but his Christian faith never let a sorrow
or even a series of sorrows drive him to despair. Shortly after he
had seen his youngest, Ellen, die of diphtheria in her mother’s arms
and had been defeated for reelection as Probate Judge, he wrote this
somber, but expectant, farewell to 1880: “So another sad year has
gone may its experiences be blurred to me and may all my future life
show that I have not suffered in vain.”164
The citizens of Helena waited nearly 17 years after the first
discovery of gold in Last Chance Gulch to incorporate, and when
they finally voted to accept a charter, Judge Hedges played an
integral part. He was an important member of the committee which
drafted the charter submitted to the citizens of Helena, and he drew
up the poll books.
On Election Day, March 7, 1881, he served as an election judge.
When the votes were counted and the charter had been accepted by
a vote of 620 to 56, Hedges simply commented that he was “well
pleased with the result.”165
In order to organize a city convention to nominate candidates
for the first mayor, city treasurer, and police magistrate. President
Paynter of the Board of Trade appointed initially two persons from
each ward. Those persons in turn chose 18 others from their own
ward, and the entire 100 persons, twenty from each of the five wards,
met as the city convention. Cornelius Hedges, along with S.C. Ashby,
was selected from the 2nd ward.166 On April 14, the organizational
City Council meeting was held in rented rooms on the third floor of
John H. Ming’s Opera House, and Cornelius Hedges was appointed
Helena’s first City Clerk and City Attorney.167