Sheriff Paul Sharvey 

“The St. Louis county jail is a thoroughly satisfactory building in all respects. The general plan of the jail proper is practically the same as those of Otter Tail, Olmstead and Goodhue counties.  It is in every way a satisfactory jail, admitting of the separation of prisoners and affording separate provision for prisoners of different classes.  A view of this jail will be found in the frontispiece, and the plan of the jail is given in connection with the description of the St. Louis county jail.”    

Source: excerpt from the Fourth Biennial Report – State Board of Corrections and Charities – dated October 31, 1890

CHAPTER 446.
(H.F. No. 425.)

AN ACT TO FIX THE COMPENSATION OF THE SHERIFF OF ST. LOUIS COUNTY FOR BOARDING PRISONERS CONFINED IN THE COMMON JAIL OF ST. LOUIS COUNTY.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Minnesota:

     SECTION 1.   That the sheriff of St. Louis county shall be allowed the sum of three dollars and fifty cents ($3.50) per week for boarding prisoners confined in the common jail of said county, which said sum shall include the washing for said prisoners while so  confined; and said sheriff shall receive no other compensation, directly or indirectly, for boarding prisoners required by law to be received by him in said jail.

     SEC. 2.   All acts or parts of acts conflicting with this act are hereby repealed.

     SEC. 3.   This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage.
     Approved March 16, 1891.

     Source: Special Laws of the State of Minnesota, Passed During the Twenty-Seventh Session of the State Legislature, Commencing January Eighth, One Thousand Eight Hundred and Ninety-One.

“The Tower Strike”

SHERIFF SHARVY IS DOING GREAT WORK AND IS USING EXCELLENT JUDGMENT.

Rioters Brought Down

They were shipped down and marched to jail manacled in pairs, flanked, preceded and closed in by armed deputies. Tommajo, Kapoch, Prestout, Scube, Skedell and Heglet are married and all the others are single. They are the dirtiest, most villainous set of men ever assembled in confinement in St. Louis county. They were captured in all sorts of places, some being taken off the motor line, some were found wandering about the streets of the mining location, but the greater part were found scattered among the miners’ dwellings. Several made a slight show of resistance but Antoine Joliet was the only one to draw a revolver. He attempted to pass it to his Austrian sweetheart, who stood close by, but President Bacon and Sheriff Sharvy both saw the movement and just as the girl’s hand closed on the weapon, Bacon’s hand fell like a vise on her wrist and the sheriff leveled a big six-shooter at the rioter’s head. The revolver was taken away and the man handcuffed amid a tirade of Austrian oaths that would make a Bowery tough turn green with envy.

Excerpt from Duluth Evening Herald, June 20, 1892
 

How Sheriff Sharvey’s Prudence Averted Bloodshed

Saturday night at the “stone” crossing near shaft No. 5 was a critical period in the history of the first big strike on the Vermilion range, and nothing but the very cool action of Sheriff Sharvey and Chief Deputy Harry Armstrong averted serious bloodshed.  Twenty-six deputies were massed at the crossing, when with a yell some 500 or 600 men dashed upon the little crowd who stood waiting for them. A charge by the deputies was ordered and a number of the deputies dashed down the hill toward the mob which turned and fled, firing hundreds of shots from their revolvers in every direction.

“If any of my men fires a shot I will shoot him down” shouted Sharvey, and the deputies withheld their fire.  Then another large party of miners appeared on top of the hill and the sheriff, seeing that there were at least 800 men arrayed against his little band of deputies, withdrew until such time as reinforcements should arrive. The act of Sharvey in not allowing his men to fire probably saved many lives and stopped or allayed considerable hard feeling.

Excerpt from Duluth Evening Herald, June 20, 1892