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old. Moved with his parents from there to Cherokee, Iowa, where he clerked in a store five years.
Received a common school education. In 1886, March 28, he came to Norton where he engaged in the hardware business under the firm
name of Milz & Garrity, remaining four years. In 1889 he sold his interest to M. F. Garrity and purchased the hardware stock of James Lobsitz, which he still continues to run. 
In 1889 he was elected a member of the city council, and was also elected again in 1894 on the citizens' ticket, receiving the highest vote of all the councilmen elected.
Mr. Milz has always been a democrat, but of liberal and unprejudiced opinions.
He was appointed deputy sheriff under Henry Joint during his first term. He was a delegate to the congressional convention of Hill City when Duane Freeman was nominated.
He has been congressional committeeman for four years. He was married to Lillie Ashton January 7, 1892, to whom was born one son, Lewis, October 30, 1892. Mr. Milz is an agreeable gentleman and prosperous in business. James Norris, formerly of Tuscarawas county, Ohio, but later of Iowa, came to Norton county in the year of 1873, and took a homestead. He left his family in Iowa and after some time of anxious waiting, his wife concluded to take the children and go to him. She struck the state at Troy, Doniphan county, where she went to a livery stable and hired a span of horses and a buggy to go to Norton. The liveryman thinking she wanted to go to Nortonville, which is located within a day or two's drive of Troy, let her have the team. She came on to Norton county, but learned here that her husband had left and had gone to Fort Scott and was working in a coal yard, or something of that kind, and she at once started for Fort Scott. Captain J. B. McGonigal lived at that time at Abilene, Dickinson county, and one evening going out to his farm from town observed a party camped by the road side, and upon investigation, he found she was the wife of Jim Norris, an old acquaintance. Her name had formerly been Rhoda Whitten; knowing her and her husband so well, he had them go to his house, where they stayed until they were rested sufficient to continue the hunt. She seemed to be without funds and desired letters from the captain that her husband was a member of the Masonic fraternity, which he furnished her, and she started on her way to join her husband at Fort Scott. In a letter from Mr. McGonigal he says: In a few days afterward the sheriff of Doniphan county, or one of his deputies came through on the trail of the woman who had stolen a span of horses and a buggy, which proved to be that of my old friend, Norris' wife. I informed the sheriff that I was satisfied she did not intend to steal it, and that |
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