At the request of a great many citizens of Austin and of Reese River Valley, presented in the form of a petition signed by the great majority of the people here, the County Commissioners last Wednesday elected Mrs. George Crowell to fill out the unexpired term of her husband as Sheriff of Lander county.
When the matter came up before the board there was little discussion of the matter of the selection, and the choice was unanimous.
As soon as the selection had been made and it was necessary to find handymen, friends of Mrs. Crowell got busy, and in a few minutes J. A. Crescenzeo, J. F. Murphy, W. W. Christian and M. W. Malloy appeared at the Clerk’s office, the bond filled out and signed, and Mrs. Crowell had qualified as the first woman Sheriff to hold the position in Nevada.
It is said that there were several male aspirants for the position, but after the circulation of the petition for the appointment of Mrs. Crowell none of them made formal application, it being a practically foregone conclusion that the job would go to the widow of the man elected.
It is thought that the new sheriff will make no change in the administration of the office, and that Thomas White, who has been the deputy under her late husband, will continue to do the work, and if she needs any help from the outside, there are plenty of men who stand ready and willing to do the rough part of the work for her.