, 1873-09-17
The Killing of Gen. McCook.
An Account Of tile Antecodent Cir
0uEnstanCes.
Tho Quarrel Grows Ont Of tho Builling
Of tho Sioux City 6 Yankton
Railroad.
The Horrid Crime OF Wintermute.

the brutal assassination Of Con. Z. 8. McConk.
Secretary Of tlis Territory, n wotl-known citizen
of Illinois, aud officer iu Tho Uuion army during
tho War Of tho 1seLcliun 1 neud you holowith a
briof acco,,,lt OF
THE ANrEcEDEHT CIRCUMSTANCES
Of this most dor1orablo aifair, Which has cast
gloom ovoi tho whole community.
Under II Hpocal act Of tho Territorial Legisla-
trro, passed III 1871, the County Of Yanlton, In
which this place il located, was empowered to
make donation Of 5000 900 in county bonds to
tho Dakota Southern Railroad, which it was pro-
pusod to build from horo to Sioux City, about
bixty~two miles distant. Tho object Of this
large subsidy was to indnco capitalists to take
ho'd OF tho road and put 1t through. But soon
after this action Of tho Legislature
tho point was rnised whether tho act,
hnvinS hcon passed. at special session,
was valid. Therefore an net Of Congress-
was attcrwar is procured lcgA'izing aud vnldat-
ins that doubtful action, but with q proyiso au-
ncxed TIL tho comfy should receive 521. 900 in
slossi Of tho road, rs equivalent for its bonds.
Dat boforo those ban ls woro issued contract
IN '>oo', ulalo by tho Company with Wickor
Mocll1iug l. Co., two of the members boing
c. q. AND JOEL II. WICKER, OF CHICAGO,
to Lull1 tho roal. - this uoulract, they were
to take in pny half tho stock, amounting to
s7jO,000, mud all tho donations whicht might bo
made to the road, including theso Yankton Coun-
ty bonds, all being secured by mortgage OH tho
road to tho amount Of 31.200000 That Is, tho
contractors hnd to depend for tloir pay on what
tlloy could realizo out Of tho salo Of these &C.
rurities. :
Tho existence aud terms Of this contract
wEnn PERFECTLY WE'LL KNOWN
to the people Of thia county before tho bonds
weto issued, aud either they or their ropro-
sentatiycs, the County Commissioners, could
have talson tho ground that If tho contract was
left unnltcrod, a,d Tie mortgage for 81 100000
put upon the road, their stock would DO worth
less, and that therefore thoy would not consent
to Tho issue Of tho bonds on such terms but
as they wore to pay for stock to the amount Of
100000 that the road must bo built out Of tho
stock. They did nothing Of the kind however.
Ihoy raised no objections to anything, and is-
sued tho bonls, regarding thom appareutly-as 4
donat,n n, to lolp in tho building Of tho road
aud rnid 10 attention to the stock to which they
wcro entitled il exchange for them.
at ail events,
TnEy KEPT QUIET
until Wicker and his partners built tho road,
which WAS opened on the first Of January Of this
year. The contractors woro able to raso money
onty on tho Yal,kton honda, for which they re-
ailzel 514o, ,0G0. There was another donation of
$4,000 by tho Insignificant town Of Elk Point,
but tloso could not be disposed Of at my price.
When Wicker took tile contract, he WIS cncour-
aged by men CO o.uected with tue Illinois Central
aud Northwestern, who nale Lin believe thoy
would sell lis ralroad bonds for him. But, ow-
Ing 70 tho depressed condition Of the bond mar
kev since he began, or fur some other reasop.
they tailed to do so, aud the boads wore loft on
lis ha,.dp, and lo was finally compelled to
}I,nfng gt IN
Wien the road was completed, mud tho yank-
ton people were rcaplng the full bepoiit Of it,
they
FILED BILL AGAINST WICKER.
alleging tint he had agrood to build It for a
ssreas0unblo price" and that ho should be COM
rellcd to tnko the 3750.000 Of stock Of tho Com
Imny at pur, and the donation bonds at small
pay him for his work, aud enjoino1 him from
selling tho railroad bonds. This tied his hauds
so tight TINT. probably, when tue time comes
for him to meet his obligatious, he will be sold
out.
Shortly cftcrward Jool Wickcr, who had fled
nu a;lGwer, came up from Ch4cago with lawyer
to argue tho dissolution Of tho injunction.
ae o ef sPps' ths eoadoa dsssa ts povso
road from Ya,,kton to Sioux City; aud then it
mentioned the atock bonds, etc., and yet
price WAS specified at which the road
wl. was to be built, and tl4at, therefore,
they could be allowed only q reasonable COM
ptusationn mud that tho Yankton people, after
actually iinislol, could at this late day, como in
and lay the roAd should net be constructed, OK
ccpt ullt Of tho Irocecds Of the stock. Thu fact
is, it waA merely
suIIEME OF sw1SDLINu
in which tic Judge NAs participant.
Tile evening before tho motion WAS to bo
heard NJ, cx-Jadgo OF the Territorial court had
eou,o talk with Wickor on tnis s.lbjcct, and tho
distinct statement was made, aud WAS under
stood to como from Judge DAules, TINT, If IN
affidavit sh1uld be filed stating that lie {the
Ju:go) wah prejndiced in the 1nattor, 10 would
graft challso Vi yel.ue to one of the otllor Ter
fitorial Judges. Such MI atluavit was presents
ci tic 1,ext morning, but, to the surprise Of tie
litgauts. Barues. instead If granting it, took tho
ground That ho WAS not preludiced, and abso-
luloly
REFUSED 70 GRANT
tho chango Of venue, mud Scnt OIL 10 add that It
was u.rcocsta.y to argao tho motion for dls-
solution Of the iniM1ct,oa, because he llad gono
in tho Clerks office, attor. the dofendauta
n,,Ewcr VAS flied, and had read it over and that,
therefore, argument wnB neod!esy He Ind de-
c;d;l tho casu against Wicker unleard
After this, tho ox-Judso, who Beemod to be
fr4eud Of Wiclers. proposed to call
puDL1u MEETING
to aeo whether BolAo hcttlenlont could not ba
made, but Wicker's friends ropliod TINT, NJ the
Judge WIS determined, ana would not back
down, al thAt WIcker could 10 VIII to 60 Rh1ld
aud fight it out. Tho Judge inaibtcd Oh the
meeting; 10 it WIS nnnoulsced around town. 1t
was l1cIi in tho cuurt-r9om, in a brick build
NIX, wIlieh aso contnips tho Governors room
and the oicos belonging to the Territorial Gov.
urnmept, except Con-. MeCuult's. which was
Iuet across tie way. This building adjons tho
lotal, mud tllero ID lall running through II,
past the colltt-rnona, md coming at right angles
ncrose itH length. Tho Gusurlor's room IL at
tic olbow. was in Gov. Buroai4l1's room with
Wicker, and
nRN, M'cooK
cn.ue in and said
Wicker, lase been out drumming thom uE
for you,"
lie won't out again with Wicker, and In a little
witilo returned aud said =" hare whipped ono oi
t!4ent."
!" ilow was it2' said I.
"Whv, l went In tho courtroom to look or
At lilo meeting, and thin man, Winer1nute, can't
out, and grossly insuitol mic. lie anappad his
ijt!sors in my laco. told him to take thou