Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1877-10-18
THE MISSING CLARK.
MIR. Bills Industrious Search -Circum.
stances Connected with His Sup
posed Death.

W.T. Ia Sc1ICn-CITCuJn.
stances Connected with His Sup
posed Death.
We made, yesterday, brief mention of the
fact that VIM. Bill, of Bismarck, was in
town looking up a clue to the fate of his
business partner, Belmont Clark, who left
Yankton on the 9th day of July, 1876, for
the Black Hills, by the Niobrara route, and
has been missing since the following oath of
July. Mr.. Bill has been prosecuting this
search since last February and has visited
every locality where he supposed any infor-
matioa could be obtained. On the second
day of September, 1876, a notice sent by the
sheriff of Weld county, Colorado, stating
that tire. wagons aud six mules had been
found at Evans, in that county, was pub
lished in the Press and Dakotaian. The
outfit had there been abandoned. Some
sacks Of -four and drugs found iu the wag-
ons were marked "Yankton," and the notice
was sent with 4 hope that it would assist in
unrayeling the mystery. Mr.. Bill got hold
of this notice and proceeded Immediately to
Evans, where he identified the property as
belonging u his partner. In searching
about in the grove where the wagons were
left, Mr.. Bill found the private papers and
diary of Mr.. Clark, buried in the sand
about eighteen inches down. The diary
furnishes a clue to his flte, though not a
satisfactory one. Under date of the 24th of
July, 1876, Mr.. Clark writes that he is sur
rounded by about one hundred Indians on
the Niobrari and that a fight is progressing.
He makes mention that he will send a man
to hurry up the Sidney train to his rescue,
from which it is inferred that the fight oc-
CURED somewhere in the neighborhood of
Spotted Tail agency. He also says that two
men were killed, that eight mules, including
one of his own, were stampeded and that
one of his mules was shot in the leg. The
entry in the diary states that he has written
two letters-one to Mr.. Bill and one to a
woman in Bismarck. The former was never
received and the latter reached its destina-
ton through the dead letter office. 1t tells
substantially the anne story as that contained
in the diary. Where it was mailed
ls not known, as the recipient
had lost the envelope before
Mr.. Bill saw the letter. By reference to our
files we find that Mr.. Clark reached Yank-
ton on the 4th of July. On the 9th he
crossed the Missouri here, and in company
with others, the entire party, numbering
thirty-hve men with thirteen wagons, start.
ed for the Hills, via the Niobrara river,
The distance they would make in two
weeks travel with mule teams is the only
guide to the locality of the fight with the
Indians, and Mr.. Bill has no yet made
search for the scene of the conflict He
has two theories regarding the fate of Mr.
Clark. One is that he was killed by the
Indians in the battle mentioned in his las,
entry IN his diary, and the other is that he
was murdered by his men. He had a large
sum of money on his person-enough to
tempt his employees to commit a crime tc
secure it. The former supposition, howev.
er, looks to be the mora reasonable one. II
nv "oS Sdoe Wy SuC 1uUldi1S, Ills men III GS
aiming his body after the fight was over
would discover his money. To possess il
without interference they must conceal the
fact of his death and their presence. To dc
this they would turn from the route tbe1
were pursuing to the Hills, and make {
forced march out Of the country. Two
hundred miles from the scene, down il
Colorado, they abandoned the teams, if Thu
theory is correct, and scattered in different
f directions with their booty. To obtai1
some trace of these .nen is the object o
Mr.. Bills efforts. He does not know thei
names, and has only very unsatisfactor,
description of them. Where they parted
company with the ten wagons belonging t.
the party which was with them is vet a,
unsolved problem, and Mr.. Bill hopes b,
some means to ascertain the whereabouts
of one or more members of that party. H
has searched the Hills over, and has bee,
unsuccessful, but is not yet DISPOSED to Civ,
up his mission. That Clark is dead h.
feels convinced, but he considers it his dnt,
to follow up al Investigation of the matte
with a hope that he may be able 10 solv
the terrible mystery of his fate and perhap
recover some of his property. 1t thi
reaches the eye of any one who knows any
thing about this strange affair, they cal
convey Information to Mr.. Bill by address
ing him in care OF this office.
CIID yS.p