Daily globe., 1879-03-30

retaru deVelOpmentS, and wien, at lasl, tne
plucky miners returned, they found the
roads leading in and tho Hills encompassed
by thousands of savage Indians. Subse
quently occurred the depopulating stampedes
to Wolf mountain, to the Big Horn, and
more recently still, to the Bear Paw
Bad as were these Influences, they
were not as serious as the evil
that now threatens us, for if it
obtains foothold, it will be almost impossi-
bic to eradicate it. I refer to system of
blackmaii that has been inaugurated, and, I
am sorry.to add, with some degree of sue
cess, foE victims have either been too poor to
defend their rights, OF, deeming it cheaper to
''comrromise" than to carry OH an extensive
litigation, have met the demands of the hu
man leeches. Their plan of operations is
varied, and increases in magnitude as success
wherewith to wage war. Every owner of a
good piece of property has been either bled
or threatened. The De Smet and Homestake
clairns'' time and time again. and are in
court with dozens of suits, the result of q
refusal to comply with outrageous demands.
OF course these ,bloodhounds scare up some
sort of pretezt, but it isE:nvariably such
and nothing more. To shew one plan of
procedure detail their latest move, involv-
ing property then which nece better can be
found here or elsewhere.
On the goth day of February Edward
Kearney and Ihomas Barrett located what
they designated the Cheyenne lode. adjoin-
ing the De Smet, and in every particular,
equally as valuable. Or the 9th of April,
1877, Kearney and Rerrett, together with
Peter DAILY. AID Michael Morris, located the
Baltic lode, parallel with the Cheyenne.
Both mines we're duly staked and recorded.
In locatingsthe Baltic the owners OF the
Cheyenne, who were atso part owners of the
other mine, agreed with their partners ''to
give to tbs Baltic right to surface ground
of the Cheyenne lead for working purposes
only, on the west side of the Cheyenne
lead''-as appears of record. In other
words, they gave permission to the Baltic to
begin shaft or tunnel, rnnning into the
Baltic, on the Cheyenne. The Baltic was
subsequently sold to one John Fortune, and
the Cheyenne to New York stock company;
but no sooner had the latter taken posses
sion and, by erecting extensive machinery,
placing a large force of men at
work, ETC., demonstrated a sound
financial condition, than the Bal
tic, first surreptitiously removing
its stakes over upon the Cheyenne, made a
claim in the shape of an application for q
patent for their new mine, including the on
tire west half Of the Cheyenne, basing its
title upon the Kearney and Barrett stipula-
tion above referred to. The Cheyenne folks
saw through the little game at a glance, and
promptly adversed the application. Check
mated, the Fortune outfit abandoned the
'''patent" dodge, and made direct appeals for
a "compromise.' They mistook their game,
however, and we're very coldly received,
whersupon, so far as known, they abandoned
the scheme, kut deeply chagrined, gave vent
to their passion in a lengthy article, teeming
with contemplate insinuations and dirty
abuse of the entire Hills country, and miners
as class, all of which was published
in an obscure Wisconsin paper, copies of
which were gratuitously scattered through
the paper contained. No MINIS in the hills
has SO many friends among miners, as the
Cheyenne, and none has a clearer title, nor
one with. which the people at large are so
| thoroughly familiar: John Fortune, there
fore, showed astonishing ignorance when he
selected it as prey, and greater idiocy,. as he
will soon learn, when he .assailed thousands
of honest, industrious people, terming them
Esharks, sharpers and kindred opprobrious
| epithets.
I could cite hundreds of instances and an
endless variety of schemes wherein the ex-
! tortion of blackmail has been practiced-
Heretofore success has been easily attained,
but realizing tho frequency and increasing g
magnitude of such transactions, the entire
community IS thoroughly aroused public
sentiment has been wrought up to pitch
that portends danger to evil workers ard
despoilers of good names, good characters
and the prosperity of Others In other
words John Fortune and his ilE must sub
side, remain quiet, or be summarily forced
out of1the country.
For honest men the Ellis are an Eldorado
I&but for thieves and kin it's veritable hes
ION earth. L. F. w.