Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1880-05-28

fer as they must without food or shelter.
They were by no means particular as to the
bill Of fare, nor did they demand a suit Of
rooms furnished like the Astor House in the
city Of New York. They were content to
get for the time being the necessaries Of life,
rather preferred . plain diet; and as to the
rooms, Johns cellar would fill the bill to per-
fection. Thus sumptously provided for, they
tarried at Johns house few days. When
their whereabouts became known to the COM
mittee, posse was dispatched for their es-
pecial benefit :. but it SO happened that the
arrangement made for the posse to go down
and get them was overheard by one Tom
Moore, who was friendly to the renegades.
As the posse went down by the main road to
Mr.. Shea's, which was about q mile and half
distant, .he went down another way and
reached the house in time for them to escape,
SO that the posse only got. glimpse of their
coat-tails as they went into the brush at the
back side Of Johns field. It was reported
that it was John who revealed their where
abouts to the committee, hoping to get the Of
fered reward. While such action on his part
would have been proper enough, the report
depended upon rumor merely; and as John
denies the mild accusation and claims to have
furnished them with not only victuals, drink
and lodging. but; with clothing we are dis
posed to accept Johns statement as the most
likely to be correct, especially when We con-
slider the fact that he is generous hearted
man. The vigilance committee we're not abTe |
to carry ont their plans very successfully, on
account of the fact that the roughs had many
sympathizers about town, some of whom were
likely on the committee. A proposition came
up in the committee to hang three men, who
we're supposed to be the prime movers in the
robberies that had been committed about
town, neither of whom were standcliff or
Thompson, but the proposition failed to carry,
the committee standing five for hanging and
seven against. Their names are withheld on
account of the friends and relatives of those
who were on the committee and those who
were candidates for hanging. Besides steal
ing, gambling and robbing, the roughs were
engaged in making counterfeit silver money,
but I think had not done much at it when
their band was broken up.
After avoiding capture for about three
weeks, and all parties getting anxious to
bring the troubles to a close, Messrs. Stand
cliff and Thompson sent word to the commit
tee that in case they could have the privilege
of coming to town and setth ng up their busi-
ness, they would leave the country, and the
proposition was accepted. They accordingly
came in, and in e. shert time departed, to the
great joy of the whole community. MIR.
Standc'iff went with his family to Illinois, en-
listed and served in the army as lieutenant
during the rebellion, and after the wa1 emi-
grated to Texas. Hugh Thompson went to
Pixies Peak, and there went by the name of
Cbas. Dodge. He was there one of their
most desperate characters, committed several
murders, and was finally killed somewhere in
New Mexico. Several Of these desperate ]
characters are dead, having in most cases
died by violence. Since the breaking up of J
that gang of desperadoes the country has been !,
generally free from persons Of that character. .
In the suEr,er of 1855, about the latter
part of July, tae grasshoppers came down up j
on us from the direction Of "a little north of
N est. The country was covered with them to
a great extent. Their entent northward is not
known, but they were plenty at Leech Lake,
q distance of about eighty miles. They ex-
tended east as far as Mile Lacs Lake, and it
is not known how much farther They !
reached to near the western boundary Of the
State, and south to the vicinity Of Big Lake. :
The extent of country covered by them was at
least $50 miles across in any direction. Grain
was getting ripe when they came, yet only
about one-third of the crop was saved. That
year they deposited their eggs, and the follow
ing spring an abundant crop Of grasshoppers
was raised, but very little sof anything be-
sides. As soon as they were large enough to
move about, they were continually hopping
and flying in a south -easterly direction, and
by about the first. of July they were all gone.
They were reported to have gone to Kansas
the same year they lett here, and to have de-
parted from there the next season for parts :
unknown. While there was enough of them
to destroy the crops, they were by no means
as thick on the ground as they were reported
to have been in some parts of the State at
other times, viz: two or three inches deep.
They would average about fifteen or twenty to
The square foot. The people, however, sur
vived the grasshopper raid with but little
suffering in this county, as there was great
amount of teaming to be done, and other
work in abundance to be had at good figures.
IfEo ho