Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1880-02-16
4 DEADLY DUEL.
Uncle and Nephew Afrayed Against
Each Other in Mortal Combat.
An Old Time Feud In the Somers Family
0uenched In tho Life Blood Of the
Notorious "Jin," and the Son
ofHis Brother.
The Ofs Repeated Prophecy that semer,
would Die With HIS Boots On
Fulfilled 10 the Letter.
Especial T~elegram.l

Especial Telegram.l
Crow Creek, Feb. 16.-Jim Somers, a
notorious character and we'll known along
the Missouri river, was shot and instantly
killed Friday last, BY his, nephew, at Brule
City. Someis and his nephew had some
words which ended BY jim drawing .
needle gun and shooting his nephew in the
right side, but not killing him. His nephew
then drew . revolver and shot his uncle
dead OF the spot. The nephew lived only
a few hours afterwards. Both were buried
yesterday at Brule City, The nephew's
name We have been unable to learn up to
this date.
The foregoing telegram gives briefly the
facts connected with the bloody affair which
came to our people as q rumor this morn
ing. The double murder seems 10 have
been kept comparatively quiet at the local.
ity where it occurred and the mangled
corpses of the self slain men put away be.
meath the sod with as little parade as posi-.
bic. As both the principals in the affair
are dead there is nothing for the Law to do
in the matter and the surviving relatives
probably do not feel much like giving
their troubles more notoriety than
they can avoid. II is known that for years
past q bitter feud has existed between Jim"
Somers and his brother Lafayette Somers
and the family Of Lafayette. Regarding the
origin of this difficulty we are not Inform
ed, but that 1t existed we have the evide,ce
from some of the parties interested. Be-
ginning doubtless with some small d,fir-
ence Of opinion. it gradually grew into an
open hostility which rendered q bloody
conflict only Y question Of time. "Jim"
Scmers possessed a nature which chafed
under a wrong, fancied or real. He
was q man OF impetuosity-quick
at resentment and full of physical courage
Almost a lifetime on the border had given
him a disregard for human life which il
liable to come to those who live outside the
pale of the law and rely upon their individ'
ual means Of protection as a recource ir
every emergency. The blood of the Somer.
was also in the veins of his brother, aud hi
brothers children, and q feud between tn,
two families could be nothing short Of
relentless, unforgiving contest which tim,
served only to embitter. Its tragic close i
the result to be expected bv those wht
best knew the men. A personal confic
meant blood and blood meant the death o
one or both of the contestants.
1t may have been that the uncle was un
der the influence of liquor at the time of thi
encounter. for he was always violent afte'
he had been drinking. During the Later
years of his life he has endeavored to curt
the angry passions which go often prompted
him to turn with savage fury upon those whe
opposed his will, but with liquor in his head
reason departed, the relf imposed restrain
was lost and the natural instincts Of Jim
Somers asserted themselves. In the fury O
the moment he seized his gun and Sent the
fatal bullet on its mission. His victim
writing in the agonies of death, avenged
the murderous act, and his uncle's blood
mingled with his own as the life of each
wen, out-and an abiding peace came to the
Somer's family. In the history of frontie,
crimes there is hardly a parallel to thi.
tragic occurrence. In the absence Of parti
culars we can give little in the way
of details, excepting that whi,t
comes from our previous knowledge
Of the parties aud their troubles.
"Jim" Somer.. as he is popularity known
though his real name is Marvin II. Somerr,
has been a figure more or less prominent in
the history of southern Dakota since the
first settlers pitched their tents west Of the
Big Sioux. 1t was about twenty years ago
that he settled in what is now Union county
aud became a part of a congregation of west
ern ad%septurers who located on Sioux Point
In the first legislature of Dakota he was
chosen as sergeant at arms of one of it
branches. and our recollection is tina
he was subsequently, elected as Z member o
the legislature from Union county. A few
years afterwards he moved from Unior
county and located on the Missouri some
where above Yankton and subsequent,
moved to the spot nov known as Brul,
City. His reputation in those early day
was that Of a man who would rather fgh
thin do anything else, and it wa
npt considered safe to aggravate his feel
Jugs. He wal particularly noted 70
Yhis muscular proves, but he di,
not hesitate to resort to the revolver when
eyer it seemed appropriate SO to do. 1t va
in the fall of 1869 that "Jim" Somers cam
to Yankton from the upper country an,
while. here enjoyed himself in the .usaa
way-going' from ssaoos to. saloon an,
drinking with the boys. During his peram
b~ulations be became boisterous and uRl;
and a If BIS drunken freaks was th
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