Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1882-02-10
THE GRANT COUNTY ROW.
An Account of tile Transactions by To,
Paper r-Assailetl by q Mob.

ring commenced series of prosecutions
and resorted to the most disgraceful and
unlawful proceedings to compass their
ends.
Their first procedure was the prefering
OF series Of totally unfounded charges
against Mr.. Bailey, the county clerk and
obtaining his temporary suspension with
out giving him q chance to be heard in
his own defense.
On Tuesday last an organized mob of
l5O men came down upon the morning
tram and invaded the town almost before
daylight, with the declared intention OF
taking the county seat to Milbank-right
or wrong. The motley crew were under
the leadership of Jim Drake and lawyer
Bell, and ever and anon Drake could be
seen going behind the buildings and dol
ing out plentiful supply Of poor whisky
to. his mistaken followers, many of whom
were beastly drunk before they left town.
The two commissioners took their place
in the registers Office and after appolnt-
ing ). Il. Eastman as clerk declared the
county seat to be Mllbank, without sc
curing record of the vote or having be-
tore them poll book to canvass from. No
canvass whatever was made, the two
commissioners simply declared that they
believed that Milbank had received the
necessary two-thirds of the votes cast
for county seat, and they proclaimed 1t
removed to that place. While the com
mlssiOners were thus sitting in this lille.
gal session, the mob from Milbank had
been reinforced by q number OF wagon
loads OF men, most of whom were also
armed with revolvers, and the citizens OF
Big Stone had hockeu to the scene, with
4 the determination to defend their
rights at any and every cost, and
as the wagon drove into town
with the rope and tackling for the re-
mOval OF the safe, every man was pre-
pared to do his duty. The farmers were
hooking in from the surrounding coun-
try, and by this time the Milbank mob
commenced to show the white feather,
and as they looked into the eyes of the
determined men who said they would
resist any and ali mob force-they COM
nenced to see tha. any attempt to exc
cute the purpose for which they had
come would only lead to their own de.
struction. The unrighteousness of thei,
cause made towards of them, and when
the time came for them to fulfill then
mission the leaders of the mob were out
OF sight, and no attempt was made tc
touch the records, excepting by the
Judge of probate, whose age was shield
TO HIM. and he was very easily pursuadeo
to return the books to where they pe
longed. The cowardice of mobs is pro
verbal, and this one was no exception
They acknowledged that they had come
; to take the county seat, that they hau
brought all the ropes, tackllng anu
J blocks necessary for this purpose, but /.
, few determined men told them that they
could not do it, except IN Lawful man
T ner, and their leaners skulked away GU,
, OF danger and the mob WAS powerless
While the commissioners were in ses
sion aud the mob were in front Of til,
registers office proposition was mad,
by the Big Stone people to settle til,
matter amlcably by calling the judge
and clerks OF election together to ex
: anime the poll books aud state unde
oath whether the returns, delivered b,
them, had been correctly counted uy th
canvasslng board. This proposition wa
submitted to the leaders OF the Milbuul
crowd, and by every one to whom 1t Wa
submitted, 1t was acknowledged to be
talr, and impartial way OF settling til
: difficulty, for if there had been an,
Z. fraud perpetrated by the canvassln,
board. it could be then detect
3 ed and the wrong righteu
Every Big Stone man wa
: willing to submit to this examination b
the judges of election and abide b
r the result, anil even the NIilbank me-
a With the exception OF the leaders gro
nounced 1t Il TAR way to settle the diff
Guilty. But the pettifogglng leaders q
the Milbank party refused to listen to il
. iney were Determined to have the com
miss.oners pronounce in favor of Nil
. !. bank without the least evidence, or re:
son for thus deciding. When it was seel
that the leaders OF tue MilbanlS party re
fused to listen to this fair and honoru
bic proposition, many of their party dc
( serted them, among whom was Z.
h Hartwell, who lad been constituted on
{ OF the leaders up to this time. He prt
/ nounced the proposition fair one an
J., stated that II 1t vas not accepted by til
= Milbank party he would have nothin
more to 40 with them. He said that Ii
had been Mlsiead into coming down b
9 being told that the Big Stone peopl
9 were unwilling to do the fair thing, bu
y he saw now that it was an attempt t
3 take the county seat by force, ani i
l. would have nothing to do with it. H
& left for home shortly after noon and b.
example was followed by a number {
}. others, who declared that they were di
d gusted with the unwarrantabie procee,
/. lngs which tue Ailbank leaders wei
% about to take.
=, While these things were taking plac
): Blcser & Evans managed to get IL
"a treasurer's books packed in boxes, an
d sneaked off with them, but this was 8
unimportant steal, and will only resu
in the refusal OF the people to pay the
= taxes until the books are replaced. Du
g ing the whole day Il
re editor of the Review, one
70 leaders of the mob, beng too cowardl
" to face the danger which he had encou
"a aged Others to 60 into, took up q pos
!. tion on the Minnesota side, outside
~ the possible reach of danger and too