, 1884-07-17
A TITLED
The Marquis De Mores and His
Cattle Ranch.

49,
One of the most interesting young men
in the west just now is the MARQUIS De
Mores, son.in-law Of the New York bank,
er, Won Hoffman. Two years ago this
Summer vague little paragraphs began to
be seen in the Bismarck and other western
papers about a handsome young French
man who was buying vast acreages of
grazing land out on the Little Missouri
river and offering in a Quixouc way to
furnish anybody who came along a hun
dred sheep to keep on shares. Everybody
thought another Count Joannes had arisen
and wandered out here. 1t took the best
part Of a year to convince people that De
Mores was 4 sane man with money and a
purpose. This now needs no argument to
prove. The young F%renchman has laid
the foundations of a fortune which will
rival that of Won Hoffman himself At
first it was his intention simply to raise
cattle. He then discovered that there
was no systematic shipment Of Montana
beef to the eastern market. Hotels in
~argo and Bismarck, with the fine
young Montana cattle right at their
doors, were paying IS and 40 cents
a pound for Chicago steaks. The
reason for this absurdity was that no one
could buy cattle in either of these towns
in less than carload lots. Montana
steers were shipped on to Chicago, there
slaughtered, and the dressed meat ship
ped back. De Mores decided to remedy
this by establishing abattoirs along the
Northern Pacific Railroad, at points
where stockmen could drive their cattle in
easily from the ranches. To complete the
system he would erect refrigerating store
houses in every town where the beef de-
maud warranted it. With refrigerator
cars plying between slaughter houses and
distributing points, fresh meat would be
furnished consumers regularly at prices
so per cent. lower than by the old way.
De Mores has carried out this plan. He
OWNS a dozen ranches and has built abat-
TORS at Medora, Billings, Miles City and
Helena. These houses are in full opera
ton. Refrigcrators have Eeen built at
St. Paul, Duluth and Fargo, and otl err
are being put up at Granger, Manda and
Winnipeg. incidentally TO the scheme
the pretty little town of Medora has been
built up at the Northern Pacific crossing
of the Little Missouri. When
De Mores stepped off the train
at Comba, the town that had
been started at the crossing, his welcome
was not a cordial one. The cowboys had
the idea that he had come to drive them
all off their ranches, The hunters said he
would buy up their buffalo grounds. The
young man really did act as if he were
really going to buy the earth. II was not
long before words came to shots. Three
cowboys undertook to drive the Marquis
off a ranch he had bought across the
river. But DeMores was brought up in
the French army and was fresh from ser
vice in Algiers. The cowboys drove him
to his hut, but their shots missed and his
hit. One man, Reilly, was killed and
two others were badly wounded, The
Marquis has had a fair field ever since.
Medora has grown into one Of the thrift
lest towns ON the Northern Pacific. Tho
railroad station is 4 gem of architectural
beauty. The hotel which DeMores built
is as big as any on the line, and rs fine in
every appointment. \ freight line to the
Black Hills has been est ablished. which is
always 4 source Of rapid growth in these
frontier trading points.
Medora was named after the wife of
De Mores, Medora Hoffman, who is the
namesake of her aunt, the famously beau
tiiul Mcdjra Grimes, Her memory is
freshened by "reminiscences of the late
Sam Ward, who won her for his second
wife when she was already the betrothed
Of a rich Young Frenchman. The Mar
quise de Mores delights in the wild life of
her husband, In ST. Paul she is the
most rich and tastelully dressed woman
you will see. On the PLANES she rides
and shoots flultlessly. Galloping over
the p%rairies, an eagle plume in her hat
and a rife slung from her saddle, she IL
the picture of wild beauty. De MOres on
the frontier dresses in fringed buckskin
shirts, top-boots and cowboy hat In St.
Paul he is n polished French gentleman,
open-hearted, witty, ~hospitable. The
Marquise has an income Of $50, 900 a year
from 4 fortune which has been secured by
her father beyond all possibility Of loss.
De Mores has $4,000 acres of farming
lands along the Northern Pacific, besides
vast estates in France and Italy.