Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1884-08-22

banks of Devils Lake during the sum.
mer Of 1882. Did he come to take
claim honestly uuder the land laws or
to defeat the wishes OF the people in or.
i RaniziDg the county, and thereby make
"pile" for his friends that had made
failures Of life back in the eastern states
and from localities that did not weep at
their going nor miss them when the sun
came up after their departure. and it is
whispered that one or two started when
the light of day was not, and unknown
to parties interested in their welfare.
Soon alter Palmer made his summer
visit to Devils Lake the Wanduska
house had q new arrival in the person of
d. V. Barton, who laid quietly around
the hotel, which was at that time kept
by Mrs. Dodds. Barton's only occupa-
ton SO far as Mrs. Dodds said she knew,
was to hold down claim, pull his beard
aud grunt when addressed. His waiting
was rewarded. He lad first been to
south Dakota, and probably seen Palmer
or Ordway and possibly both before 20.
ing to Ramsey county.
Hon. j. V. Barton, is to-day chairman
Of the board Of county commissioners,
aud ali this has been effected since some
one sent him pass over Pete Morris
stage line with request to meet Palmer
ut the Benham house, in old Devils Lake
City, in December, 'S2. He registered
as resident OF Sweet Water Lake, when
he had never been III sight of that locall-
ty, and the lumber for his shanty laid by
the road in tue snow not far from Creole
City, for over two months. We next
find this conspicuous individual holding
an eighty acre claim near old Devils
Lake City, the then expected county
seat, but not until he had led the people
to believe that he was bonatide settler
of the northern portion OF the county.
This man Palmer was appointed Judge
for the Sioux Falls district last winter,
and we soon after hear of his deciding
as u member of our supreme court in
favor of the capital commission steal
and as his friend Ordway would have
him and the court do. Palmer is both
q good boomer and schemer. He hav.
ing fixed Barton and L. q. Saunders OF
Wahduska as the two solid commits
sioners, he conceived the idea of bring
ing on the Vermont boys to take charge
Of the county offices and hold bis claim
or rather Ordway's around old Devils
Lake City. About ten days before the
boys arrived Mr.. Palmer bought of Tom
Wacott the claim on the lake front aud
this was held by the man that was to be
county clerk of Ramsey county in O
few days, viz: John Percival
and during the same visit Palmer bought
several other quarters out, and Frank
| Wilkins, who had been Ordway's private
secretary came up from Yankton, like.
wise Joe Chandler, son of our United
States secretary of the navy, and who is
at present register Of the land office at
/ Yankton. These latter two held claims
] until enough had arrived from Vermont
to take their places, and then went bach
g to Ordway's private den, then in Yank
;. ton, just as Percival's office is for theil
e schemes in Ramsey and other counties
o to the west to-day. Lots of these darl
schemes will be made public during thu
9 coming campaign and Percival may b.
office seeker came from made him val
t liable piece of furniture in the county
O SO his salary was fixed at six hundred
g dollars per year. This is the larges
:. salary allowed by the code in old coun
J. ties where the work is heavy and Perci
/. val had nothing to do but record fev
n lines each week of the commissioner
proceedings aud keep mum" about thei
schemes and deals. with parties tina
were figuring to do the county printing
: such as records, blanks, etc. 1t is rumol
IS ed, but of course not true that certal
e. firms that are reliable as those that 81
= cured the contracts from st. Paul an
Chicago, put IN bills at from twenty-iv
{ to thirty-ive per cent. lower than thos
re that did do the work and Ramsey count
ID paid the money but to whom is anoth,
i, question. Any one acquainted with tt
- safe business knows that old safes a
t. worth about their weight as old lro
KS Fargo had one more of these old thing
ID than could be disposed of. A. j. Ha
N wood was one of the solid men with th
:, crowd SO he shipped his old safe up an
d. Ramsay county paid round sum for
N Since then the rust and the name of
Id Harwood has been covered over vii
40. paint, just like all of their quiet deal
>. These men have been holding abo
I've double the number of sessions that q
held in the Red river valley in old cou
ties where important duties are involve
vs besides the aforesaid clique never forg
to take from the school fund three d.
:, "n lars for their fees, and have been il
III mense at holding adjourned meeting
ire Ordway had nothing to do with bripgil
he this set into the country; but they ca,
;e at the price fixed, VIZ: to have the ofic,
80 and when they can't 6
'as an Office to go on again to t
re. front as several now have and are off
of holders there by appointment. Palm
for and Percival are not only chums in th
~. deals but are related. These deciples
OF Ordway have their business meetings
yer Percival's Office, and up in the coun
next west, which is Towner county.
These men have made several tri
ana made themselves notoriously bo
1t is said that lightning never stril
,a. but once in the same place." Would
,hs not be more proper in the territory
,sv say that county seats fall where t
IVY Oldwayites hold land? It would Sc,
so in Towner county. The records
:. the Devils Lake land Office show Il
~ on February 9th, 1884. Judge G.
md Palmer filed homestead on I
md sw or of sec 20, tp l5S n 66 W., an.
he timber culture on the NV or sec 90,
tLo l5S r 66 W., and that J. A. Percival
v. .ue the same day filed o homestead
he joining Palmer's homestead and otl
ota Vermont boys joined hands and circl
the to the left Oh. no! Mr.. Perclval
,ho not know that in few days he CO,
'ne superintend the location of the cou,
rs seat named "Cando" on this Pain
in clam. He was astonished that Jan
no. Connella's commission did not arr
ldi. aud it iu known now that 1t was prope