The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1885-01-23

s;.t.Nso seClions seem to be slightly incOn-
re"uir. p ,I taken together they appear to
ssttluiie lne governor to call upon the United
soaves authorities only after %exhausting the
po"er OF the county or counties. Inasmuch
however, as the militia of the territory were
ns%lS organized and had not vet been fur
Hthsaneu Win ammunition and supplies. and
Snele was some doubt as to their ability to
love o promptly, i took the precaution to ask
Ine general commanding the department of
i1akota II he could send a company OF repu-
iars 10 tedfie!d. At the SAME time l d directed
~ n. n. 1yner, of the governors staff, to
!, u Sne militia at Fargo to hold themselves
.~nleaulness to proceed to the scene of dis
suIpance, and sent a like order to the Gov
ernors Guard, OF Bismarck, and the Edger-
ION Guards, Of Yankton. In answer to my
can upon Gen Terry. l received o reply say
.tg Lhat my inquiry had been telegrapheG to
sns Headquarters division Of the Missouri for
instruction. and that the answer would be
sent as soon as received. Meantime, / sent
10 the mayorof Ashton. Sphinx county, whose
citlzens were reported to be much excited,
the following dispatch:
WIZ not the citizens of Ashton retire to their
noMes ana permit the law to take its course? 1t
Is much better SO. Please give me this assur-
anco.
also asked the mavox Of Redield to tele-
gral.h the exact situation. After waiting six
hours ana receiving no reply to these tele-
grams and no further answer to my call upon
ten. Terry, ! directed the Fargo companies
70 take a Train tor Redtield. The next day,
Tue llth, l received u telegram from the
mayor OF Ashton declaring the people of that
Guy were not armed, and had not been, and
ohough Indignant over the removal of the
records, contemplated no hostile movement
also received word from Redtield that all
was ule though an attack was momen-
tafilv expected. In view OF all the facts l
ordered Col. Tyner and his command to halt
at ~ortonyille, andsent the following to the
mayor of Redteld:
Lam assured by the MAYOR of Ashton that the
people or that place are not armed, aud have not
been, and that they no act of law
lessheSs. Unless l receive further demands from
yourself and the sheriff. l shall stop the troops
now en- route, and direct them to return home In
The morning.
In answer to this I received the following:
We believe that the only sure way to prevent
loss OF lite is to send troops at oncr. We are
receiving reports from reliable sources that the
excitement Is increasing hourly. The troops
VIII harm no ono and will prevent bloodshed.
EalsNcdl ID. II. HUNT, Mayor.
ARTHUR LAWRENCE, Sheriff,
IN view OF this eneweaa appeal : directed
Col lynerlo proceed to Redtield and report
to the sheriff. Believing that the militia
thus sent would prove sufficient. and ascer-
tanning that ! could promptly reinforce them,
/! also telegraphed Gen. Terry that no regu-
lars would be required. Later in the day /
received 4 telegram from Adjt. Gen. Breck,
saying that Gen. Terry, temporarily absent
from department headquarters, instructed
him to say that he could not furnish troops.
lnasmuch as the prompt movement of the
militia seemed TO obviate all necessity for
ealing further upon the federal authorities,
ana as l had already recalled my first appli-
caaton. or inquiry. l did not pursue the mat
ter. The companies arrived in Redtleld Sat
cay evening and remained there until q set
tlement was effected under the order of the
court Monday noon. l have heard nothing
but praise of their conduct and the i'm
partiallty Of their bearing is evidenced by
the fact that while in the city of Redtielu
the citizens hanked them, and the citizens
OF Ashton rendered them special hospitali-
ties on the eve of their departure home. 1t
is very difficult to know exactly what to do
under calls like that received. The governor
must dcEend for information as TO the
emergency upon those more or less excited
and who are apt to inadvertently magnify
the danger and may. therefore, take
have been unnecessary. On the
other hand. to leave such a call
unheeded would be to assume u grave and
perhaps unjustitiuble responsibility and rem
der him liable to deserved censure should
loss of life and property result from his neg
lect, when the danger appeared imminent
In any case, | could scarcely nave refused
assistance i'll view of the reports which
reached me from unofficial sou.aas and the
call made upon me by duly constituted Off
cials. feel some measure of pride that the
necessary force was furnished without as
s%is,ance from the general government, and
that even had the emergency been much
greater the organized militia of the territory
would have proven sufficient. The bills in
CURED on this expedition will be presented
to you. and ] respectfully ask that an appro-
prlatlon be made to cover the expense. and
that the auditor be instructed to draw his
warrant for such demands as appearju and
reasonable. The men composing the Fargo
militia are persons engaged in business, and
could only leave their homes at a pecuniary
sacrifice. trust the Legislature will see the
justice of paying the officers and men for
the time necessarily spent on the expedi-
ton. l transmit in this connection tine
names of those serving. the report Of Col.
Tyner, in charge of the detachment, and a
full record of the correspondence relative to
the affair. Perhaps the general government,
i'll view of the fact that territories are hardly
expected to take care of themselves. may
feel disposed to assume these obligations and
relieve the legislature.
THE ROBERTS COUNT DISTURBANCE.
Hardly had the militia returned home
when n difficulty of the same general charac-
ter arose in Roberts county. 1 received calls
nihed. l declined to incur the expense in
VOWED in the sending of troops until first
satisfied that the power Of the county" was
insufficient to maintain order. l requested
Adjt Gen. Free. however, to proceed to
Irayare and Wilmot, the rival towns, and
while ascertaining the necessity, if any. for
assistance, to use his good offices to preserve
the peace and secure q quiet settlement of
the question in dispute. Az a result the
sherifi's posse and those confronting or de-
flying it were disbandcd; and quiet has since
been maintained. The origin OF these quar-
rcis, or the manner in which they shall be
determined, are questions which do notcome
before me for judgment; but it may not be
uninteresting, in case the legislature desires
to investigate the matter. to read the report
of the adiutant general, which is herewith
transmitted. The correspondence i'll the case
will also be found with Gen. Frees report
1t is unnecessary for ME TO say to the legis-
lature that in the organization of so many
new counties such outbreaks as these
are liable, and even likely, to occur
frequently unless decided measures are
taken to put q stop to them. The trouble in
almost every instance grows out OF the
rivalry of two or more towns, each of which
ia determined to become the county seat.
The passions of men are aroused, they in
yolye a county in debt, excite animosities
that will long outlive the trouble which
inspired them, and finally lead to acts of
lawlessness which disgrace the territory and
lay the promoters and participants liable to
Indictment for felony. The law Is stringent
enforcement in one or two cases, as an OK
ample, is what seems to be required. Men
must be taught that it IS not an ordinary
crime to break dow the doors Of buildings
wherein public records are stored, and plum
der the safes of county officers. 1t might
seem severe to enforce such a penalty
against men provoked by great %nggravatlon
to a forcible removal of public property, but
severity is needed to put a stop to what has
grown to be a dangerous defiance of law,
and to what, if longer tolerated, will assume
dimenslons difficult to curb or manage. 1t
IL better that Il majority of voters in q county
should whit even the slowest action of tho
courts than that the laws should be detied
and the official records endangered. Not
alone lhe county engaging in these sense
less auarrels, but the whole people OF the
territory suffer because of the lawlessness of
the few. III community must look to the