Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1885-12-10


was as near to their original line as il
was possible to build
The settlers were now powerless In
| the hands of the corporation. which
played with them much Is a cat does
with mouse before craunching lis
bones for the final set of swallowing.
Their first act after having completed
the road through the Slough and formed
connection with road leading to San
Francisco was TO place the price OF
freight so high as to consume the entire
profit of all labor upon the irrigated
lands. thus seeking TO prevent the set
tiers from obtaining further means with
! which to continue the contest and trans
form them into the serfs of the COM
| pany.
| The outside world during all this
time remained in almost absolute ig-
norance of the desperate attempt being
made upon the rights of portion of our
citizens The greater part of the press
OF the Pacific coast wore the muzZle of
the corporations, and only the most
meager reports of these matters were
| sent out through the Associated Press,
and such as were sent were tInged with
the coloring furnished by the conspira-
| tors.
The first year after the completion of
the main irrigating ditch the settlers
had set apart the eleventh day of Nav
| as day of general rejoicing and
Thanksgiving for the harvest which fol-
| lowed the coming of the waters, and
| through all their troubles they had
regularly observed it, their festivities
usually taking the form of q picnic,
which was attended by everybody, re-
gardless of age or sex, and it was this
eleventh day of May, 1880, that the
corporate conspiratoIs fixed upon for
| the consummation of their scheme for
possessing themselves of the homes of
these people
In order to secure fit tools for this
purpose. the company had made pre-
tended sales of The homes of a portion
of the settlers to men of known des-
perate character, among Others to a
noted Desperate and crack-shot; and
it was these men whom the United
States Marshal was ordered to take
upon his raid of eviction. The Mar
shall left San Francisco before day and
arrived at Hanford. the station nearest
the Slough lands, at seven o'clock in
the morning. Here he was met by the
gang of desperadoes armed to the teeth,
Tue leader of the gang carried two
bulldog revolvers and a knife in his
belt, and had n repeating rifle and
double barreled fowling piece in the
wagon in which he rode, and all bristled
with deadly weapons, principally re-
volvers and knives.
As was anticipated by the Marshal,
they arrived 1T the first house in the
Slough settlement after its occupants
had left for the picnic. Without cere-
mony the door of this peaceful dwelling
was broken down and everything in it
pitched into the highway. This done,
they placed three No. 10 cartridges
upon the doorstep as an indication of
the fate which awaited the honest
settler and his family if they dared re-
place their household goods and re-
sumed the occupancy of their home.
They then started IN the direction of
the next settlers claim, intending to
proceed in the same manner with each
of the twenty-five houses against whose
owners the Marshal had writs of eject
ment- But they were not destined to
proceed so far. Unknown 10 them the
gang had been seen to leave Hanford
by one who, surmising the nature of
their errand. fastened to notify the
settlers OF what was about to be at
tempted. Mounting horse he rode
with all speed, and, approaching the
picnic grounds, came first upon several
parties who had driven a little way
back from the immediate scene of fes-
tiyities in order to find a suitable place
for leaving their teams and wagons.
Among them were Erastus Hemming-
way and his neighbor, Mr.. johnson.
To these men he communicated what
he had observed, and his belief regard
ing the intention of the Marshal and his
gang of desperate characters All
listened eagerly to the information
brought by their friend. and then held
hurried consultation among them
selves
Erastus, johnson and one of the
others were armed with single re-
volver of small caliber each. The rest
were without weapons of any kind
They did not like to return to the picnic
grounds and Brighten the women and
children with an announcement of what
they believed was taking place; neither
did they propose that their homes
should be ravished and they make no
effort to defend them.
1t was finally agreed that Hemming-
way, johnson and those who were with
them should hurry across country to a
point in the road about a mile away,
over which the Marshal and his crowd
must pass, while the friend who had
brought the information should quietly
notify others and leave them to follow
or wait for a report from those who
were in advance, as they thought best. |
HuIrying across the fields, this little |
body of men came out into the road by |
which the gang We're proceeding. Just |
IN advance of the Marshal and his |
party, as they approached the cottage |
of the second victim marked upon their |
list for eviction.
Seeing them, the Marshal halted and |
got down from the wagon in which he |
was riding. The others did the same. |
Approaching to within few feet of the |
Marshal. Erastus demanded TO know if |
it were true that they had come to evict
the settlers, and was told that they |
Dad
You win not be allowed to do So"
replied Hemingway; I'VE redeemed
these lands from the desert and gave
them all the value they possess. They
belong to us and we intend to hold |
them.''
The Marshal replied that ..he was do
ing only what the law and the court re-
quired OF him. but that rather than use
force he would abandon the attempt
But the gang thirsted for blood. and
had been ordered to prevent anv aban-
donment of the object for which they
were sent Scarcely had the words of
the Marshal issued from his mouth