The Red Cloud chief., 1885-10-23

PLAYED with them much o. a cat does
with a moTI.c before craunching is
bones for the final act Of swallowing.
Their first act after having completed
the road through the Slough and formed
| connection with a road leading TO san
Francisco was to place the price Of
freight 30 high as 10 consume the entire
profit Of ali labor upon the irrigated
land. thu, seeking 10 prevent the set
tiers from obtaining further means with
which "a 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 TO-
norance of the desperate attempt being
made upon the rights Of Il portion If our
citizen. The greater part Of the press
If the Pacific coast wore the muzIlc Of
the corporations. and only the most
mcaccr reports Of these matters were
sent out through the Associated Press.
and such as Were sent were tinged with
the coloring furnished by the con,pira-
tors.
The first year after the completion Of
the main irrigating ditch the settlers
had set apart the eleventh dav Of Nav
AS a day Of general rejoicing and
Thanksgiving for the harvest which fol
lowed the coming Of the wafer and
through all their troubles they had
regularly Observed il, their festivities
usually taking the form Of a picnic.
which vas attended by everybody, re-
gardlc,s Of aye or sex, and i VA this
eleventh day Of May. 1880, that the
corporate conspiratoIs fixed upon for
the contamination 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 home, o! a portion
of the settlers to men of known d.s-
pcratc character, among Others to 4
noted dcsl crado and crack--hot; and
il was these men whom the United
State, Marshal was ordered To- take
upon his raid Of eviction. The Mar
,hal left san Francisco before day aud
arrived at Hanford, the station ncaresI
the Slough lands. at seven O'Clock III
the morning. Here he was met Dv til
gang OF dc>pcradocs armed Ia the teeth,
and all started together in wagons.
The leader of the gan@ carried tw3
bulldog rcyolvcrS AMI Il knife in hi
belt. and had Il repeating rifle and q
doublc-barrclcd fOwling pccc in thu
wagon in which he rode. and all bristleC
with deadly weapons. principally re
~volycrs and knives.
As was anticipated 10y IN" Marshal
they arrived at the first house in the
Slough settlement after itS occupants
had left for the picnic. Wthou: core
monv the door of this peaceful dwelling
was broken down and everything in il
pitched into the highway. This done,
they placed three No. 10 cartridge.
upon the doorstep rs an indicat on Oi
the fate which awaited the honest
settler and his family if they dared re.
place their household goods and re
stunned the occupancy of heir homa.
They then started IN the direction N
the ncXt settler claim. intending tC
proceed in the same mannc with each
of In" twenty-five houses against whose
owners the Marshal had wrltS of eject
mcnt. But they We're not destined Il
proceed so far. Unknown 10 them TN,
-NA- Afat's '''ai ~ - -
hv one who. surmiSing the nature q
their crrand, FASTENED 10 notify tn,
settlers of what was about To lie n
tempted. Mounting a horse he rod,
with all speed. and. approaching tn
picnic grounds. came first upon sewers
parties who had driven a little Wa,
back from the immediate scene of fcs
|tiyit,cs in order Ia find a suitable plac,
for leaving their teams and wagons.
Among them were ~i.raS;uS lIcmmiug
way and his ncighbor. Mr.. johnson
10 these men he communicated wha
he had observed. and his belief regard
No the intention of the Marshal and hi
gang of desperate characters. Al
listened eagerly To the information
brought by the fr end. and then held
Il hurried consultation among them
selves.
ErastuS, Johnson and one of IN,
others were armed with 4 single r.
~Nolvcr of small calibcr each. The res
We're without weapons of any kind
They did not like To return 10 the picnic
grounds and brighten the women AM
children with an announcement of wha'
they believed was taking place; neither
did they propose that their home,
should be rav!>hcd and they make n,
effort Ia defend them.
Ii WAS finally agreed that lIemminC
way. Johnson and those who were Wit
them should hurry across counir To :
point III the road about 4 mile away
oven which the Marshal and his crow,
must pass. while the friend who hat
brought the information should quictl,
notify Others and Leave them 10 follow
or wait for 4 report from those who
We're III advance. - thcy thought best
llurrying across the fields. this littl,
body ~ men came out INTO the road ID,
which the gang Were proceeding. jus
n advance of tie Marshal and hi.
party. rs they approached the co,tag,
IF the second victim marked upon then
list for cy ct;on.
Seeing them. the Marshal halted an,
cot down from the wagon in viii, h h,
was riding. The others did the same
Approaching 10 within a few feet of IN,
Marshal. Era>tu> demanded L. know i
il We're true that they had come to evic
the settlers. and WIS told that the,
had.
You will not hc allowed 10 do So
replied Hemingway: We redeemc,
these lands from the desert and CAV,
them all the value they possess. They
belong 10 us and We intend 10 ho,C
them"
The Marshal replied that The was do
i'm oaly what the law and the court re-.
quired % him. bu. that rather than u>,
force he would abandon the attempt
But the can- thir>tci for blood. and
donmcnt OF the object for which they
were sent Scarcely had The words OF
the Mar-hal issued from his mouth