Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1886-10-16
LEAVlTT'S CONFESSION.
One Of the Conspirators in the Haddock
Murder Peaches.
John Arensdorf the Man who Fired the
Fatal Shot.
The Beginning Of the End at Hand.

Harry l.. Leavitt is my stage name and the
name | commonly 90 by, but Herman Levy is
ny real name. My home is New York City
but ! have been a resident OF Sioux City, la,
since January 1856. ! opened the Standard
theater in Sioux City February |, 1856, as pro-
prietor aud manager. am thirty-three years
old and my occupation is that OF theatrical
manager, and | herewith hand you q short
sketch OF my life published in the Chicago
Sporting and Theatricsl Journal.
] arrived in Sioux City from q visit east with
my wife on the Friday evening before the
killing OF Geo. {. Haddock. Up To Monday
morning | had no conversation with any one
IN regard to the injunction proceedings. On
that morning ] went To The TRIBUNE Office
to see about putting an advertisement in he
paper about opening the theater and | or
dered an advertisement In. In cor. versation
with Mr.. Kelly and Mr.. Hill | told them 1t
was my intention OF opening the place and
running it without selling liquor and ! said
10 them that believed that | could make it
pay. | then asked Mr.. Hill! to go around to
the tftcater and see how ! had fixed ii up, this
he did and he said to me that it was the best
thing to do and that | could make il pay
without selling liquor.
! also had Joe Marks and Walter Strange
come in and look at the place and had about
the same kind of talk with them, and told
them | would not sell liquor, and ] can and
do refer to Geo. II. Howell, Walter Strange,
Wise Brothers, Judge F0 ey, I. =. Martin, Joe
Marks, the newspapers, in fact to every man
with whom ! had business in Sioux { "
or elsewhere as to my character and standing.
] have never drank any whisky and have al
ways borne a good reputation.
In the afternoon Of Monday, Aug. ID, ! was
standing in front Of ''The Chicago" about =
O'Clock when | was approached toy NJ. Simon
son and asked To Join the saloon keepers as
snstatfnp IVa fold mo ttat tho prnanizati,p
was FOR the purpose OK protecting the saloon
keepers and employing Il lawyer, and myself
and Doe. Darlington and Dan Moriarty went
to the meeting in Holdenreid's hall that night
about 500. was the first one TO speak. ]
said, ] 40 not know the object Of the meeting.
| am not = member. Fred Munchrath then
stopped lne and said, we will elect YOU unani.
mOusly without going any farther, and made
a motion to that effect. Adelsheim seconded
it, and the meeting adopted 1t. Ny name
was then written on the list by Fred Munich
rath. | told him that as soon as it was nee
essary 10 use the money to pay lawyers that ]
would pay the $25 and that | could not pay
until after | should open my place.
Is. Doak then got up and made il speech and
sand be believed IN all the saloon keepers go
ing to the court house and see that there was
10 lies sworn To IN regard 10 any Of their
eases. He said; am not a member but as
thi, is not a private meeting | feel privileged
TO talk.
Adelshcim then said he did not know why
Simonsou had called this meeting, unless IL
was for the purpose Of making Leavitt "A mem
Der, and as this was accomplished he moved TO
adjourn. Louis Seller seconded the motion
and the meeting was adjourned, On going
out Fred Munchrath and StmUnson said To me:
'wait a minute until the crowd goes low
stairs, as we have some more 10 talk over and
We don't want TO DO SO while people are
around who do not belong TO the saloon keep
ers.n So Fred Munchrath. Geo. Treiber, ST.
monson, Louis Plath and another man, whose
name | have forgotten. but who ] can identify
and who runs = hotel in Sioux City. Iowa. and
myself were the ones who remained after the
meeting had adjourned. Geo. Treiber had
whispered this thing about holding the meet
ing around to the members of the committee,
as he said he had some matters TO tell which
were private and not for outsiders. Geo.
Treiber said be had two men who
would do anything to Walker if they
would get money for it. Someone then said
Junk has the money In his safe" and some
one then said "We will give 500 to have Wal
ker licked good" 1t was then agreed that
Treiber should get the men and go to the
court house next day, and when he came out
OF the court room they would whip him. We
then left. ! then said n you can't get these
men ! will ask Dan Moriarity to do IL for 500.
We then left the place. thought no more OF
1t until the next morning, when rath
came to me and said Treiber could not get the
two men; that they were too drunk, and that
We could not trust them as they might do him
too much harm. We then went down 10 the
depot t. see Morisrity, and he refused to have
anything to do with il. supposed
this was the end OF it until
Fred Munchrath and George Treiber came in
TO the court house where ] wa. standing at
the stairs with Major Mcdonald. They called
me aside and said Mat Eastman had two men
that were going to leave town aud he would
get them to DO the job for 800. ] said, Ego on
and bring the men up ~ | supposed they
would be like all the rest OF them.
Treiber told the fellows when they got
there that 1t was all fixed with the policemen.
] went across the road and sat down in front
OF the Wescott stable, talking to Tappsn, OF
the Lone Star restaurant. Mr.. Walker and
| Wood came Town the stairs and these two
men followed behind. | did not try TO keep
it secret, but said openly that there was go
ing 10 be some one licked; then Walker aud
Wood started on down towards the Hubbard
house and passed King and Waldevering, who
were sitting on the railing In front OF the saw
ings bank. AZ Wood and Walker passed them
| stepped up to King and Wsldevering and,
pointing to Walker, | said, ''Thst's him, v and
walked acIoss the road. King and Waldo
| vering gotup and followed them down TO the
nuDudIu uou5S. i may nave ultt tufst men
again but do not remember OF seeing them.
! met Mat Eastman afterwards at Joe Marks
| and he .sid King and Wsldevering had gone
In 10 Dakota.
About 8 is Tuesday night, August 8, ] went
| up to Frank Cochran's rooms over the Chics-
| 90, and / there met Rhoden, John Hop, and
Frank Cochran, and we sat down aud played
stud poker until about 9 o'clock ] got up and
vent down stairs and met Champion and
Shafer In front OF their place. | stopped and
talked with them \ few minutes and then start
ed down to Sherman's saloon, as ] was In the
habit Of dropping In there every night before
| going to bed. On my way there, and in front
| Of the Sioux National bank, ] met Fred
Munchrsth, George Treibrr, Lonis Plath, a
saloon keeper whose name ! can not recall,
and those two Dutchtnen whom Treiber said
were the men be had to 90 up Walker. They
! were talking together and about Paddock and
| Turner going down to the Greenville house.
| Treiber said '']et us take a hack and see what
| they are going 10 DO. Munchrath said
| '.Lesvitt, let us take \ ride and 90 down TO
| Greenyillc and see what they are going TO do.
| | replied 'tall right, ! don't care" We went
] over in front Of the Hubbard house and Henry
| H%sberman, Trciber, Plath and myself got
into the hack right under the electric
light. asked Adams, the driver of
the hack, to let the windows down,
vt ich he done and drove down TO Greenyille.
Henry got out I'm front Of the Greenville
house, went In and asked If there had been a
buggy over that way in the last hour. They
said no. He gt In and we came right back to
town and the hack stopped In front ofJunk's,