Bismarck weekly tribune., 1886-01-29
The City Fathers Hold Very In
teresting Meeting and Transact
Important Business.
A Policeman Suspended, City Attor-
ney Disposed of and Financial
Statement Made.
The Military and Social Storm at
Fort Lincoln Continues with
Unabated Fury.
Matters Personal, Pertinent, Imper-
tinent, Miscellaneous, Good,
Indifferent.
The Chance Estate,


AS the Hon. Mahlon Chance passed
through Brainerd he was met by an old
newspaper friend, who gives the following
interesting bit of gossip concerning the
Chance estate and family:
"Mr. Chance, as executor of the estate,
finds the captains affairs snugly left, and
his papers all arranged and kept with mill
tary exactness. The property which was
not disposed of by will will be about $780,
600, the bulk of it lands and city property,
though there is an item of $4,000 in Da-
kota county bonds, for which Mr.. Chance
was offered ninety-fve cents on the dollar,
but did not sell. There is quite large
piece in Bismarck real estate and $4,000
house in Ohio, the Chance home, that the
lieutenant built and made present to
sister. The most of the sum drawn in the
lottery had been let out in loans
on mortgages, some Of which re-
quire foreclosure, acquiring, doubtless,
some more land; but the bulk of the prop
erty was acquired without that streak of
fortune, showing that he was saving and
provident. The lieutenant seems to have
kept up his penchant for lottery chances,
for Mr.. Chance found in his accumulated
papers notice of $3.50 more drown since his
death, which had not yet been paid, but
which he took steps for collection. The
Chance family is widely known in Ohio
| in early days from the celebrity of the
elder Chance, who was atemperance orator
OF great eloqueence: and power He was
| known far and wide as "Old Broadaxe,"
| and twenty-five years ago carried on his
campaigns against king Alcohol" from
school house to school, the state over. He
had much the same force and many like
characteristics with John B. Cough,
and could eXhort, pray, sing, ridicule,
required. There was "a large I'flaii1'of family Of
the Chances, brothers ond sisters, noted for
their warm affection for each other. Some
died, the girls married, but the boys were
inclined to bachelorhood in which state the
lieutenant died. Lieutenant Chance was
originally appointed cadet through General
physical examination, being lad of slight
physique: But soon after the war broke
out he enlisted in the Thirteenth Ohio, and
was assigned soon after in Washington to
white house duty The Lincoln family
were much attached to him, and as he de-
veloped rapidly, Mr.. Lincoln promoted him,
and he received commission in a colored
regiment and rose to a captaincy, thence
after some time, entering the regular SER
vice. One sister, Florence, beautiful wo-
man of great accomplishments and some
literary bent, married Stanley Huntley, of
Bismarck. She has written some
mastery descriptions of western life
IN Dakota for various journals. She
was much devoted to the dead brother, and
has for years kept him company and a
home at the fort, where she still remains.
Mahlon Chance is a natural orator, in
heriting that trait naturally from his
father, and has for years been found annu-
ally on the republican stump. He was
Grants consul at Nassau during both his
presidential terms, and was Hayes intend
ed secretary for Utah territory but slipped
at last, like many man who pinned faith
to that obsolete gentleman. He was a
strong, Blaine and Logan campaigner
Latterly he has been connected with the
Equitable Life of New York, and has also
assisted in raising funds for the Bartholdi
statue, visiting all the state governments
therefor, and collecting exceeding $4,000.
He has during his Dakota trip utilized the
opportunity of gathering information on
the statehood question, anticipating that
congressional action on that question will
make it party question at no remote day."
| The Lincoln Storm.
Much to the regret of those who have al
ways taken deep interest in the welfare
of Fort Lincoln, the obstinate young So
cial cyclone which sprang into existence
on the evening of the Grand Army ball is
still on the rampage 1t is now evident
that the longer the Grand Army veterans
reflect on the shower of cold water which
was precipitated upon them by Col. Town
send, the greater becomes their rage, and
the more intense their spirit of retaliation.
1t is now generally understood among
members of the Grand Army of the Repnb-
lie, that report of what they look upon as
an objectionable snub will be sent to au-
thorities high in power, and nothing will
be left undone to work up a howl compared
faint, inaudible whisper. This is the feel
ing among the officers and soldiers of the
Grand Army of the Republic. They state
that the rink which they had decorated for
their ball, under permission from Major
Page, has been doubly paid for by the en-
listed men, who are taxed an admission fee
every time they enter for an evenings
exercise, and that having decorated the
rink, it was used by the officers and their
ladies for skating and dancing ON the even
ing before the ball. They aver that Col.
| townsend was at the post during three
days of the time occupied in decorating the
hall, but he did not give them notice to re-
move until late in the day of the ball.
And such is life in the army. Col. Town
sends friends maintain that he did per-
fectly right in not allowing the soldiers to
give their ball in the rink, as he announced
when that hall of pleasure was erected,
that the enlisted men should continue to
hold their dances in the barracks, owing to
the tendency Of their habits to interfere
with the beauty and cleanliness of the
floor. The colonel's defenders also init
mate that the board of directors of the rink
gave permission for its use while he was
absent, knowing that he would return in a
few days, and that he was opposed to such
action. In response to this argument it is
held that the ball was not given by the en-
listed men, but by the Grand Army of the
Republic, which deserves the highest
recognition from all patriotic citizens.
There you have it. Now draw your own
conclusions. A little wooden rink is a
small matter in itself, but when adorned
by the halo of brisk military and social
row, it assumes the dignity of whole reg
iment of marble palaces.
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