Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1886-01-15
Lively Times in Pratt County.

n red-not county seat hight is waging
in Pratt county, and bloodshed will
likely be the result. There came near
being spilling of gore there last Sun
day 1t appears that last fail, in Octo-
Der, the county voted on the question
of locating the county seat On one
side was Pratt Centre, and arranged
against it was Saratoga, Iuka and a
considerable pcrti0n of the county.
The result of the vote, as semi-oilici-
ally announced, was in favor of Iuka
remaining the county seat, the majority
being about 200. Pratt Centre then ap-
piled for and obtained an Injunction to
restrain the commissioners from can
vassing the vote as east. This injunc-
ton was dissolved by the supreme
court on Saturday. Pratt Centre an
ticipated this and had courier at St.
John to obtain the news and bring it at
once to luka, where the commissioners
were in session.
At O'Clock, Saturday afternoon, the
courier arrived, and the commissioners
quietly proceeded with the work of
canvassing the county seat vote. When
they came to the Saratoga returns,
which showed over 500 votes cast, an
attorney for Pratt Centre objected to
counting that vote, as but I60 votes had
been cast at the general election in No
vember. The commissioners. all favor
able to Pratt Centre, accordingly threw
out the Saratoga vote, and this gave
Pratt Centre majority, and the COM
missioneTS so declared, and almost in
the same breath ordered the county
offices and records removed to Pratt
Centre. At that instant several wagons
appeared and Before six O'Clock were
travelling to Pratt Centre with all of the
county records.
All of this required but an hour, and
not Saratoga luan was around, The
three county safes were left until Sun.
day to be moved. At that time Pratt
sent up men and teams for the safes
and, encouraged by their success of the
night before, they became Careless and
started the county treasurer's safe off
without guard other than the driver.
He was half way to Pratt Centre when
an armed mob of Saratoga citizens ap-
pe2red and captured the safe, COMPEL
ing the driver to haul it to Saratoga.
Later in the day Pratt Centre attempted
to recover the safe, but Saratoga would
not submit.
Sunday and Monday both towns were
up in arms, each looking for an attack
from the other. A load of Saratoga
men appeared in Pratt with guns, and
they were accordingly taken prisoners
and disarmed. Our informant, who
was in Iuka when the board first learned
of the decision of the supreme court.
and at Pratt until Tuesday, says he
never witnessed such excitement as
exists, and he predicts that bloodshed
will be the result.
The county commissioners and all the
county officers, excepting the attorney
and county superintendent, are in favor
CT Pratt as the county seat; that town
has possession, which is equal to nine
points, and it appears to have shrewd
men to carry out plans that are made.
LATER:-It is now known that the
supreme court did not dissolve the in
junction.; though one Ellis, attorney for
Pratt Centre telegraphed from Topeka
that the court had. Both towns learned
that the court had not acted and accord
ingly when Ellis returned from Topeka
Tuesday he was met by party of rs
armed men at Saratoga and forcibly
taken from the stage, the intention be-
ing to hang him. He begged and was
given freedom. In the meantime his
Pratt Centre friends sent him word not
to come there for the people would hang
| him for deceivinq then,