River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1888-08-02
ELEVEN MEN KILLED.

/ a County-Scat Quarrel in Kansas Results
In Bloodshed-A Pitched Battle Be-
tween Factions in which n sheriff. -Four
of HIS Deputies and Six Others Are
/ Killed.
! TOPEKA, Kan, July 2s-The county-seat
war in Stevens County has broken out
afresh and has resulted in the murder of
John Cross, sheriff of the county; S. H
Hubbard, C. W. Eaton. II. fancy and w.
I Ii. Wilcox, all citizens of Woodsdale,
and it is reported others, making eleven in
GIL.
The county was organized two years ago
and is occupied largely by hard characters.
Hugoton was chosen the county seat by
/ fraud, the Woodsdale people say, and the
/ election result is in litigation. Bad blood
I has long existed between the two towns.
I Last Sunday Constable e. f. Short,
/ of Woodsdale, and two others at
tempted TO arrest Sam Robinson
and three other Hugoton men in the neu-
/ trail strip. Tuesday Sheriff Cross received
a request for help from Short, and, with
h Hubbard, Eaton, fancy and Wilcox he
/ started to render IL. The party stopped at
/ a ranch that night, and were there sur
/ prised in their sleep by thirty Hugoton
men. headed by Robinson, who seized
I them, took away their arms, stood them up
I in a road and shot them.
/ Colonel S n. Wood, mayor of Woods
dale, has arrived in the city 10 lay the
natter before the Governor. He expects
/ TO return at once to Woodsdale, and says
/ he has an offer of 100 men from Colorado
/ to help clean out the outlaws. j. r. Jones,
a Hugoton man who has just arrived, gives
/ a different account of the killing. He makes
/ this statement:
I Sam Robinson, the marshal Of Hugoton,
and NJ Cook, of the same place, went TO the
/ Dudley ranch. near Pony creek, accompa-
/ MED by their wives, TO look up some cattle
which .ney were trying to buy.
\ While taking dinner Deputy Marshal
/ Short, a WOodsdale man, accompa-
I MED by five other Woodsdale men,
rode up TO the party and asked Rob
inson to surrender, as he had a warrant
/ for his arrest. Robinson said be would go
a short distance from camp, leaving Cook
and the ladies behind, and then
I give his enemies a chance TO take
him. He did so, and reaching a con-
I venient spot both parties opened fire,
with the result that four Woodsdale men
were killed. The other two fed TO the
/ strip, and Robinson escaped without a
4 scratch Cook FASTENED TO Hugotown and
/ gave the alarm, and soon an armed squad
went to their assistance. Meeting a lot Of
/ Woodsdale men an encounter took place,
in which three more persons were killed
and number wounded.
THE WHOLE COUNTRY IN ARMS.
/ Late advices received by telegraph say
the whole country is in arms and that there
is danger of another conflict at any time.
Governor Martin was asked what steps
he would take, but he could not say until
he had received authoritative information
from both sides. He thought that it would
taarh u rorufy-Saat 6phfar.S a SaInfarv
I lesson.
Governor Martin is to have a conference
with Captain Price and Captain Wood.
The latter is very indignant and declares
that Governor Martin has shown too much
red tape IN the matter; that he has known
all the week the status of the strife and
1 that it was impossible to send off,
cial notice TO him. Captain Wood
4 says he will not ask the Governor to inter
/ pose, but will go back and advise his
/ friends TO arm, take the field and fight for
/ their rights. He says that matters have
/ gone so far that peace can not be made
I until one side or the other is whipped in
/ open battle
| Five dead bodies have been brought in to
Woodsdale, among them that of Sheriff
4 Cross. There are fully 100 armed men now
at the front, and double that number are
/ expected to meet in combat to-day.
DOUBT CAST on THE REPORT.
/ GARDEN CITY, Kan. July 2S.-1wo young
men-Jack Undertake and Jesse J. Dunn
/ arrived in this city from the seat of war
/ In Stevens County Both of them were
1 eye-witnesses of the running fight between
/ the sheriff and his party from Woodsdale
/ and the Hugoton men. The fight occurred
/ early on Wednesday morning and at 10
/ o'clock that morning the Hugoton party
were on their way home. Cross and
seven men went into the strip Tuesday
/ night and were to return Wednesday
/ night, but were not seen and are supposed
/ TO have gone through Voorhees, in the
night. These young men put no confidence
/ in the stories of the killing, and laugh az
/ the idea of men going 70 sleep when on
/ such an errand and being surprised on the
/ open prairie on a clear moonlight night