Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1888-04-26
That Blira 4ld . gain


Jacka interposes concerning the
much yeNed question OF the exact
severity of The Dakota blizzard.
My object, and only object, in
I writing to you before was To correct
misstatemcuts as 90 that storm. L
ann somewhat surprised but not
startled" as when I read his former
letter. that he cannot receive the
correction gracefully. llu seems to
be very much afraid that some little
incident win escape the seutiuizing
eye of the east, or chat some OF the
thrilling narratives tbct ueyer oc-
cuTed will not be believed by yoar
I readers, SO be says:
"Ihere is o studied purpose on the
part of very many to minimize as
much as possible the terrible effects
of the blizzard"
Wei tbat is very nice But great
minds are not always found in the
same chaunel | have Just read an
able editorial in tho ST. Paul DaQl
Gkobe on the bGzmrd, aud after a
resume Of the whole matter, one of
the conclusions is ms follows:
But the most absurd ANA iuiu.
rious accounts come FROM residents
of the territory on lheir tu,els, and
IN letter, TO friends east There is
q natural disposition "a magnify
scenes and occurrences iu which the
narrator has participated, IL gives
"a sort of heroic air TO the individual,
and hls pride is stimulated by the
gaping wonder that he survived
such perls."
Sometimes even as great paper
as the Gf06s can couch plain truth
ia simple language. Many of the
leading journals Of the northwest
have made similar and stronger
q atements. Even the one 80 ably
edited by Ex-Governor Pierce has
dared TO deny assertions similar to
those made 10y Mr.. Jacka These
editors were not necessarily bolster
ed up with "fat offices" the honor
able gentleman seems TO infer is one
of the perquisites, before a person
can stand up and deny untruths
Air. Jacka seems TO have been all
right IN some of his report but his
authority was not the best A local
newspaper man is supposed to know
everything, Of course. II be- doesn't
the print shop is no place for him.
lie il always supposed 20 tell the
truth, aud he generally docs Some
times little more creeps into the
columns, but that is put in by the
compositor, aud is a mistake. re.
fer to the eastern local editors. Ex-
perence has taught some in Dakota,
that 1t is lamentable fact that there
are IN this territory, men who write
for newspapers, who don't know
everything. They think they do,
but they don't. Now, when that
man in Aurora county told his read,
ers that Sin a county north Of us
tho teacher, lady, ard sixteen
scholars were found dead, huddled
together in the snow" of course he
thought it was true; but it wasn't.
Those were quiet times in January,
and TO fill up local paper 40 that
folks wouldn't say there was nothing
in it, he innocently wrote that cover
a thousand head Of cattle perished
in Aurora county in tho blizzard"
aud thought it was true; but it
wasn't He undoubtedly knows
what a COW il but at guessing on
numbers he is not a success. Now
Mr. Jacka boldly asserts that he 'is
not tenderfoot." The writer knows
men who are so inconsistent aud
have so little regard for the truth as
to say that, notwithstanding his in
falIible opinion TO the contrary, Mr.
Jacka's feet are not as tough as they
might be, when he believes every
item in local newspaper IA dull
town in winter.
We do not doubt but that Mr..
Jacka meant all right in writing as
he did, but his letter was certainly
very sensational and without facts
to support it. say this without
the least fear Of successful contra
dictiou Theorizng is not always
stating facts. Facts concerning the
Dakota blizzard are now known by
the reading public, and most Of as
have other employment than that of
writing for the press. Thanking
you for the opportunity ot correct
ing erroneous statements os 70 the
loss of life aud destruction of prop
erty in that storm of Jan. 2 in so
far as your readers are concerned, |
respectfully refer anyone who doubts
any statement made, 70 officials of
this territory who have collated
statistics on this subject
J. W. PARALRr.
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