Sturgis advertiser. (Sturgis, Dakota [S.D.]) 1887-1???, 1889-07-03
IGNORANCE OR cRIME-wH1cH?

At meeting Of the Lawrence county
board of commissioners last week one Of
those peculiar transactions occurred for
which Lawrence county has been some
what noted in the dim and murky past.
The transaction was none other than the
rebatiug OF some $4, 800 in back taxes of
J. M. Woods, the cattleman of this
county.
The history of the case is this. Woods
owed the county taxes for the years
1867 on his cattle and horses. He
claimed his cattle did not belong in this
county and refused to pay the amount.
County Treasurer Shurts, after careful
investigation and obtaining of affidavits
from parties cognizant of the facts, levied
on the stock for the pupose of selling to
get the taxes due the county. Woods
applied for temporary injunction to
restrain the treasurer from selling the
stock until he had time to prove that his
cattle did not belong in this county.
The temporary writ was allowed.
Meanwhile in Pennington county an
exactly similar case was up before the
district court. Holcomb Brothers
brought suit against the county for the
purpose of obtaining permanent in
junction against the treasurer to restrain
him from collecting taxes on cattle
owned by the plaintiffs but held on the
reservation. The court held that as the
home ranch of the Holcombs was situa-
ted in Pennington county and that as
the cattle were driven there every year
for branding and other purposes they
rightfully belonged in Pennington ccun-
ty and that, consequently, taxes on them
should be collected by the treasurer of
said county.
Woods, undoubtedly, kept close
watch on this case. Just as soon as it
was decided he knew what he would
have to do-pay his taxes. He tried
then another scheme. Going at once to
Deadwood he engaged an elaborate ar
ray of attorneys and appeared before the
Lawrence county commissioners, and
had the nerve to ask that his taxes for
1867 be rebated. He, very literally,
offered to pay his taxes for 1883 amount
ing to about 1920, if the board would do
as he desired. The reason for the small
amount of taxes for 1883 is that he sue
ceeded in making the assessor believe
that his cattle were not taxable in the
county and that only his horses we're.
The intelligent board did as he desired
-rebated $4,000 on condition that he
pay $500! This, he promised to do.
1t seems very strange that the board
should do such thing under any cir
cumstances, and, at the present time, it
appears inexplicable. This rebate was
made Saturday, June 80. On and after
July 1, all taxes due Lawrence county
from the territory now known as Meade
were to be paid to our Meade county
treasurer. These Lawrence county off
GERS saw chance to injure us and were
not slow to accept it. They saw a
chance where they could get $3.50 for
their own county by throwing $4,000 of
Meade county's money away. They
knew Woods would not pay any of the
amount to them if they refused to rebate
and consequently would not get cent.
Rather than have Meade county get it's
dues they gave away its money and re-
ceived for Lawrence county the miser-
able pittance of 1920. Why were these
commissioners SO anxious to rebate these
taxes? Even if they had the legal right
they had not under the circum-
stances-did they show fair, impartial
spirit by mixing into affairs which they
knew in very few hours would be un-
der the jurisdiction of other officers?
There are three ways in which this thing
might have occurred. First, through
the dense ignorance Of the board, but no
one thinks for moment that its chair
man is built that way. 1t might have oc-
Cured through pure, unadulturated cuss-
edness; merely for the sake of giving
Meade county back handed slap or
stab in the dark. Lastly it might have
been brought about by the use of a
little well-applied .'grease" to the right
spot at the proper moment. Whichever
way it occurred it is disgrace to Law