Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1889-07-12
BEN FARGO'S CLAIM
4 Picture Of the Lively Ways Of the
Far West.

4 Picture Of the Lively Ways Of tn,
Far West.
Mr. II. P. Small, late of Jack Oak, re
leased the crank handle of the little hand
mixing job press, wiped his moist brow
and picking the top paper from the pile, sal
down TO admire his handiwork The run
ming off, Of the first issue Of the New Bos
ton Clarion had been successfully accom-
plished.
The first number of the Clarion was moi
imposing in appearance, but its editor re
garded it with as much pride and satisfac
tion as If it had been a huge blanket
sheet" instead Of being small almost to in
Significance, consisting of but two pages
each eight by twelve inches in size, with
three columns TO the page. This was a.
large as could be printed on the jobber, the
only press that Mr. Small possessed Just
then, owing to his having become late of
Jack Oak so suddenly. His stay at the last
named place had not been an extended one
but it had been full of experience for Mr.
Small, then late of the East. Among 9th.
er things he had learned that in border set
Elements Boom is absolute monarch and
that even journalism, which possibly in the
'effete East" may mould public opinion
and make and unmake whom it will, must
he subservient to King Boom. This had
been forcibly impressed upon him by self
appointed committee of wrathfu citizens
The course of his paper had been such that
failure of a certain cherished enterprise for
the advancement of the boom was laid Il
his charge, and Mr.. Small speedily acquired
added journalistic experience. He had
been visited bv this committee, who dump
ed his large press into the creek, and gave
the moulder Of public opinion ten hours in
which to leave the country forever.
Half Of that time had scarcely elapsed
before the editor had loaded his jobber and
other material on to wagon, and had
placed the county line between himself and
the unappreciative settlement He had
gone to New Boston with his job press and
augmented experience and had found a
welcome from its citizens, who considered
a newspaper one Of the requisites of an EN-
/ bryo city, which hopefully felt itself al
ready big with a prospective boom. Now
| intrenched behind his recently acquired ex-
perience, Mr.. H. P. Small felt that he was
in no danger of becoming late of New
Boston" He pridefully regarded his salu
tatory, which occupied enc entire side of
the little Clarion 1t declared the determ-
ination of the paper to be found at all times
wholly for the advancement of New Bos.
ton and the boom. In it the editorial I've
| appeared a generous number Of times, and
to the whole was appended the editors
| name,
"HERCULES P. SMALL"
The salutatory apologized for the nfan-
| tile proportions of the paper, worked in a
| pleasantly in regard to the journalistic in
fant having plenty of room TO grow, and
promised much for the next issue. when
the new press should arrive. A paragraph
said that the press was already on the way,
and was expected TO arrive almost immedi-
ately. Even then, in all probability, it had
been turned over to the freighters at Me
tropolis, where the railroad ended. The
reverse of the Clarion presented an edito-
rial laudatory of New Boston, column of
complimentary mentionings of prominent,
well known and prosperous citizens-the
adjectives impartially distributed-and sew
eral items of news. Said one of these:
Just as we go to press (how dear TO
the heart of provincial journalism is this
Just as we 90 to press y Eve learn that
Ben Fargo's claim has been jumped again.
/ Ben's return is expected today or to-mor-
row, when we predict that he will attend
to the eviction in his usual prompt and
| thorough. manner. We will chronicle par
tcdlars in our next issue
No fault could have been found with this
item, except perhaps that it was trihe
verbose, and might have been a little in
definite to the uninitiated reader New
Boston fully understood it, and had heard
the news even before it reached Editor
Small. And taught by the past, when Mr.,
Cyrus Hickson, the mail-carrier, brought
the news, the settlement felt already ap-
prised of what would follow.
who's jumped it this time y asked Col.
Pride, as Cy Hickson retailed the news to
the prominent citizens lounging on the
porch of the Eureka General Store.
Dun know, answered the mail carrier.
Didn't stop TO find out but seed enough
as rid past to know that Ben Fago's claim
was jumped agin. Smoke was comm out
o the shack, an a can'lous lookin' Inch.
pin wagin an pair o rickety ole mule:
was standin' by"
WAL" predicted Col. Pride, about
five minutes after Ben gifts there, them
rickety mules II be pullin' that scandalous
lookin' wagon away from that claim al
double-quick time.
"You bet ~ agreed some one. "Ben's
got so he don't let 'em stay long"
"'Pears like Ben Fargo's claim is allus
bein' jumped, said another.
Yes" an unjumped, so TO speak, Just as
often" spoke Col. Pride. 1T uset to be
that he'd try strategy or moral suasion, but
now he comes to the point at once"
Had to laugh, thother day, as | was
ridin' past, said Mr.. Cy dickson. Eel
Ter from Mizzury d jumped the claim that
time, an was maxim himself as conf able
as you please, bakin' johnny-cake in Benz
skillet an over the fire he'd kinded from
the Goals Bend left early in the mornin'
Five minutes to git your johnny out o. my
skillet, says Ben. The year 1901 will fine
me right yere,' says Mizzury. Says Ben
This is my claim, an 'Mebby 'twu
fore | jumped it, broken Mizzury, turn
in over the johnny-cake. Yes, N twill
he again soon's you unjump it, which II be il
bout three minutes, says Ben. Crack ye
whip, says Mizzury Pm able fer you.
reckon sides, the laws on my side, an
Hang the laW = broke in Ben, and sale,
in, They tangled, an in about two min
utes Mzzury found he'd made "a mistake
Fer while | lowed Ben d drive his heai
into the ground Then, after tunkin' hin
around awhile, Ben sat on him. Who's
claims this now : says Ben. 'Yore title +
it pears to be mighty strong one, say
Mizzury. A little later Mizzury had hi
team hitched to his wagin, an was a-eatir
his iohnny-cake as he driv away
As has been said, it seemed as if Be
Fargos claim was being jumped with
. regularity that was only equalled by tina
with which Fargo speedily removed tn
jumpers, There were several reasons fo
this frequent jumping. One was that tn
claim was the most desirable in the county
aud also one of the easiest to jump. 1t wa
handy to New Boston and to the grass
frnged road that led thereto. Then, too
its champion but partially complied wit
the law for such cases made and provided
During the greater part Of the time he di
not visit the claim at all, except when ther
was another jumper to eject He ha
made none of the improvements that Oh
law required. Even the SHACK" cabin NJ
on it had been erected by one misguide
claim jumper, who had been speedily an
forcibly elected by Fargo, who had retain
ed the cabin for his trouble. But in spit
of the continued jumping, Ben Fargo col
} tinued 10 hold the claim against all comer'
He was not a quarrelsome person, but sin
ply chose the easier of the two ways of r,
: tanning possession of the claim.
D Claim jumping consists in moving on
Z the claim of some one who has not secure
from the government a title to the lam
p The legal measures then instituted by Il
D jumper drag their slow way along for d
indefinite period after that, and the cost
go ON piling up in way that makes Il
= existence of so many lawyers in the newt
E states possible Then, IL the jumper ca
. prove that the jumped has not compli,
with all of the requirements of the COVER
ment, the right 10 remain, and finally de-