The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1890-01-24
THE SIGNAL OFFICE.

Ou1 DIoNAcE De0cOl, VI Tue NEW
Era. IN an answer to our charge Of
theft in the signal office matter.
waAes humorous and gives the fol.
lowing bitof ancient history which
is worthy of reproduction.
"The other charge, that st Vim.
cent tried to steal the ferry, admits
of the following explanation. viz:
A number Ut years ago, at a
time when there was not yard of
railway i'll operation in Pembina
county or west of it, and when all
the supplies for these places had to
be hauled from St. Vincent, the
merchants and public spirited citi.
zens If this place built Il free ferry
and hired L. Long to work it.
When it reached the Pembinu
shore Pemblna people captured it,
and hauled it up their river. We
sent our mayor Col. Fisk, to see
what had become of it and Editor
Wardwell S fellow citizens Jailed
him; we sent Il deputation across
the river to look up our Mayor and
they arrested them. One Of them
MIR. w. O'keefe, telegraphed the
attorney general of this state tt
come and take him out of prison
while poor Long, whose homestead
was ne 1t to the Era office. mort.
gagged it, and thus raised none,
sufficient to get out on bail ant
back again to Gods country.
They not only stole our ferry
but they kept it and chopped it W
into tirewood, and Editor Ward
we'll was probably feeding some o,
it i'll his stove with one hand whilst
writing tue article. abusing an in
"iensiye community with tn,
other one p"
In justice to our ancient breth
ren, who did treat the st. Vincen,
folks in the manner described
and more so, we may say, thai
Pembina had a licensed ferry run
ming at the time, that the free
ferry, landing just out side the city
limits OH this side, was simply {
scheme to steal the trade from this
side by intercppting the country
trade and divert it to St. Vincent.
The ferry and owners were seized
under the law which allows no fer.
ry within two miles of another. A
few hi. hts after the seizure gang
of the most respectable citizens OF
st Vincent were arrested in the
act of stealing the ferry boat from
its moorings, or at least all were
arrested that could be caught;
though we believe, brother Deacon
himself walked across the river,
that night OIL the bottom of the
Red, as lie couldn't swim and the
water was twenty feet deep. but a
man as frightened as Bro. Deacon
and his co-burglars were that
night, could hold his breath deal
longer than such feat required.
After the above historical episode
brother Deacon vouchsafes the
following:
cas- to the reasons why the signal
station should not be moved out
Of state where it has been in sue.
cesstul operation for the past 1C
years, aud FROM a building built ex
pressly for it's use, Furnished tele.
grsphlc communication, to anotl,e,
sit., i'll another state. exactly &
quarter of a mile distant, perhaps
after smiling over the absurdlty 81
such a ridiculous proposition, the
following reasons may suffice fol
the present, viz; Two U. s. Min
nesota senators, five Minnesot,
congressman, and the common
sense OF oU,VOU,OUO OF American
people"
Which is to say, that they tool
the signal Office because of thei
congressional strength, when VI
had none, and now that we have
little influence in that august body
he squeals because we wish to re
cover our own.