Daily Yellowstone journal., 1890-05-24
A SENATOR'S "REMINISCENCES.
Murdcrcrs Set Mt Liberty In Dakota-One
of Them Becomes "a Legislator.

Murdcrcrs Set mt Liberty In Dakota-One
of Them Becomes a Legislator.
"a tenderfoot Judge from the east,
when ! went out to Dakota fifteen
years ago" said Senator Pettigrew,
was holding court on the extreme
frontier IN a town on the banks of the
Missouri river, when it CHANGED that
an Indictment for murder was brought
against three men who had hanged a
horse thief toa telegraph pole. The
accused were released on a their own
bonds, and when the day came for
their trial they came into court, unac-
%companied by an attorney. and ad-
vanced toward the judge, each one of
them with his hand on a brace of "A
caliber revolvers, aud moved that the
case be adjourned for a year, during
which they should be released as be-
fore on their personal bonds. The
judge promptly granted the motion,
remarking subsequently that the argu,
ment in its behalf was the most pow.
erful he had ever heard in a court Of
law.
When the year had gone by no
further action was instituted, until it
happened that one of the three men
was elected to the Legislature. His seat
was contested, and the contestant,
wishing to throw odium upon his ad-
versary. had him arrested under the
old indictment for murder and confn.
ed in the Jail. which was Immediately
beneath the room in the court house
where the Legislature met. The county
was not willing to pay the prisoners
board, o would the town or terrific
rial authorities, and SO the contestant
paid il. But he lost his case and there.
upon announced that he would not
pay for his opponents support any
longer. So, inasmuch as no one else
would become responsible for il, the
man was liberated, walked up stairs
and TOOK his seat in due form in the
legislative body, If which | was my
self a member"
Senator Petligew had some account
TO giyeof the town of Bismarck, which
was in hose days the terminus of the
Northern Pacifc railway. That center
of population yas then composed of
seventeen salo nsand gambling houses
and thirteen other buildings. When
MIR. Pettigrew arrived a variety show,
admission fifteen cents, was being
given in the middle of the principal
street in a big tent. A parson, one of
the enthusiastic missionaries which
such an exigency in civilizations ad-
vance brings into being, was mounted
on a box outside the tent declaiming
on the advantages of salvation for the
benefit of a gathering of gamblers and
other rough characters of all degrees.
This distraction annoyed the manager
of the variety show, and presently he
came out, and mounting upon another
box shouted:
Gents. salvation is free all the year
round; this show is free for precisely
thirty minutes"
And every man in the preachers au.
dience, withouta moments hesitation,
deserted the parsou and walked in to
see the show. '
Nevertheless" said Senator Petit.
grew. my observation has been that
the gamblers and roughs of a mining
camp have a very great respect for the
cloth. In any wild western town
they are the one who contribute most
to the support Of religion. In this
they are influenced in two ways. Pri-
marily they were born more or less
under the shadow of Christianity, the
influence of which is never altogether
lost, and, secondly, they have an in
stinctive belief in the propriety of Civ.
ing what they call a fair deal TO any
man wEois trying TO do his level best.
In a toxA like Bismarck in its early
days it is a usual thing for a clergy
man TO ask the privilege of speaking
in a gambling house. And as a rule
not only is the privilege granted, but
the game is suspended until the
preacher has been heard, and not in
frequently a collection is taken up for
his benefit at the end OF the perform.
ance. Washington Star.