The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1891-04-11
sinfully Ungrateful.
Dawson, N. D., April 9TH

EDITOR LEADER: You will please pardon
stranger for presuming to indite you a
correspondence from this mick of the
woods" on "subject' which more nearly
concerns the good people of Mclean coun.
ty than it does the inhabitants of Kidder;
but as the Subject" is 80 we'll known in
this section of country, cannot refrain
from referring to it, and through the
Washburn Leader shedding more light up
on it for the benefit of your Mclean coun-
ty readers. For the past nine months I
have had the pleasure of scanning the
columns of both the Leader and the Wash
burn Mail, and have been pleased to note
the manly, candid and high character Of
the Leader in comparison with your con-
temporary. Being the owner of land in
your county, and having had important
business dealings with one or two of your
leading citizens, makes me particularly in
terested in what Is going on in promising
Mclean, in consequence of which I watch
closely the local papers, and in doing this
have noticed that the "Skillet" (which
my Steele friends call the Washburn MaiD,
is somewhat troubled with its spleen. The
editor of that sheet, one j. E. Britton, once
breathed his foul breath in the pure air of
Kidder county, having been unfortunately
imported here by charity purse raised by
the liberal hearted boys of Steele, who
paid for the transportation of his house.
hold effects, etc., to their great sorrow and
damage. AS the Dawson Times said last
fall, Zone of the most common, noticeable
and unjust relics of barbarian origin is the
earnest, not to say vicious, manner in which
certain people hate others who have ac-
commodated them, and to whom they are
under great obligations for favors, credits
and money furnished them" This peculiar
trait of character cropped out in Britton,
and led the boys who had befriended him
to suspend his worthless carcass in efigy
in one of the streets of Steele. Unwittingly
the good Samaritans of Washburn paid
Britton's passage and freight to that town,
much to the relief of Steele, from which
place the migrate fed like shiny reptile
under cover of night, leaving an untold
amount of unliquidated accounts.
In his new field of operations prosperity
fell to Britton's lot, and I think he must
have made lots of money, for his thieving
hands fell upon final proofs and county
printing without mercy and without regard
to the welfare of the county. No sooner
had he been relieved from his helpless con-
dition than he turned his venomous shafts
upon the friends who had assisted him, and
Joined the rabble of public plunderers.
Through unforeseen influences he secured
the clerkship at the Berthold agency under
Indian Agent Murphy, but his innate GUS
sedness developed SO rapidly that Major
Murphy ordered him off the reservation
under the escort of an Indian Police.
Thro' his lying Vaccinations he succeed.
ed in embroiling all his associate employees
into. trouble, which also caused their dis
missals. Among these were our very wor-
thy follow citizens ex-county commissioners
E. H. Smith of Steele (and his wife), than
whom more trusty, faithful and skillful
farmer cannot be found, and Jas. Bazell
the engineer, and F. j. Burt of Burleigh
county, most worthy man and compe-
tent miller, besides several others.
About the time the unpleasantness be-
tween Major Murphy and "Lignite Coal
Johnny" Britton occurred, the government
buildings, including the agency records,
were destroyed by fire under very peculiar
circumstance. Britton accused Murphy of
being the cause of it, and understand
that Murphy has said that he believed Brit
ton fred the building out of spite, and to
roast his famous pet dog for the benefit of