The Livingston enterprise. [volume] (Livingston, Mont.) 1883-1914, 1891-11-07
Red Lodge Letter

GDlloh EINIEhfhlSf. l1ON Aduy VI
your readers have kept watch of the
growth of Red Lodge? We are three
years old and have 44O school children
and about 1900 population, one church,
one school house that is credit to our
town, one bank, four general stores, one
clothing store, one hardware store, two
notion stores, one drug store, one candy
store, three livery barns, three black
smith shops, two meat markets, one ho-
tel and five restaurants, one live news
paper, the Red Lodge Picket, whose
fame is not confined to Montana, edited
by that talented if eccentric, Shelby Eli
billiard, and nineteen saloons. We have
| in course of construction two churches,
one livery barn, one three-story brick
hotel and numerous nice dwellings. We
are shipping 1000 tons of coal per day
and are surrounded by as fine an agri
cultural region as Montana boasts, and
with the opening of the recently ceded
Grow reservation to settlement Red
Lodge will at once take front rank with
the live bustling towns of eastern Mon
tana and has abundant resources to in
sure brilliant and permanent future.
| We are yet in a crude state--without To-
cal governmental the morals of our
town do not bear an enviable reputation,
but it takes time in all new towns to
right these things. We expect to incor
porate soon, when we will be assured of
better order.
A number of our citizens we're visitors
to the county seat last week as witnesses
in the case of the State vs. Godfrey De-
mers for the killing of j. f. Dilworth.
Mr.. Demers' many friends were happily
surprised at his acquittal, and on last
Sunday the band met the coming train
to welcome the conquering hero home.
We had always been taught that the
taking Of the life of fellowf being, even
in elf-defense was, even under the most
aggravated circumstances, an act to be
much regretted, and the man who is un
fortunate in being compelled to take the
life of another deserves sympathy and
not laudation' We do not for one mo-
ment think that Mr.. Demers wants peo-
pie to congratulate him on his good for
tune in being able to kill man, but
rather that no one regrets more than
Mr.. Demers that the circumstances ever
arose that compelled him, in defense Of
his home and life, to fire that fatal shot.
But this act on the part Of his mis-
guided friends only seems to illustrate
the sentiment that pervades this COM
munity to an alarming extent, senti-
ment that makes it possible for crimes
innunerable to be committed and their
perpetrators be screened from justice.
This same sentiment makes it posi-
BILE for an organized band of horse
thieves to make headquarters in Red
! Lodge and intimidate small horse own
ers who happen to know too much OF the
doings OF tho band by threatening to set
them afoot if they interfere and promis-
ing to leave them unmolested il they
keep quiet. Investigation proves the
above state Of affairs to exist in
Red Lodge at the present time. II our
lawabiding people do not take hold OF
these criminals with fearless hand and
break up the band there is a strong
probability that some of the gang will
be dealt with summariiy by the old time
vigilantes.
Trusting we may in the near future be
able to give the assurance to the world
that life and property is as safe in Red
Lodge as elsewhere, we remain
E. ID. PARKS.
Red Lodge, November 3, 1891.