St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-01-21

Four Hundred OF bismarck
Then Composed OF Railroad
Contractors and Storekcepers.
Special Correspondence of the Globe.
WASHINGTON. Jan. 19.-The writer
met, on Pennsylvania avenue day or
two ago, a man who during the last fif-
teen years has grown to be one of the
celebrities in the Northwest.
Alex Mckenzie is six feet and an inch
tall, weighs 231 pounds and corresponds
in power with his physical proportions.
Often, by singular paradox, the men
who are best known through their
works are the least known in fact by
their immediate neighbOrs and associ-
ates. This is largely the case with
Alexander Mckenzie. The writer will
proceed to introduce to the Northwest
ern readers OF the GLOBE a gentleman
whose evolution has thus far been pro-
duced by the Northwest. He is not a
finished product by any means. In
deed, under the Mckinley law he might
have been subject to taxation under the
head Of raw MATERIAL twenty-four
years ago, when he first landed at Du-
luth from a Canadian coaster, which
picked him up on a Kanuck farm, and
hustled him out into our wild and
woolly West in search of fame and fort
une. He is still seeking busily for the
latter. The GLOBE inserts this chapter
in the interest of the former.
They were just commencing to lay
2
Northern Pacific railroad. Alex "a green
boy of eighteen years, but robusD
hired out with spiking crew.
and followed the fortunes of the
great enterprise until it touched the
eastern bank of the Missouri river.
His muscle aud his experience had pro-
noted him to the position of foreman of
the track-laying crew several months
before the last rail was laid which
united Bismarck with st. Paul and civ
ilization. When the road was finally
put in operation to the Missouri, Bis
marck was enjoying its first boom.
The new W was as destitute of law
as pine forest in a cyclone-aS uncon-
sciouS of order as chaos itself. The
leading citizens were saloOnkeepers and
gamblers. The four hundred was COM
posed of railroad contractors and sup
ply StorekeeperS. The creme de la creme
of society were the keepers of houses of
questionable (or unqueStionable) resort.
The town was constructed of Eastwood
logs and canvas.
After every known statute had been
continuously violated and overridden
with perfect impunity for months it
was determined to organize society. and
in the Shakedown Alex Mckenzie
found himself vested with the powers.
duties, responsibilities and emoluments
of high sheriff OF Burleigh county. His
courage and muscle placed him in that
pOsitiOn-his inherent powers of physi-
cal and moral leadership held him
there for twelve years. Whatever order
or other form of righteousness there
after prevailed on the Missouri slope
in the vicinity of Bismarck was due to
the strength. the finesse. the muscle,
the wisdom. the firmness and the popu-
larity of Alex Mckenzie. He handled
the turbulent and lawIess yeomanry of
the frontier with a hand of iron gloved
with velvet. He was one of the few
men the writer has known who could
make a muscular tough his lifelong
friend bg knocking him down.
One incident will illustrate Lis meth
DDS: a burly deck hand on a steam
boat just down from Fort Benton land
ed at Bismarck and proceeded to
get drunk. Then he ''cleaned out''
two or three dance houses, laid
out police officer, sent deputy sheriff
to the hospital, and going back to the
boat seized an ak and defied arrest.
Sheriff Mckenzie took out a warrant
and proceeded to take him in charge.
The boat was connected with the. shore
by a twentyfive-foot gang plank. Alex
stood on shore and ''joshed'' his man,
who was still drunk and defiant, stand
ing guard with his Ak on the boat to
prevent the officer going on board The
smooth and kindly sentences of friend
ship expressed by Alex would have
melted heart of adamant. He tanned
this wild man from Bitter Creek with
the cooings of dove. His love
for HIM surpassed that of Damon
for Pythias. He pleaded for him TO
come ashore to his friend and leave his
deadly AK behind. The Orphean harp
of the sheriff finally wooed the mad.
man back to the paths of sanity and
peace. He consented to come ashore,
but insisted on bringing his ak along
for protection. Alex conceded the point.
Only come ashore, and all should be
forgiven.
Holding the ak defantly above his
head the bruiSer started cautiously
along the gang plank. Just as me
reached the middle Alex stopped down.
clutched the plank with both hands.
turned it edgeWiSe, and launched the
man into twenty feet of water, with the
current running as swiftly as that lust
above the falls of Niagara. Their
there was a general rush to save the
man from drowning. This was 10 easy
matter He drifted under the boat, and
finally rose to the surface, putting like
pOrpOse. He could SWIM, and struck
out manfully for the shore A rope was
thrown to him, and. half-dead from his
cold bath, he was pulled in-dulv sober
and quiet as a lamb. He submitted tc
be handcutfed, and was soon safely de
posted IN the cooler. After three or
four days, when he was sober, remorse
full and repentant, Alex took up col
lection, paid his fine, gave him new
suit of clothes and sent him off dow
the river.
Alex had no enemies at Bismarck
Priests and preachers, gamblers anC
toughs-all swOre by The sheriff. Tht
jail was of logs, fastened by hasp and