Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1894-02-09
CHAPTER xii.
EVENTS IN "

-H ..rHH a II VENT In FL" 1ONs #T| .H#FI
AS there were only two sets of querters
and the lieutenant had to live in. the post,
the telegraph Office IN the corner of Main
at Third streets. where the Raymond brick
block now stands, was rented as surgeons
quarters, and we were soon settled there.
This had three nice rooms below, with
servants rooms above. Capt. Braithwite
lived there with his family, when they
first came to Bismarck. G. G. Brown, a.
printer on the TRIBUNE, and his wife also
lived there, and afterward Col. Lounsberry
and his family. His son Freddie was born in
that house. In 1873, Col. H. q. Bronson,
railroad freight agent had a mess room in
the building. CTS. Deisam, now a leading
merchant Of LaMoure, was in charge of it.
The railroad company finally gave the
house to Col. LOunsberry, n he sold 1t
some years later to Justus Bragg, who
moved it out to the east corner OF Main
and Seventh streets, where it still stands,
an addition having been made to it on the
east side.
The majority Of the people who were
here during the winter of 1928 were
earnest business men, who were SEEKING
to build up homes, and create q business OF
an honorable kind. Others were waiting
for the land to be opened for settlement, in
order to file claims for government land.
Many of them had their families with
them. When it is remembered that there
was 70 civil organization. of any kind, and
no authority but the military, and that
they could not interfere in civil affairs
without special orders from department
headquarters, the inference IS plain that
these first settlers of Bismarck must have
been as a class, peaceable and law abiding.
But in. the opening of the year 1873, there
were some new arrivals of men and women
of bad character, who had followed the
railroad stopping for a time at each town
on the way. Chief among these men were
David Mullen and Jack O'Nell, who opened
a dance hall in a log house on the corner
of. Fourth street and Broadway, where the
Merchants Bank block now stands. From
that time, the locality from Broadway to
Main street was considered d~isreputable,
and no respectable woman would walk on
that street. Every house from Mullen's to
the storeroom of 'Cotter and Shaw" on
the corner, was a saloon and dance hall.
All the newspaper correspondents who
visited Edwinton at that time, by some
fatality, appeared to see this portion of the
town, alone, and like the blind man who
went to see the elephant, judged of the
whole Etown by the portion of itl they had
examined, and gave it undue prominence
in their news letters.
Thus, without in the least deserving it,
the new town at the crossing was given a
celebrity as the wickedest city in the west.
Among the gamblers who came with the
Mullen and O'Neil party, were two named
;MHAward Hayes and Edward Curran, alias
Charles Stanton, or "Shang,'' as he was
called. The two were old enemies, Shang
being one of Mullen's,adherents, and Null
len was lame from a bullet, which Hayes
had lodged in his hip at Brainerd. One
morning while living in the telegraph Of
flee, 1 heard a shout, and looking out OF the
window, I saw three men lodging around
the post hospital in the old Burleigh ware
house. One of the men l recognized as an
old man named Collins; another was a tall
mainland a shorter man, slightly lame. was
following and shooting at them. This was
Hayes and the tall man was ShaDg. One
of the bullets went through Shang's over
coat; another through his neck. Shang
was all the time trying to get his revolver
from his overcoat pocket.
AS soon as he reached it ne returned
the fire, and Dave Mullen coming upon the
scene, Hayes ran up to Jack Whites sa-
loOn, where a woman called big Marie'
gave him Jacks shotgun This was the
first white mans battle I had ever seen,
and thought their method Of fighting un-
der cover and lodging around corners
greatly inferior to the Indian style, where
the Sioux dashed out recklessly and fought
in an open field. Collins was a peace
maker, and as is usual in such cases fell
into. danger from the fire of both parties
He went to- the Black Hills and was killed
by the Indians, to whom he had surrender
Il ed while out prospecting for gold. Hayes
left town that night, and it was said that
/ Mr. Stocking, who had sold out to the
Us Baileys,and turned gambler, drove him
! out to.the end of the track.
The river being solidly frozen during the
winter, there was much visiting to Fort
Mexican, where the graceful hospitality OF
Mrs Gen. Carlin, was dispensed. The
sleighing was fine.but there was not a
sleigh in town. I resolved to have one
and when a consignment Of dry goods
packed in a large piano box arrived over
land for C%athcart's stores, I had the box
sent down to Camp Hancock. The post
carpenter scoopeda curved piece out Of
m side, fixed a board inside for a seat
and mounted it on runners made Of sap
lings. Then ! had q sleigh, the first in the
country, and with my own hands l painted
it a bright blue color. Then 1 borrowed
Mr.. Emmons' old white horse, GEORGE
rugged him up with some roDes and har-
ness from the quartermaster, and taking
my colored servant, Anna, drove gaily
over to Fort Mexican to dine with Gen.
and Mrs. Carlin.
Here my patriotic equipage, for Anna
wore Q red shawl, and with the white horse
and blue sleigh filled out the complement
of the national cOlOrs. was greatly al mi ro3