The Washburn leader., 1896-03-14

til this trip, just what the coal deposits of
Mclean county are worth. There is no
doubt but that the best mine in tho coun-
ty is that of Mr.. Satterlund, from which
all the people of several counties could
receive their supply of coal. Tho vein is
about 1S feet thick, and the coal is the
blacklist and best in appearance of any
llgnitc that l ever saw. After looking
over the coal situation here am satisfied
that there could be nothing happen to
boom conl interests of Morton and Stark
counties like the building of the 500 road
right to the foot of Mr.. Satturlund's mine
OF course it would result in Mr.. Satter-
lund making fortune-and nobody de-
serves it more-but it would result in
boom being crerted for North Dakota
coal. The 500 road will never build to
the Mclean county coal mines without a
determination I'd haul tens of -thOueaEsast
of tons of coal to the cold morals in the
central and eastern parts of our State.
Other roads would have to follow tho poll
cy of the 500, and everybody who had a
Goa! mine in close proximity to a railroad
would be able to chip in and help supply
the demand. Satterlund's mine is just
high enough SO that the coal is always
dry. The coal is level; the veins do not
pitch in such an absurd and awkward
manner as do the veins in some mines. It
is model coal mine and it is thousand
pities that the product of this mine can
not be hauled by tens of thousands of
tons week, during the winter season, to
those who want to burn it.
The business of "rustling shacks," as it
Is euphoniously' called in Washburn, has
been quite business in Mclean county
during the last two oc three years. The
fact is that good many people have left
the county. They have not found the op-
portunities to make money rs good as
they at first expected to find them. The
facilities for keeping stock within ten OR
fifteen miles of the Missouri river are not
as good as IN some counties, owing to the
scarcity of hay Most of tho settlers in
the western part of the county have de-
voted their time and energies to wheat
raising, and the distance from market,
and the poor prices when the markets
were reached to say nothing of the dry
seasons that have been encountered, have
been too much for some settlers who have
left the county, and their houses have
been left standing unoccupied on the
prairies.
Last session of the legislature provided
for Furnishing parties who 'rustied shacks7
and the first prosecution under this law
has Just been had in Mclean county. A
young man named Merrill was tried for
stealing some lumber from house be-
longing to man named McDermitt, who
left the county some six years ago. Mer-
ill, although married, and possessing
three children. did not have enough
money to hire a lawyer, and the county
had to provide nina with one. He an
nounced hi. willingness to plead guilty to
the charge as misdemeaner, thus limit
ing the punishment to fine, which he
could not pay. But the county commls-
sioners did not believe that justice would
be done with this sort of an arrangem ent,
and they insisted on trial for felony,
unless he would plead guilty to felony.
Ut may be stated that under the law, if
the damage done to the building is over
$40 it is felony. If 500 or less, it is a
misdemeanor. A felony is punishable by
three years in the penitentiary, and the
misdemeanor by fine of 800 or less.)
A trial was had lasting three days, and
the jury brought in a verdict Of guilty of
misdemeanor-just what the prisoner was
willing to plead guilty to. Most of those
who heard the testimony figured that che
jury did about right-as juries generally
do. He was fined $50, but as he has no
money he will stay in j,il for e5 days. ard
board at the hotel at the expense of ths
county. In all probability his experience
will be warning to others, although
there are not many unoccupied shacks in
the county to be stolen. Mclean county
seems to be on the, up grade. It's people
are energetic and enterprisining, and
the county will soon be filled withthe right
sort of settlers.