Oakes weekly Republican. (Oakes, Dickey County, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1883-1898, 1897-10-08
MURDERED.
G.. B. Norton fills w. j.
Shelton's head full of
buckshot,
Thus ending a feud of long
standing.
Norton claims self-defence
and delivers himself up

and delivers himself up
What has long been feared has
come to pass, Murder has been COM
mitted in the country southeast OF
Ludden.
Last Friday afternoon about
o'clock G.. B. Norton shot and in
stantly killed his neighbor, ]. w.
Shelton. Norton at once came to
Oakes and gave himself up to depu-
ty sheriff Sanderson. The particu-
lars of the sad affair as given by Nor
ton are as follows: For the past two
years there has been trouble between
these two parties over trivial matters.
This trouble was intensified last
spring when Shelton took up all Of
Norton's sheep for trespass. Several
lawsuits between the parties grew
out of this and threats were made.
Neither party would allow the other
to cross his land.
Last Thursday two OF Shelton's
children were noticed about Norton's
buildings and Norton drove them
away, report says, with pitch fork.
Norton was haying on an adjoin-
ing quarter and says that from things
the children said he expected trouble
SO Friday he took his shot gun into
the field with him as he had been
told that Shelton was going armed.
About three o'clock he noticed the
two children and their father coming
toward him on horseback.
He was on his load and Shelton
called out to him asking what was
the damage for keeping his (Shel-
ton's) sheep. Norton replied that
he had no sheep but his own. Hot
words came next and Norton says
that Shelton put his hand to his hip
pocket. Norton took this rs sig
nal for fight and Immediately
raised his shotgun and fired, Shelton
fell from his horse and Norton drove
to the house with his load Of hay, ar
ranged his business and started for
Oakcs his sister, Mrs. Foster, accom-
panying him.
Mrs. Shelton's side of the story is
graphically told by Miss Setterstrom
in a lctter to tho Ellendale Leader.
Mrs. Shelton says:
"It was on the 1lth of June that
Norton first commenced trouble us.
He had some sheep that he let run
on our land. We told him to keep
them off and seut the children to
drive them off. Finally Mr. Shelton
took up the sheep, aud we kept them
on quarter east of the house. On
the 11th day of June Norton and
Rairdon came to get the sheep. Rair-
den is the man living on Norton's
place. was out in this yard. My
husband had called me out in the
yard to look at sonle lambs. The
children were out in the yard, too.
Well, Norton wanted the sheep. My
husband said he would not let them
go until the damage had been paid.
Rairden then began to abuse my
husband and struck him. Then Mr..
Norton picked up heavy stick and
struck Bruce-that's my boy-sever-
al times. 1 said to him MIR. Norton
you leave that child alone. He is
my bog. not yours Norton turned
and aimed blow at my husbands
head. I think it would have killed
him If it had Lit him, but 1 stepped
in front of him and the blow fell on
me striking me on the thigh. I could
hardly walk for several days and
carried the marks for week Well,
finally they went away, but from
that time VIC had trouble with them
off an on until yesterday"
Here Mrs. Shelton stopped, trying
in vain to regain her composure. AT.
ter few minutes she continued.
"Grace, that's my daughter, and
she pointed to slim, dark haired
girl sitting by the window, "G1acie
and Bruce were with him when it
happened. She will tell you"
The reporter turned to the girl
"Pa and Bruce and I" she began
speaking very rapidly in an eagel
suppressed voice, started over to
Norton's Yesterday to get some sheep
there we're five-that Norton had tax
en- up, About half way over we saw
him stacking hay near the road
We road upto him--we were on
horseback-and pa said:
"Mr. Norton, 1 want those sheep.
"What sheep7" Mr.. Norton an
swered.
"Those five sheep of mine that yo
took up"
Oh you, havn't any Of you
sheep"
eyes, you have. l can prove i
l saw them as we came up, and II
going to have them"
II tell you, d-n you, l havn't ar