The San Francisco call., 1897-03-26
ECHOES FROM
ROUND VALLEY
Yes Palmer Acquitted of
Stealing a Bald Face
Steer.
He Is the Chief Witness in the
John Littlefeld Murder
Case.
Frank Youree Also Before the Fed
eral Court for Illegally Selling
Liquor.

1t has cost the Government of the United
States many hundreds of dollars to find
that S. B. Palmer did not steal steer
worth S25. The case as it appeared in the
records of the United States District
Court before yesterday would have led the
public to believe that Ives" Palmer of
the Long Ridge district, near Round Val
ley, was a common cattle-thief; that he
stole from the Mendocino County Indian
reservation q bald-face beef animal, and
District A Attorney n. S. Foote would have
it against the peace and dignity of the
United States of America and contrary to
the form of the statutes of the said United
States of America in such case made and
provided"
AS matter of fact and record this was
one of the many side issues of the Round
Valley fehd between the family of Palmer
and George E. White. the ex-king OF
Round Valley. Yes Palmer and Whites
gang had been "at OUTS for years and
many efforts were made by the latter to
get Palmer out of the way. Palmer and
his friends were as handy with their six
shooters as any of Whites men, so that
plan failed to work. In the course of the
trouble Jack Littlefeld was murdered by
Gregory is now serving a thirty-year
sentence for the crime and he has the
mpanionship of others who assisted in
Kidding Littlefeld's body with bullets
and afterward hanging the mutilated
corpse to a tree. And still there are
others who are to be prosecuted for parti-
cipation in the same outrage.
Palmer was one who knew all about the
death of Jack LittIeield and il was on
his testimony that Gregory and his COM
panions were convicted. His store of
knowledge is still far from being ex-
hausted, and some who are still free fear
for their future liberty. Up at Palmers
home he does not bear the reputation of
being a cattle-thief so such a charge there
would have been to no purpose. How
ever, some one got the case before the
United States Grand Jury and bill of in
dictment was found charging Vest with
crime against the Federal laws. 1t took a
long time to get the matter into the Fed
eral court, for the alleged crime was said
to have been committed away back in 1894.
District Attorney Foote did not propose
that the Government should be robbed of
even a $25 bald-faced steer, for all that
much time had elapsed. By some hook
or crook the witnesses for Palmer were
not brought from the mountains when
the case was called yesterday, although
the subpenas had been issued.
However, the defendants attorney, upon
learning that the principal witness for the
prosecution was the convict Joe Gregory,
decided to go on, supported by only few
witnesses, such as Lem Sallady, John SIM
mons the bear-slayer and Frank Youree,
all well known in Round Valley history.
Gregory was brought from prison and tes-
titled that the bald-faced steer in question
was driven by Palmer from the reserva-
tion; that it was branded ~. 81 and
further marked by certain earmarks used
by the Government on its cattle. The de-
fendant acknowledged that he drove from
the reservation the steer in question and
that he converted the animal into roasts
and steaks. He said he had a right to 10
SO because the animal belonged to his wife
and that the creature was not branded or
marked with the brand or earmarks of
the Government. The jury believed his
story and returned a verdict of acquittal
in less than three minutes.
There is still another feature to this
many-pointed story of the Round Valley
feud and the killing of John Littlefeld.
Among the witnesses in the murder case
is Frank You.ee, who, like Palmer, is in
the way of certain people. About the
time that Palmer was indicted for cattle
stealing Youree was indicted by the Fed
eral Grand Jury for selling liquor to an
Indian in violation of Federal laws. The
bill was put on the secret file. It'll not
known what efforts, if any, were made TO
serve the warrant for Youree's arrest, but
nevertheless he did not go into hiding,
ana the bill has been on the secret file
ever since. However, when the case of
Palmer was called yesterday, Youree was
on hand and saved the Marshal from the
bother of making an arrest uy putting up
bail for his appearance In court when the
liquor case Is called.