The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1897-08-21
County Officer Again.
WAsaBUHN, Aug. FL, 1897

WAsABuAN, Aug. 81, 1887
EDITOR LEADER
The political sOreheads are ont again.
l have not desired a controversy with
this crowd,b h re are so mnny mi state
me. Is dem; nd a rebuttal, aud a little
more light thrown on their motives and
acti>
The following from a writer ii he
Bismarck Settler by one who seer. to
be afraid t" sign his name-and Y 5h
appeared in the last paper re ceivtd 70
ex plaids why l write this letter:
A ontsider would hardly gatbe: ON
Mr.. Eskes' statement that the n d
stolen horses were taken to his ranch IA.
branded with his brand. 80 that ifa crime
was committed it looks to a disinterestad
party as If he was the one to get a bene.
fit, an opinion strengthened by his effort
to throw suspicion on q fellow citizen. bv
whose efforts chiefly a gross miscarriage
of justice was ~prevented.",
In the first place-there was no jry
called last season. The deep snow so
early in the fall, would make it both diff
culc and expensive to attempt to get the
jury and witnesses together. 1t was then
intended to open court early in the spring
but the more important trial of the muir.
derers of the Spices family in Emmons
County. demanded the Judges attention.
80 the opening of court here had been
~unavoidably postponed until the last days
of June.
Events that have followed this case
from its inception shows there was a deep
scheme-and no boy planning either to
encompass my ruin-all because I hap
pen to have held a petty county office.
and was reelected to the same position
by my county fellow ~citizens last fall in
spite of the Vaccinations of the leader
"f the soreheads. That-to begin with
Larson had been sent up to my ranch
in the first plsce under a false pretence,
and without myself being consulted in
any manner. That it must have been a
put up scheme to send Larson up there
with some stolen horses to be branded.
1t looks very suspicious that at the time
Larson was arrested it was somewhat cur
iOus that ex-AuditOr Casselman found
som e of his own property in Mr.. Hauge.
berg's own stable, aAd I understand the
same was given mp by Mr.. Haugebcrg on
demand of Mr.. Casselman as his personal
property. From the plain proof that
Larson admitted stealing the horses and
of the stolen property found ON the
Haugeberg premises, and in defending
the self accused culprit all through the
court proceedings. A person can form a
plain opinion as to Mr.. Haugeberg's dis.
int crested interests in this case.
Now. MIR. Haugeberg, l have been here
in Mclean County since 1883. l have
always tried to be a law abiding citizen
never had a law suit or trouble of any
kind. I have always made my living by
honest toil-by the sweat Of my brow,
and the only reason l can see of thus
putting IN a job o me-is inordinate
j%ealously of the fact that I hold a KEY to
the county court house and my traducer
does O
MIR. H%augeberg moved over from Mer.
cor county in the fall of ~l88s-and if I
remember you started iu with trouble rs
soon as yon became a resident. No one
that held an office here.accordinp to
your version was honest except yourself.
You were the paregon-in Mr.. Hauge-
berg's estimation. The people took
you at your word and elected you coun.
ty treasurer IN 1890. Before your term
WAS out YOU stood charged by your fellow
citizens with misa appropriation of the
county funds: Here is the charge as
published in the Washburn LEADER, Oc-
tober, Goth, 1882:
"Weller. Oct. &c. 1899.
Editor Lender: Your correspondent g..
the law in regard to the salary of county
facts concerning the $9O.47 which MIR.
pnrloined from the county
this summer, yet he did not give
all the facts in the case nor sufficiently ex-
plain the worse feature of it. The ones
ton has caused so much talk, and there
have been SD many conflicting stories cir
by Mr. Haugeberg and his friends
ostensibly for the purpose Of befogging
The people and covering up the steal, that
[ thought it my duty as a taxpayer and a
voter to investigate it for myself. Ac