The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-01-10
FOX RIN THE COCyTr.
A ~ estrvu Pooh Bah who Was the
whole ThiaE for One wistsr.

Eron tie Chicago Record.
LASsDoS. ". D.. Dec. 3l.-There is a man
in this town Who was the supreme ruler Of
the whole county for almoss SIX months. He
was q Pooh Bah with , vengeance. His name
Is E. J. Fox. and he IL fond OF telling how no
ran Cav Lier county in the irst winter Of its
existence. IL came about in this way:
Cavalier county had been named but uaor-
ganized for several years up To 1854. It con-
sisted of a largo strip OF land. all owned BY
tho Government, lying west q! the western
boundary line Of Pembina COUNT. About that
time p. McHugh of Bathgate was elected As
q representative Of pembina county in the
Legislature. and II occurred to him and TO At
:orrey w. J. Mooney OF the same village that
It would DO veil to organize Cavalier county
and add TO it the three ranges In fhe western
part Of PrmbinA county. This ives .ern part OF
the rest OF the county. and was situated. the
people said. and say yet. on the mountain
So McHuRa got a bill through the LEGISLATURE
Tha, was in the wint.r Of lss+-s5. A Court
House was built at LAnRdon. which vas f-slg-
mated as the county seat. and at the elec ton
In November various county officers were
elected. But none OF the county officers came 10
and they could see no reason why they should
come IL there was some enc there 10 take CHARGE
Of the records. 30 they united IN sskinS z.
take charge OF the Offices until summer. Fox
sccepted the position. or positions, aud In De-
county. The Court House was then a large
huildinsi IN fast. 100 large Tor use. Fox De.
until spring. and he took un hi. abode IN a one
room claim shack" the only other building
In town. This was about - by 20 feet IN al
mensions. ADD there he lived and did business
that winter. He vas dspaty clerk Of the courts,
County Judge. County Treasurer. County
lived IN the country and the superintendent
OF schools lived Just across the Manitoba line.
The sheriff d,d rot isTVs ont his tern r 'ss b he
There was not another living soul wtthinrtwo
Fox lived entirely alone. and did his own
cooking, excent the bread baking. which was
done By a reizhbor three miles n way. Lang
Post once. The Postmastsr OF Olga. In the
eastern part OF the county. used 10 send over
a large package OF letters ami papers about
lived near Langdon. and Fox would give to
these people their mail when they called for Il.
west. but about forty and htty miles northwest
near the Manitoba line. there we're several set
tiers: And some OF these used 10 drive that
free claim. When they did that Fox had to
give them their meals and lodgings, and in
The winter Of lssi-5 was very cold. and at
night Fox used often 20 lie awake and listen
70 the hlizzards howl around his llttle shack.
many nlinzs. regtsterirgs OF MORTGAGES, and q
fex deeds. An average o. two Or three men
he seldom saw \ woman. Nearly all the set
tiers near him at that time were bachelors.
who at.erward went back to Canada to get
married; and. indeed. Fox did the same. Ey-
erYbody was poor, and vet thew nl seemed To
enjoy themselveS, though they had TO haul
their wheat from nifty 10 seyenty'r.ye miles 10
msrket.
The winter passed very swiftly. and IL the
summer Mooney and NcHugh came with their
families: then other s~.ttlers began 10 pour IN.
h Iildiugs went up, as II by magic, and in y
few nonths there were a Post Once and q
dozen dwellings. Talk of O railroad began 20
be heard. and in a few months 1t zane. Then.
indeed. Pooh Bah" Fox had 70 surrender his
glory. He chose TO take up the humble posi-
tion NJ superintendent OF the schools Of the
county, and he stu retains the place. He Is
disposed To think that. IN spite Of the comforts
and conyenierces OF the present mode Of life
here. he enjoyed bim-elf more that winter
when he Was moEArch Of all the Governmont
Offices OF Cavalier county.