The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-03-28
WESTERN DUELS.
Seen From the Deck Of a Missouri
Steamboat

st. Paul Pioneer Press: "Old- timers
along the Missouri will, no doubt, re-
call two duels which were fought in the
early days" said an time steam
boat man who was employed in the
palmy days in steamboating along the
river. They differed considerably
from the ordinary affair of honor in
the manner in which they were fought.
and in the further fact that both Of
them were fatal, and to both contest
ants in each instance. One OF than was
fought with rifles from opposite ends Of
a huge cottonwood log, probably 30
feet in length, and the other took place
on the trestle of the big Missouri river
bridge when it was in course of cree
ton. 1 was an eye witness of each of
the encounters, both of'which were seen
! by a large number of people.
Near Chamberlain, S. D., a good
many years ago. there lived two broth
ers, Jim and Lafayette Sunderland.
They were typical bad men of the from
ties and dangerous characters in an en-
counter. TALL lean, active, sure-sighted
and quick of aim, they were ugly Gus
; toners. Their reputation was general
along the Missouri river. Each of them
had one or more notcheS in the handle
of his revolver, indicating that some
human being had fallen to his aim. No
man cared to offend either of them I'M
less he was looking for trouble and pre-
pared for battle. as trouble was sure to
follow when either of them felt that
his dignity had suffered insult. 1t was
peculiarly appropriate that these two
bad characters should have seen fit to
rid the world of each other, which they
did effectually in consequence of a
quarrel between them. When steam
boating was in its glory along the Mis-
. 10 2 ord oil
the stream drove a profitable business
in supplying the passenger boats with
fuel. They were establishing yards
along the river at such distance apart
as was most convenient for the
boats, and they ran into shore at these
yards whenever their supply of fuel
so, low TO replenish it from the supply
always to be found on hand. A heavily
loaded boat making d trip up stream
consumed a good many cords of wood,
and the expenditure for fuel was no
small amount. Prices ranged from So 20
IS a cord, and when the owner of a
yard sold a supply to a passing boat
he had done a very fair days work
and received a very fair days income.
The wood was always paid for in cash
BY the clerk of the boat and the pat
ronage of the boats was much sought
after by the owners of the yards along
the river.
THE Sunderland brothers varied their
careers as bad men by wood chopping.
and they had established a yard about
ten or twelve miles from the present
site of Chamberlain. The yard was a
partnership concern, the brothers being
supposed to divide the proceeds of
whatever sales were made. But as
usual with such characters, there was
not even common honesty between
them, and If either man was able to
make sale without the knowledge of
the other he deemed it the part of Wis
dom and good finance 10 pocket the
entire proceeds and say nothing.
I'VE were making trip up the river
late in the season with d heavy load of
freight, and put in at the Sunderland
woodward to replenish our stock of fuel.
which, had been heavily drawn upon by