The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1898-08-12
For Cattle Rustling.

land, Ernest 'Schleuning and Earl
Wood on the charge of cattle rust
ling. They were taken before JUS
tice Joy in the afternoon and prompt
ly pleaded not guilty to the
charge preferred, whereupon they
were placed under bonds of $500
each and a hearing set for Tuesday,
the 9th before Justice Paxson.
The Western Sonth Dakota Stock
growers Association is behind the
prosecution and claims to have
sufficient evidence to make the case
a clear one. R%anchers in the neigh
borhood of Rapid City have been
losing cattle m or two at a time
during the past ten months and up
until a few days ago was any trace
found as to what become of them.
one small stockman reports five
head since the 4th of July, and a
number of similar looses are report
ed.
The arrest caused surprise on every
hand, as the young men have made
their home here for several years,
have carried on business transactions
with our people and their entire.
record has been clean, straight and
honorable. Furthermore, Love and
and Schleuning are well-to-do and
there seems to be no valid excuse
why they should resort to stock ru-
stir & as a money-making venture.
This paper, while it shall give the
plain facts in the case, hopes that
the young men arrested will not
prove to be the guilty parties.
TUESDAYS HEARING.
A room full of interested spec
tators was on hand in Justice M. D.
Parsons court at the court house
at 10 o'clock Tuesday, at which time
the preliminary hearing was to be-
gin. The first witness called was
w. j.. Williamson, from whose place
a calf was taken and killed on the
night of August 3. The witness
told OF finding a pool of blood on his
place where the calf had been kill
ed and also discovering the wagon
tracks leading away, after the ar
cass Of the animal had been loaded
into the wagon. He went on to
state how he followed the wagon
tracks, tracing them up to near the
defendants slaughter house and
how he found the hide of the calf the
next day, still fresh, bearing his
brand. This find was made in an
old prospect hole nea the slaugh-
ter house, and two other older hides
We're found with it. The witness
also stated that he found a head in
the slaughter house yard which he
positively indnetified as being the
head of one of his COWS, which had
mysteriously disappeared some
weeks before. The killing Of
Williamson's calf on the night of
the Sd is what opened the whole
case.
The hearing ran over a day and
consumed most of Wednesday also.
The state, after taking the teati-
mony of Sheriff Ingersol, rested it's
case. The sheriff, who accompanied
Williamson to where the hides were
found, corrobcrated the formers
testimony, but brought out no new
points.
The defense OF Tuesday afternoon
began the task Of accounting for
every moment of the time within
three or four days of the time when
the crime is alleged to have been
committed. The defendants were
each in urn placed on the stand and
gave an account of themselves,
stating where they were and what
they were doing from Monday,
August | to Friday evening, August
9Th. Their stories 'dovetailed" to
perfection and were seemingly I'M
mistaken by the rigid cross ex-
animation by the prosecution.
The hearing was concluded We'd
nesday afternoon and resulted in the
adiScharue of all three defendants.