The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-06-25
a Short Frontier Story
Which Throws Some Light the Early Minnesota
dictates Quite aSirring Connected Herewith
: by JUDGE cHAs. E. FLANDRAu.

trains in the winter; the distance to be
Travelled was about 400 miles, and the
time necessary to compass it. nearly or
quite month, The legislature, held in
lS53 In order to remedy this difficulty
and because the population was on it's
annual buffalo hunt in November, pass
ed an act fixing the time of holding
elections In the county OF Pembina on
the second Tuesday in September in each
year, thus giving ample opportunity to
get the returns to the authorities in ST.
Paul In time to be counted with those
from the other districts The result of
this was that no one outside of Pembina
ever knew how many votes had been poll
ed In that district until long after the
rest Of the territory had been heard
from, and 1t became a common saving
among the Wings that the Pembina re-
turns were held back until 1t became
known how many votes were necessary
to carry the election for the Democrats
and that they were fixed accordingly
which the Democrats denounced as a
Wing lie.
About all that was known Of Pe.nbina
was that it was inhabited by a savage
looking race of Chippewa half-breeds, and
that Joe Rolette lived there. and Nor
man w. Kittson went there occasionally
1t carried on an immense trade with ST.
Paul in furs, by means of brjgades Of
Red river carts each summer, snd by dog
trains in the winter, and the more you
saw of these people the more you were
impressed with their savage appearance
and bearing
The first state election, curious as it
may appear, was held in 1857 before the
state was admitted into the Union, which
event was postponed until May II, 1858,
and. when the votes from all the counties
except Pembina had been returned to
off Hn Co.
could be ascertained before the official
count was made, was somewhat III doubt,
which circumstance naturally excited
great interest in the Pembina election, as
1t was well known that all the votes
from that district would be Democratic
so the great question was, 'hoW many 2"
While the country was holding it's
breath in suspense and expectancy, a
man In the Indian trade, named Madison
SWeet-er, came to me about o'clock one
night, or, rather, morning, and told ME
that Nat Tyson, who was a merchant In
st. Paul and an enthusiastic Republican,
had just started for the north with a.
fast team and an outfit that looked as if
he contemplated a long journey, and his
belief was that he intended to capture
Joe Rolette and the Pemoina returns I
thought such might be the case, and we
Immediately began to devise ways and
means to circumvent him. We FASTENED
to the house Of Henry M Rice, " no knew
every trader and half-breed between here
and Pembina. and laid our suspicious be-
fore him. He diagnosed the case in an
instant, and sent us to Norman w Kilt
son, who lived in stone house well up
on Jackson street, with instructions to
him to send mounted courier after Ty-
son, who was to pass him on the road.
and either lind Rolette or Mai ClitneraI.
who was an Alabama man and one of the
United States land officers in the neigh
borhood of Crow Wing, and, Cf course,
a reliable Democrat, and deliver a letter
to the one first found, putting him on
guard against the supposed enemy. pre-
pared the letter and Kittson in a few
moments had summoned reliable Chip
peWa half-breed, mounted him on a fine
horse. fully explained his mission, and
impressed upon him that he was to reach
Ci1theral or Rolette ahead Of TYSON if
he had to kill a dozen horses in so doing.
There was nothing fine, active young
! half-breed enjoyed so muchas an adventure
OF this kind; a ride of four hundred miles
had no terrorS for him, and to serve
his employer, no matter what the duty or
the danger, was his delight. When he was
ready TO start. Kittson gave him a send
off in about the following words: va
va, v1te, ct ne tarrette pas, meme pour
SAWYER la vie" (Go, go quick, and don't
stop even to save your life), and giving
his horse a vigorous slap, ne was off like
the wind
The result was that he passed Tyson
before he had gone twenty miles, found
Clitheral a day and a half before Tyson
reached Grow Wing, if he ever did get
there. delivered his letter, and the major
Immediately started to find Rolette, which
he succeeded in doing, took the returns
and put them in a belt around his per-
son, and having relieved Joe of his re-
sponsibilfty, left him to his own devices.
which meant painting all the towns red
that he visited on his way. We we'll
knew that Joe could no more resist the
temptations of civilization than an old
sailor returning from long voyage, end
what we apprehended was that be might.
while in a too eonvivial mood, either lose
the returns or have them stolen from
him.
The tone of the letter vas so Urgent
that the major did not know but that
half the Republicans in ST. Paul might be
lying In wait to capture him, so he did
lot enter the town directly, but went to
Fort Smelling and left the returns with
an officer of the army, and then proceed
ed to ST. Paul. When we explained TO
him that no one but Rice, KittSon Sweet
zer and myself knew anything about the
matter, he was relieved, but still eau
tious. He waited a few days and then
proposed to lady friend TO take a ride
with him to Fort Smelling When they
started home he gave her a bundle and
asked her to care for it while he drove,
which she unsuspectfngly did, and this
is the way the Pembina returns of Min
nesota's first state election reached the
capital 1t is needless to say how many
votes they represented, but only to an
nounce that the election went Demo-
cratic.
Whether Tyson had any idea Of doing
what we suspected him Of, I never dis
covered, but if that was his purpose, he
had long ride for nothing, and as our
scheme terminated so successfully, 7 am
willing to acquit him of the charge.
Charles E. FIandrau