Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1901-04-05
THE BUFORD TROUBLE,

PLENTY OF SHOOTING BUT NO
ONE INJURED-A REMINDER OF
FRONTIER DAYS.
' A Buford dispatch says. There was
hot time in Alfred county, across the
river from Buford, last Friday and
Saturday, which came near ending the
early existence of two or more men.
One A. p. Shaw, who has been boot
Logging at this place most OF the win
ter3 and Tommy Allen, a former pig
ger at Williston, with a companion or
two, went across the river to where
Allen had built a shack, aiming to
Jump a claim in which Wilson Parks
had built a house, and after filling up
on booze Allen went to Parks house
and finding that Parks was in the
woods cutting timber proceeded to
break the windows and door and threw
the stove out of the house and scat
tered Parks provisions around on the
age he could to the house, Parks ap-
peared upon the scene with his axe
over his shoulder. When Allen saw
he was discovered he made a break
for his own shack, about 100 yards
away, and getting his gun began
shooting at Parks, firing twice, but
without hitting him. Parks hastily
retreated to the shack of a neighbor,
where he stayed all night Friday. On
Saturday Mr.. Parks, accompanied by
A. F.. Noble. neighbor, came over to
Bufcrd to see about making out a
complaint against Allen. While they
were across the river at Buford, Allen,
Shaw and Williams went to Mobiles
shack, where they filled the cupboard
full of shot, breaking most of the
dishes, after which they broke the
windows and ruined shot gun and a
rifle belonging to Noble. Mobiles
hired man, who was working on new
shack about a quarter of a mile away,
started or the house to see what the
shooting meant, and after discovering
what was up, mounted his horse and
started for Buford to notify Mr. Noble
what was transpiring at his ranch.
He met Noble at the ferry, and was
given a rifle and sent back to look
after things little, and the ferTyman
had just landed him on the south side
of the river when three men on horse
back appeared out of the willows and
desired to be ferried across the river.
The ferryman had only small boat,
and as the parties. desired to swim
their horses behind the boat, the ferry
man refused to take them across, they
being under the influence of liquor,
and started to row back across to the
Buford side, when Shaw with an oath
told him If he did not ferry him over
he would sink the skiff. AS the ferry
man kept on rowing for the Buford
side, Shaw fired at him, when Capt,
Smalley and Noble, who were on this
side of the river, returned the fire,
when Shaw dropped his gun, mounted
his horse and took to the willows. Al
len picked up the gun and he and VIII,
liams comm menced a fusilade at those
on the bank Of the river, but did not
wing anyone, they being too drunk to
do good shooting at a distance of about
600 yards. .!ss:. { ;,s - 4. ':,s H.
iMessrs. Noble and Parks then came
to ,Buford and telegraphed United
States Marshal Haggart and also to
the sheriff OF Billings county. The
sheriff deputized Mr.. Noble as deputy
sheriff and with q couple more depu-
ties he started after the destroyers OF
his shack. and got Shaw without much
trouble but Al Hen and " IIiams started
for Glendive, Mont, with the officers
hot On their trail. There was g good
deal of shooting. but no one injured
This incident will probably rid this
community ~ several very und sirable
characters,