The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-03-30
DIETRICH OF NEVADA
IS A MAN OF THE STRENUOUS
 WESTERN KIND.
A Bit of His Career-New Senator Has Faced Death in Mining CampsAided Judge Lynch in Camps-Aided Judge Lynch
 in Establishing Justice.

Nebraska's new Senator. c. H. Diet rich, played a part in the early history of the Black Hills only second to that played by his old friend. Seth Butler. the first sherin of Deadwood, says The New York Journal Senator Dietrich has looked into the face of death many tune at close range and, as member of vigilance committee. he has helped Judge Lynch.
 The new Senator went West from Au- rora, III. He began to make his living when. he was years old. He chored for farmers, snatchtng what schooling he could get from the little log schoolhouse came a blacksmith, and saving M20 fn 1875. he paid his expenses to Cheyenne. Wyo. Here he bought provisions and blankets. and. hiring transport to back and trudged along beside the wagon that contained his provisions. The jour- ney was made In winter, 400 miles along a trail that led through Red Canyon, in which. just before he went through and just after, many white immigrants had been killed by Indians.
 The Aurora Mine.
 In the winter of 1s76-7 Dietrich and his two partners located the Aurora mine. It became famous because Of the numerous attempts to dispossess the three men who located 1t, and the stanch resistance made The owners of the Hidden Treasure and the Keats were the men whom Dietrich blamed for the trouble made for him and his partners.
 In those days all prospectors were tres passers, and the man in possession was the man who had the cinch on the sit uation. The owners of the Aurora were well intrenched They publicly stated what would happen were attempts made to drive them out. The opposition Was afraid to make an open assault.
 The Aurora people had built a sod house and sunk a shaft They kept one man on guard all the time. This man above the cabin. A man he, saw and challenged gave no answer and ran away. The man dropped something. It was a giant powder bomb. 1t was learned after to ignite the fuse. drop the bomb on top of the Aurora cabin and blow the Aurora outfit into kingdom come.
 There was ia Hull in the fight for a fered siO.Oo0 for their mine. They de- clined to sell. So the conflict reopensd.
 End of Conflict
 Tunnels were run, and 1t was the opin- ion of the Aurora people that failure to blow them up from above was to have been followed by an sttempt a,I. to blow blow night shift went into the Hidden Treas ure to relieve the day shift. Dietrich and his partners and their men lined up at the mouth of the Hidden Treasure tun- hel and refused to let the day shift out. This was after Cephas Tuttle had beeh shot and killed and Dietrich himself had been shot twice, one bullet cutting his forehead. When the owners of the Hid- den Treasure found the Aurora people Tad laid powder mines above the tunnel and could blow up the shift in the mne If so disposed, there was a equalization.
 Dietrich sold his interest in the Aurora to Brown Thur. bankers. and f2 Sen. atcrs Roscoe Conkhug and Thomas Platt of New York. and ex-Senator George A. Spencer of Alabama. Then Dietrich became a member of the vigil lance committee. which took tEe placc
 The first case the vigilance comh1ttoe handled impressed Dietrich greatly with the charm under which his life Is pro- tected D. Thomas Smith was the cul- rrit; His wife had ben rich widow Hills. He began to drink and to lead a al sorderlv life. In the fall of 1876 his wife came on. She said he had deserted her and their child, and had taken all her money Nnd had finally refused support when she at last established commu- nication with him. The committee was called together and the woman toid her troubles. Then the acting marshal. Con Staple ton. and Dietrich were asked by tho committee to find Smith and bring him to trial.
 They found Smith at Belle Union. where Wild Bill was killed. and calling him out told him what was wanted. had to be applied. In the struggle Smith drew a knife and cut Ditrich between the fingers and in the abdomen. Smith was tried by the committee. and the yer dict was that all property known to be- long to Smith-money he had loaned out and property he had bought for a wo- man-had to be turned over to Mrs. Smith. After that was done, Smith was
 t~Afo a next day. or suffer ;he penalty. which was death.
 Marrow Escape From Death.
 T slept that night in cabin owned by Judge Lynch Forman,' Senator pet rich was telling not long ago There door. I was sitting in the cabin. just thinking about turning in for the night when the blanket at the door was pulled aside suddenly and Smith stepped in, He had Winchester In his mana ana hs drew it to his shoulder"
 Smith had a quick and powerful man to deal with, for Dietrich tore the Win chester from Smiths hands, and, grap- bling with him soon had him under con. honor that he would leave town at once and let him so Early the following Smith met Con Suspicion. who was talking to another man, and hlazed away at Con. The bullet missed staple ton and killed the man Stahleton was talking with. a professor from an East; ern college. Smith was afterwards killed In California.
 "To show you how honorable Western men are," Dietrich said, "l must tell you that there were many men in the gulches who had borrowed money rom Smith or had property belonging 10 nm, who were unknown to Mrs. Smith or to anyone else save Smith. So soon as they heard the verdict of the committee they came into camp and yielded up the prop erty or paid the money they owed
 Refuge of the Guilty.