The Dickinson press., 1902-04-19
Marquis de Moves Strenuous Lie ii Norti.
,<sjsts Oakota. "

Marquis de Mores Strenuous Lie ID NORTH.
/ Dakota.
A-special to the Pioneer Press from
Bismarck says:
There is considerable interest in the
western part Of North Dakotain the re-
port that the trialsol two Of the alleged
murderers Of the Marquis de Mores will
begin at Tunis, Africa, May 90.
The career of De Mores in the west
was meteoric and tinged with all the ele-
ments Of romance. Ayoung Ffenchmaan
of high family and dashing impulses, he
came to the west in, the early eighties
and built IN immense beef s,niightering
plant at Medora, "a little town in the
heart Of the famous Bad Lands, which he
made famous for a time. His expendi-
lures in the west for buildings, beef,
stores, ranch supplies and all the ap-
purtenances Of his immense plans,
reached close to a million. He,buult Re.
frigerators along the line ofthe Northern
Pacific from Helena to Chicago and en-
gagged in fierce composition with eastern,
beef packers. On the bank oftthe Little.
Missouri river he built a fine residence,
where he lived part of the year with his
wife. atdaughter of l.. Won Hoffman, a
wealthy New York banker. From this
residence he QUILTED for his numerous
hunting expeditions. Hundreds Of men
were in his employ, cowboys, butchers,
slaughter house men, and his plentiful
dollars were lavishly expended in his
schemes to revolutionize the beef pack
ing industry. Thousands of his beef
steers roamed the prairies and hills Of
the Bad Lands, and for several years he
was easily the most conspicuous figure
in the then new west. HI ;overshadowed
even the splendid personality Of Theo-
dore Roosevelt, who was then a Bad
Lands ranchman, with his ;impulsive
recklessness, immense schemes and law
ish expenditure of money.
Those we're troublesome times in the
cattle region Of the west, and De Mores
did not escape them. There, were bad
men with regulations to sustain through
the wild country, and some of them
threatened De Mores, declaring that he
must leave the country. The frey
Frenchman was not easily affrighted,
and had he been better. known possibly
the death of one nan would have been
avoided. At any rate, out of the threats
and counter-threats that were passed,
there grew a shooting ARRAY on the banks
of the Little Missouri river. De Mories
and a'party OF friends were crossing the
river, and two plainsmen were round
ing a bluff on the opposite side Of the Lit
tie Missouri. Shots were exchanged be-
tween the two parties, and one of the or
posite firing party was killed. De Mores
was arrested and tried at Bismarck for
the killing, but was acquitted.
His western life was full OF excitement
and adventure. He throve on the wild
life Of the west, but his beef packing in
dustry proved a failure, and the immense
plant was shut down, his cattle disposed
of, his fine residence Shut up, and the
west knew De Mores no more, except by
report of his adventures elsewhere. He
went to China, and was there interested
in French railway concessions; Return
ing to France he plunged ardently into
politics and several duels resulted, in
each Of which he came off victorious.
France, however, despite the field Of
politics, proved too tame for him, and he
plunged again with all the fervor Of his
disposition into an. African venture,
which cost him his life. Setting off from
Tunls, through the wild and desert, coun-
try, he took with him alone as, escort a
band of Touaregs, a wild and: savage
tribe Of desert followers, with whom, fol
some reason, he had struck up a remark-
able friendship. Against the protest OF
some OF his friends, he dismissed his
safer escort, and plunged into the desert
with the, Touaregs. A few days; and
they attacked him from behind, killing
him treacherously, but not until after he
had made a brave stand and struck down
a number Of them in the hand-to-hand
battle against odds. His camels were
stripped Of their valuables and the body
was robbed Of everything worth taking
by the treacherous natives. His body
was afterward recovered and taken back
to France, where it was inferred at the
family home at Cannes.
His widow, since his death, has been
e~ndeavoring to obtain the punishment'of
| his murderers. 1t was declared that
they were we'll known and could have
been apprehended at any time, had the
French government chosen to take steps
for their punishment. BUTT was claimed
that the French government was not ac-
tive, for the reason that De Mores, in the
political field Of France, had come to
know too much. 1t was!rumored that he
knew too much of the Dreyfus affair, and
for that or some other reason little effort
was made by the. government to reach
and punish his murderers. Largely
through the efforts of his wife and family,
investigations were set on loot in Africa
which resulted in the arrest of the muir
derers Of the marquis and their forth
coming trial will determine whether his
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