The Elbert County tribune., 1903-06-18
DEADLY KANSAS FEUD AND
MURDER OF THREE BERRYS

Topeka, Kan. June l5.-The tragedy
In Cheyenne county June 3rd. in which
a settler and.his two sons were killed.
presumably by Chauncey Dewey. rich
cattleman, assisted by two of his men.
has caused the ever-present feud be-
tween the settlers and cattlemen in
northwest Kansas to break out with
renewed fury. What the consequences
of the feud will be this time nobody
dares to prophesy, but certain 1t is that
that section of the state is aroused as
1t never has been before.
About two years ago c. p. Dewey &
Co., capitalists of Chicago. started a
cattle ranch in the south east corner
of Cheyenne county. extending into
Rawlins, Sherman and Thomas coun-
ties. They established their headquar-
ters in Rawlins county and called 1t
Oak ranch. They at once began to ac-
quire title to all the land they could
get within a radius of twelve or fifteen
miles of their ranch.
They stocked their ranch with sew
eral thousand head OF cattle and let
them run at will. The settler could
raise no crop unless he fenced It or
herded the cattle away from 1T night
and day.
II the settler took the cattle up and
held them for damages. he found him
self involved in an expensive lawsuit.
with the best lawyers in the county
pitted against him. If he won in the
lower court II was carried to higher
court, and he soon found he could not
stand the pace and would drop out.
Most of the settlers sold for what they
could get and sought other places out
of range of the Deweys. but a few with
fighting blood in their veins stayed
with their homes.
Among the number was the Berry
family consisting of the old gentleman
and his four sons. They are the ones
who have given the Dewey people the
most trouble. and almost from the start
the two factions have engaged in liti-
cation. The last trouble they had, and
the one that resulted in the killing of
the Berrys, was over a quarter section
of land which the Berrys had been US
ing, claiming to have rented ii from
the eastern owners. The Deweys found
the owner. bought the land and sued
Berry for rent, getting Judgment for
about S35. They levied an execution
on a windmill and water tank belong
ing to the Berrys. and it was sold by
the sheriff June End. some of the Dew
ey men bidding in the tank for So. The
Berrys would not allow the Deweys to
come on the place. but as the tank
stood near the road they stood out
there and did the bidding.
The next day about noon. Chauncey
Dewey and ten OF his men rode up to
the Berry house, all being armed with
Winchester rifles and revolvers. What
followed is best told by the testimony
hefnre the cOrOuer'g iuOueSt
According to the testimony two OF
the men dismounted and went to the
house. where Daniel Berry and his son
Alpheus were at dinner. They said they
had come after the tank and were told
to go ahead and take it, They asked
Mrs Berry. who had gone to the door.
If the men were at home. and at first
she told them no. but the men insisted
that they thought they were. and that
they wanted to see them. Daniel Ber-
nv and his son then came out, and
walked over to where the crowd was
gathered and began talking with them.
According to the testimony before the
coroner. Berry and his son were un-
armed at this time. and IL was well
known that they never carried fire
arms.
The three other boys were at
neighbor's, and had seen Dewey and
his men ride by on the way to the Ber-
ry ranch. They started for home on
their horses and reached there just as
the parley was beginning. They were
armed with pistols, but as the eyi-
dence showed. they did not attempt to
use them at that time AS soon as the
boys appeared Chauncey Dewey is said
to have fired, hitting Beach Berry in
the Jaw and tearing 1t almost entirely
away The others started TO run for
the house. when Dewey's men opened
up a general fire. killing the father. AL
pheus and Burchland The wounds OF
the last two show that the balls en-