Brookings weekly register. (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1898-1903, 1903-02-12
SENSATIONAL ARREST:
Sheriff of Montana Captures an Es-
caped Prisoner in Brookings.

Saturday morning NJ. w. Potter,
sheriff of Red Lodge, Montana, with
requisition papers signed by Governor
Herried, empowering the sheriff of
Brookings county to arrest and turn
over to Sheriff Potter one Lauren NJ
Ringer, fugitive from Justice.
From the S herifI the REGISTER
learns that Sept. ,, 1900, Ringer at
tackled and stabbed a man who was
Ringers bartender, and was placed in
Jail on the charge of assault in the
first degree. Ringer broke jail aud
was not found for some months men
he was apprehended and taken back
to Jail. In about seventy days Ringer
again succeeded in getting free, the
last escape occurring last June.
A few days ago the sheriff received
an anonymous letter written by some
one in Nebraska telling the officer
that Ringer could be found in Brook
ings, s. D., where he was working in
a printing office under an assumed
name. The sheriff at once came here
and found his man working on the
Individual.
Ringer came here last August and
said that he had been working in the
harvest fields, but could not stand the
work. He began work on the REGISTER
and aside from the fact that "he car
ried a gun" he conducted himself in
an orderly manner and was faithful
ia his work. Last fall his wife and
two daughters arrived and the family
commenced housekeeping. r / g I
then went TO work on the Individual,
in which Office he was found when ar
rested. He did not seem at ali dis
concerted when the sheriff got the
drop on him" and told him to lay
down his stick. "Billy Toole," as be
was known here, said; lust wait until
| finish my line" and having done sc
accompanied the officer to the iai
where he remained until II O'Clock
Saturday evening when he started
back TO Montana to be tried for ar
alleged crime committed more thar
two years ago.
Mrs. Ringer and the children have
gone back to Crete, Nebraska, where
they have relatives.
Sheriff Potter upon his arrival II
this city attempted to use border bluff
and was a little more of1iciouS thar
customs of this civilized portion o
the world warranted him in attempt
ing. In the first place he made tn,
arrest instead OF allowing Sheriff
Campbell or his deputy to do so as the
requisition plainly required. Potter
had 20 more Jurisdiction in South Da
kota to arrest a man than he woulC
have had in Egypt and had Ringer
shot him for pulling gun, PotteI
would have been in bad boat as ht
was overstepping his authority. Their
when the prisoner wanted to wait
twenty four hours to look after his
family and make preparation to &C
Potter paved the air and was going tc
take him away regardless. Sheriff
Cam pbell told Potter that the prisoner
had certain rights and then the Red
Lodge official set up war whoOp say
ing, Il am from Missouri; show me. "
Sheriff Campbell did show him-show-
ed him the law and when the
nervous gentleman from the
bloody abode saw that he couldn't
bluff, but must come down to civilized
me thods he offered pay to Mrs. Ringer
a certain amounto money to assist her
in going back home if her husband
would consent to go back to Jail on
first train and thus the matter was
amicably settled without any blood
shed,
The sheriff from Montana is no
doubt the right kind OF man to deal
with border ruffians and the like, but
he must understand that we have
methods In South Dakota and our
police officers are none the less firm or
coura ageous because they confine them
selves within the letter OF the law.
Sheriff Potter informs the REGISTER
that he recently arrested five bank
burglars who broke into bank at Bill
lings, Montana, and the photographs
of the criminals which he had with
him showed them to be tough lot.
He may perhaps be excused for some
of his bluff ways if that is the kind of
men he has to deal with.