The Holly chieftain., 1903-12-18
EVENTS IN WASHINGTON AND
TRANSACTIONS OF CONGRESS
rercire G. Public Lands.

= = Sl-fN Se''eS-
The annual report of the secretary "t
the interior has this to say on the IL
legal fencing Of public lands.
In my last annual report, beginning
at Iags eleven thereof, | set forth a
length and IN detail the difficulties with
which this department has TO contend
in its efforts 10 prevent the unlawful
fencing % public lands by that class
that seeks tc occupy them for grazing
purposes
"Withuu' repetition OF the matters
set forth III that report, the summary
showed lJ3 cases of unlawful 1encing
OF public lands, embracing 1885,, ,sAi
acres for The fiscal year ending June
30. 1902 O; that number. nine enclos-
ures. embracing 245Gi acres, were re
moved, and l44 cases, embracing 3,92S.-
2sO acres, We're reported as in process
of removal or as having been laid be
/ fore the United States attorneys. Ihe
Z vigorous policy pursued by the depart
ment during The past year has Eesu'tea
( in the dininution of the number OF
[ cases reported and of the acreage en-
! braced within such unlawful encios-
, sures the total number OF cases report
/ ed during the year as shown by lhe
! records OF the general land Office, beng
I 1876. embracing 2 sos $50 acres.
/ Ore of the most celebrated cases OF
/ this character brought to the atteh-
I tion of the department during the past
wear was that Of the West End ranCh.
I in Cheyenne county. Kansas, owned by
the Dewey Cattle Company, and man-
aged by Chauncey Dewey. the latter
being a son of G. p, Dewey, said TO be
y the principal stakeholder in the Dewey
Cattle Company. Within the past thfte
wears sixty-iwo miles of fence have
been erected by said company in town-
ships and s, south, ranges 80, 30 and
37 wet. which, connecting with eiGh-
teen miles Of fence owned by others.
makes a total length of eighty miles.
This fence inCloseu an area, all tod OIL
04O acres of which 3 $40 acres are
state lands. go are embraced in elghE
homestead entries, and f,44O acres are
vacant pubic lands subject to entry uh-
der public land laws.
The enclosure of homesteads by the
unlawful fences Of that company was
the primary cause of the trouble ~hich
resulted in the killing, on or about
June 30 last, by Chauncey Dewey ana
his employees, OF three members OF the
Berry family, at the home of Alpheus
Berry, near the Dewey ranch.
1T appears to have been the polcN
of Dewey and his agents and employees
to gain complete and exclusive control
of all the lands enclosed by their FENCES,
and to adopt whatever measures were
found necessary to accomplish that
purpose, sparing neither ne nor prop
; ertv Their attitude toward settlers
u,it well as
within their enclosure, is shown by re-
ports of agents of the department and
5y individual complaints, to have been
extremely hostile and oppressive. MOI
, only have the crops of these bona noe
homesteaders and settlers been de
stroyed by this company's cattle, hU-
, the people themselves harassed ana IN
timidated by threats of violence made
by agents and employees; their FENCES
cut and dwellings, deliberately moved
off their homesteads. and number Oh
: them have been compelled by this cut
lawry to abandon their entries and tc
seek residence elsewhere.
: promptly upon hearing OF these uH-
lawful acts the. department instituted
an investigation, as result OF whicf
proceedings were begun. through tn"
l department Of Justice under the act OF
February 20, 1900, NSlp1d)- " tduSe INV
removal of these Illegal fences and "a
I, punish those guilty of erecting anG
l maintaining them. At the October
1903, term of the United States District
Court at Leavenworth, Kansas, the
; grand jury then and there in session in
Y dicted G.. p. Dewey, Chauncey Dewey
" w. J. Ratcliffe, William J. McBrids
and Louis Mcbride for violation OF sec
g tions 544O and 550S Of the revised stat
\ utes, in conspiring to threaten, intiml-
date and iniure Alpheus Berry, bona
fide homestead settler upon lands un-
lawfully inclosed by their fences, ana
y for taking the life Of said Berry. Six
other counts were found against the
a defendants for their mOlestation Oi
= other settlers. An Indictment was also
= found against Chauncey Dewey, as the
= agent of c. p. Dewey. for erecting and
S maintaining an unlawful enclosure OF
r public lands in violation of the act OF
+ February 25 1855.