The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-06-30

Berrys had removed the guns from the
other bodies. Whether this is so re-
mans 10 be seen, but there is a sig
nlncant difference between the testi-
mony OF Beach Berry and the members
of the jury.
. These are just few of the points
which will probably be made much Of
by the defense. in view of the deveIon-
ments Of the st. Francis hearing. OF
course, If the Dewey cowboys testify
at the trial. which they refused to do
at the preliminary hearing. their state
ments will undoubtedly support the
theory of self-defense. They were the
only witnesses to the killings besides
Beach and Roy Berry.
Homesteader's Version.
There will be much of the past to
be gone into when the Dewey case
comes UP. A "homesteader's" version
OF the origin of the feud, published in a
/ Iopeka paper, which quotes a home
steadef Of Rawlins county, possesses
some points of interest:
Inc trouble began with the drought
oL 20, When so many mortgaged farms
throughout the semi-arfd regions in
Kansas and Nebraska began to be
abandoned in despair or were handed
over to the mortgage if he would dis
charge the debt. The DeWeys had some
loans out in RaWlins county and vi
c1nity, and they had to take the land
IN a good many instances. Then later
they turned their attention to ranchine-
and cattle raising as the only Wav to
utilize the farms that had fallen in to
them To do this they began to ac-
qu1re other land by purchase. They
desired to own the biggest ranch in
the west, and the wire fences followed.
They did not fence in the actual pos
session OF their neighbors, but they
FENCED government land with their
own, thus destroying the range" Of
the smaller farmer. Their fences also
TOOK in number OF school houses
built by bonding the districts. and
much of the available water Of the
nelghborhood. This was war. The
small farmer considers his pre-emption
or homestead as giving him the right
to the adjoining government lands in
preference to a later conner. When the
later conner fences him out. he is
hghting mad and cuts wires. But
When he fences him out of his school
mouse and his water privileges it ere
ates blood feud.
1.-THE farmers do not accuse +ba
DeWeys of any infraction of the laws
before the time of the killing of the
BerryS save in the matter of fencing
IN government land with their own.
winch has UP to this year been the
custom Of all ranchmen in the Middle
HeeI- Ihey were simply following
the custom of the cattlemen in West
ern Kansas, Wyoming and Nebraska.
What seemed to bring things to a TO-
Gus was the buying by the Deweys of
piece of land on which was situated
dipping tank" built by the small
farmers in the vicinity with a COM
mon fund for common use. AS soon as
the Deweys got title to the land thew
nouned the farmers to remove the
tank forthwith, or they would, on a,
certain day. destroy it themselves. OF
course the tank would have to be
pulled to pieces and destroyed; it could
not be moved. The farmers remon-
strated with the Deweys, asked them
to let the tank stay, and invited them
to the free use Of it for their own cat
tie. but the Deweys wouldn't give an
fnch-the tank must go-and in the
disturbance of its destruction the
shooting began