The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-12-21
HE RAPS THE DEwEYs.
Secretary Hitchcock Goes Farther
Than Necessary in Report.

The annual report of the secretary of
the interior, which has just been made
public, contains reference to the kill
ing of the Berrys in Cheyenne county
IN way which is rather prejudicial to
the DeWeyS. Secretary Hitchcock is eV-
identity convinced that the Deweys are
several kinds of outlaws. The report
goes so far as to say that the Berrys
We're killed by Chauncy Dewey and
his employees
The Dewey troubles are referred to
in that report which deals with the IN
lawful fencing of public lands. It
says:
"One of the most celebrated cases of
this character brought to the attention
of the depar tment during the past year
was that of the West End ranch in
Cheyenne county, Kan, owned by the
Dewey Cattle company and managed
by Chauncy Dewey, the latter being a
son of.C- P. Dewey, said to be the priR-
cipal stakeholder in the Dewey Cattle
company. Within the past three years
81 miles of fence have been erected by
said company in townships 4 and 5
south, ranges 80, 36, and 81 west, which,
connecting with Is miles of fence owned
by others, makes a total length of so
miles. This fence Enclosed an area, all
told, of 51,O40 acres, of which 3,240 acres
are state lands, 1900 are embraced in
eight homestead entries and 7,440 acres
are vacant public lands subject to entry
under public land laws.
THE Enclosure of homesteads by the
unlawful fences of that company was
the primary cause of the trouble which
resulted in the killing, on or about
June last, by Chauncey Dewey and
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 policy
of Dewey and his agents and employees
to gain complete and exclusive control
of all the lands inclosed by their
fences, and to adopt whatever meas
ures were found necessary to accom-
plish that purpose, sparing neither life
nor property. Their attitude toward
settlers and homesteaders without, as
we'll is within, their Enclosure is shown
by reports of agents of this depart
ment and by individual complaints to
have been extremely hostile and OPP
pressive. Not only have the crops of
these bona fide homesteaders. and set
tiers been destroyed by this company's
cattle, but the people themselves
harassed and intimidated by threats of
violence made by it's agents and en-
ployes, their fences cut and dwellings
deliberately moved off their home
steads, and number of them have
been compelled by this outlawry to
abandon their entries and seek resi-
dence elsewhere.
Promptly upon hearing of the unlaw-
ful acts the department instituted an in
VeSugation, as result of which proceed
ings were begun, through the department
of justice, under the act of February 25
1885, to cause the removal of these Illegal
fences and to punish those guilty of erect
ing and maintaining them. At the Octo-
Der, 1903. term of the United States district
court at Leavenworth, Kan, the grand
jury, then and there in session. indicted
c. P. Dewey, Chauncy Dewey, w. ]. Rat
cliffe, William J. Mcbride and Louis Nc
Bride for violation of sections $40 and
55OS of the revised statutes, in conspiring
to threaten, tntimidate and injure Alpheus
Berry, a bona fide homestead settler upon
lands unlawfully inclosed by their fences
and for taking the life of said Berry. Six
other counts were found against the de-
PENDANTS for their molestation of other
settlers. An indictment was also found
against Chauncy Dewey, as the agent of
an unlawful inclosure of public lands in
violation Of the act of February 25 1885,.