The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1904-08-05
KIMBAIIA SOUTH DAKOYA, FRIDAY AUGUST $, 1904
How Pierre Cot The Capital
Through Minnesota Lot Men, Illegal Bonds and
Lot of Suckers.

0uSENS1
Men from Pierre Travelled in every |
precinct in the state to boom Pierre
for the capital. Money taken from
people all over the country for bonds
that were unlawfully and fraudulen-
tly issued and for gumbo 20-foot-front
lots sold was lavishly spent by the
town lot boomers of Pierre for the
capital. Voters were bought either
with cash fraudulently obtained or
with the promise of a deed to a
20-foot gumbo lot on this l,500-acre
tract of land that the Zambrota,
Mnn., boomers had brought at prices
ranging from two to five dollars an
acre These town lot boomers went
Dacll i'm the country for miles and
bought 40 and so acre tracts of So and
So an acre land, laidoutaddtion after
addition to tie town Pierre and East
Pierre in 2O-foot-front lots and thous-
anCS upon, thousands of these lots
were given away to men who would
work or agree 10 vote for Pierre for
capital. These lots were scattered all
over Hughes county, some in the ST.
Louis addition, the Chicago or Mil
waukee addition and some of them in
the Woonsocket Capital Inyestmept
Company's addition down near the
Missouri river south of the Indian
J school. a book of POO pages might be
written giving the facts how these
Pierre town lot boomers swindled
thousands Of men out of money. The
| present governor OF Wisconsin and his
Jaw partners bought eight of these 20
foot lots north of the East Pierre
railroad depot, paying neary s., 900 for
which Il few years later were permit
ted to revert back to the city or coun-
ty for taxes, because there was no sell
ing value for them. Out of all this
Pierre boom and Pierre pledges of
fourteen years ago she has never re-
deemed one of her pledges, to Ihe
shame of this young state. Pierre
ne.1r bullt the railroads promised to
Washington Springs Gannvalley. Mt
! Vernon, Panklnton, Lctcher, Park
ston, Mitchell, Woonsocket, Howard,
LennoN, Alexandria, Bridgewate.l,
Parker, Sioux Falls, Salem, Oneida,
Orient, Faulkton, Rocllham, Meranda,
Zell, Worthwhile, Redtield, Mellettc,
Mansfield, Warner, Aberdeen, Rapid
City, Sturgis, Buffalo Gap, Custer,
Hot Springs, Whitewood, Deadwood,
Lead or Spcartish.
!, No other promise made by Pierre
has been kept. The men who bought
town lots for cash or with their votes
either have them yet or they have
been sold and re-sold for taxes.
$4,000 BACK MAKES.
Today Pierre owes the state $4,000
back and unpaid taxes. The mon
who bought lots near the street rail
way have seen the tracks torn up and
ties burned for fuel and the iron sold
!, to scrap iron buyers. The East Pierre
railway station has long since been
closed. the East Pierre postotlice has
: been abandoned. the college has gone
to Huron, the Wells House has been
: closed for years. the East Pierre stores
, and most of the residences have been
. torn down and moved away, residences
have been sold at half or one third
original cost. The Woonsockeu Cap
ital Investment Company nearly all
went broke. One of these board of
directors had to skip the state to
> a2old the pen, another one Of them
, went broke with his bank at Armour
, and liyes on Il cattle ranch near Pierre
t which the 1000 suckers who each
i bought and paid for a share of Woon-
: sscket carital investment stock at s.
y q piece.
]. But the real town lot and Pierre
+ capital boomers of fourteen years ago,
G Where are they: Billy Wells and Jim
e Ward who promised SO much. went tc
! Huntsville. Alabama, and bought
!, some cheap land Il couple of miles out
" OF the city and built another street
t car line and are booming the west adj
: dition to Huntsville, but recently
# Billy Wells passed over the grca,
n divide and has left Ward to skin the
k Alabama suckers. Wcllman started ;
g national bank there out of the clean
up he made at Pierre from the suckc
votcrs of this state.
q TO STAND PAT.
rs a few OF the original town To-
y boomers are still at Pierre telling th
., people of the state to "stand pat an'
re keep the capital there until they cal
= 'unload some more OF those 2O-fon
Ii gumbo lots. and procure a few NOR
gls wells that produce hot water, ant
st 'stand pat" until they can open vi
H. their cement mines, and pay the stat
S. tCo1tinued Oh last page)