The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1905-10-20
WESTERN CATTLE
MEN BEFORE COURT
A Large Number of South Da'
kotans Charged With
illegal Fencing.
BUSY FEDERAL COURT
Over S~eventy-Five Gases Will Cont
Before 1t in Session at Sioux Falls
Two Hundred Witnesses
Have Been Summoned.

Sioux Falls, S. D., Oct. 1S.-The most
important term of the United States
court to be held in South Dakota this
year is in session here, with Judge
John E. Garland presiding. There are
between s~eventy-five and eighty cases
to be disposed of during the term,
which promises to last for several
weeks. About 200 witnesses have been
summoned tc testify in the various
cases.
The term will be the most important
held in the state this year for the rea-
son that not since the April term in
his city has a federal grand jury been
mmone
Perhaps the most important cases to
come before the grand jury are those
against the following cattlemen n
ranchers of Stanley county, who are
charged with the illegal fencing of
government land: Henry Schacht. Will
liam Cation, Floyd d. Headlee, Oscar
Il. Lawrence, Mrs. Esther j.. Currie,
George Porch. Albert Scovel. H.. a.
Scovel, John Meeker, Charles Smith,
F. Edward Olney. Fred II. Sears, Rich
ard W. Mathicson, Cyrus II. MolyneuX.
John II. White. A similar case is pend
ing against George Is. Mcpherson, a
we'll known stockman Of Pennington
county.
The cases were instituted in the ma
ture of tests Of the law prohibiting the
illegal fencing Of government land, and
are the result Of p~ainstaking efforts on
the part of special agents of the gen
eral land office, who for more than a
year have been visiting all parts of the
+ ceded Sioux lands, between the Mis-
souri, river and the Black Hills, in west
ern South Dakota, for the purpose Of
securing violence against those who
! might be found With fences surround
il s and which belonged to the govern
ment.
1t is understood that in the event
the government succeeds in securing
convictions in these cases thirty or
forty more cases of a similar character
will be instituted by the United States
authorities for South Dakota. who
have strict Instructions from the fed
eral authorities at Washington to put
a stop to the practice of fencing gov
eminent land in the western part of
South Dakota.
Another interesting case is that
gainst Joseph Doody. who is charged
with perjury. The defendant made
homestead entry No. 5000 at the United
states land office at Rapid City. He
submitted final proof on the entry, the
proof showing that Doody had resided
IN and cultivated eighty acres of the
land. An investigation was made by
, Special Agent w. c.. Hintzc. of the
general land office, who made a report
to the effect that Doody a never re-
sided on the land and that he had no
cultivation.
There are two counterfeiting cases
to be disposed of by the grand jury.
II one of them a ma giving his name
is Andrew j. Sharp, and who is sup
posed to have come to South Dakota
FROM some point in Iowa, is the Defend
ant. He was arrested by the United
States authorities at Yankton on the
charge of passing spurious half dollar
silver coins.
The other counterfeiting case is
against Levi Clark, a former resident
of Charles Mix county, who already
has served several terms In the Sioux
Falls p~enitentiary on the same charge.