The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1905-11-10
BANCO2 HAS AN
ELEPHANT On HAND
The Supreme Court Decided
1t Shall be the County
Seat Town.
NOT VERY ENTHUSIASTIC
The People of Bangor Have Not Re.
scented the Action of SeIby Citi-
zens in Stealing Away tho
Court House and Records.

Pierre, S. D., Oct. S0.-Bangor is con-
fronted with a condition by reason Of
a recent decision Of the supreme court
compelling it to be the county seat of
WalWorth county against its will.
The court house has been RACED to
the ground and the records transferred
to Selby. which usurped the functions
of the county seat.
Trouble is pound to ensue. Citizens
of Walworth county are greatly per-
turbed. They feel the approach of the
inevitable conflict but are powerless to
prevent. The supreme court has spok-
en-. The old county seat fight nus be
renewed whether they wish to fight or
not.
Supreme Court Acts.
When Justice Carson handed down
the momentous opinion Tuesday, it was
the letter of the law and not the spirit
which moved him. Legally he found
the Selbyites hadn't a leg t o stand on.
They had seized the records and de-
Etroyed the Bangor court house by
sheer force. They constituted a mob
when they committed his offense and
a mob has no recognition In courts Of
law.
1t is an old struggle, the night be.
tween Bangor and Selby, for the coun-
ty seat. Bangor is the older and sleep
Ter town. Modern business methods,
railroads and natural have
conspired to maxi Selby the metropolis
IF the county.
Bangor has been left far behind.
Is an Old Fight.
Selby aspired to become county seat
but found itself blocked at every turn
of the o by the handful of Bangor
ties who had the law on their side.
M ~ n 111. 4, t,r@, ~ D,,~ -.
an adverse vote by the county, the peo-
pie of Seiby made midnight raid upon
Bangor, tore the court house into bits
and marched away with the public rec
ords. These they have held ever since,
despite the feeble efforts of B~angorites
to dispossess them.
Then Bangor took a new tack. Fred
Griffin. one of the most persistent Of
the advocates of the old site, resorted
to law. The action Of courts is pro-
verbally slow. The case dragged on for
months and years. Demurrers, mo-
tons, injunctions and one thing and nm
other delayed final action by the high
est tribunal in the state until the gen.
eral public a forgotten the contest
and had become reconciled to the new
order Of things.
Other Such Decisions.
But not SO the supreme court. It had
" q ~ NthS oiiS "itSlt IL 1I1 COL
1t was to reopen the old controversy.
The Sphinx county case is an illustra-
ton. Three towns We're contending.
The county seat consisted of a lone
building on the prairie and Redfeld.
Doland and Ashton all coveted the hon-
or. With a three-cornered fight neither
town could secure a majority, and after
several unsuccessful elections had been
held, Redfield took the records by force
of arms.
In Sully county, with another three
%cornered contest between Onida, Cliff
ton and Fairbank, there was Il close
vote in favor of Onida, but Clifton. the
old county seat. refused to give up the
honor until 1t had been fought out in
the courts and for several weeks it
maintained a home. guard ready to do
battle if necessary. Immediately after
the election the Onida people secured
u court order and came to Clifton In
force, taking the records home with
them. In a few days Clifton secured
another order and in force went to the
rival town and took back the records.
The records were all kept in an i'm
mense safe which weighed several tons
and each time they were moved the
safe was rolled on to trucks and carried
away.
Roberts county is another case of re-
cent date which vas fought through all
the courts before the records were final
ly allowed to remain In peace at Sis.
seton.