The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1906-09-18
a WIDE. OPEN TOWN.
,Lidserwood Has Some Lively Times in
Booking and Gambling.

BOOKING auo Sampllng.
Lidgerwood Broadaxe: Last Sunday
Lidgerwood was wide-open town for
the first time in many years. The blind
pigs, bowling alleys and pool rooms
were wide omen and doing a rushing
business, and the, streets were full
most Of the time with drunken men.
OF the crowd two men were arrested.
one for being drunk and disorderly, the
other for drinking beer on the street.
They were fined Monday In justice
court, SIS and costs--which they paid.
But they were only extremely aggra-3
waited cases. Gambling bs also in. full
rush, publicly, crapl fable and a. tub.
game being running, while several slot.
| machines, paying coin. are in opera,
ton. The noise and disturbance was
parody on the Sabbath peace you read
about.
But if Sunday was bad, Tuesday was
worse. On Sunday the weather was
hot and many machines we're running,
so that all the crews did not get into
| town-though some laid off on account
of hot weather. But Tuesday it had
rained and all work had stopped. The
town soon filled up with men and be-
| fore dark the great majority were
drunk or drinking The blind pigs
of which there are four--were filled
with men, nearly every other one of
| which was drunk. No observance was
1 made of the order TO close at IL p. m.
In some of the pigs. Poker games are
/ running also, and 1T is said that no
less than seven places exist where
gambling is carried on Towards night
| two drunken men got into fight on
i the main street, and one pounded the
1 other over the head with a beer bot
/ tie and would undoubtedly have Killed
| him, but j. B. Wagner happened along
and pulled the. assailant off. Both
We're arrested and fined next day $40
and costs. Another drunk and disor-
derby was jailed and fined $40, and
| is staying in Jail to serve his fine out.
In one place, known as the Burke or
Brenna pig, we saw the bowling mob,
| standing together like 5sardines! Back
| of this. place, and east are the
residences of M o.. Movius. o. "A.
Oss, Phil Wirtenberger and 9TH
ers and complaint is made by some of
these of the noise which prevented
them from sleeping A report is about
that the farmers finding. the blind pigs
make their help Incapable of work, are
about to petition the county attorney
and sheriff for relief Certainly Main
street was no place for women or chill
dren that day or evening.
As to the Sunday deal, Mayor Mas
says they took advantage of his alb
sence from the city to run wide open
and that it will not occur again. Presi-
dent Jahoda of the council says he
would have stonped it, had the mayor
1 notified him that he was leaving town,
but that he did not know of the may
i or's absence and did not think he had
i the right to interfere. The chief Of
police night watch and deputy sheriff
{ were pretty. busy both days trying to
keep some semblance of order. Why
they did not shut down the places Is
more than we know.
i 1t makes no difference to The
Broadaxe what the cause of such a
state of affairs was. We are getting
tired of it, 1t has been growing grad
ually-the lawbreakers getting holder
! and holder. If no one else cares to
butt In we win. This is just an opens
] ing. We will open UP and name names
and give description of property where
The places are, If We can find them,
later on. RI,
+ In this connection we want to notice
that. the republican off1cials-the sher-
/ iff, and the county attorney-were
elected to Office on the platform Of law
enforcement We are now calling to
their attention. that pledge. If they
will not take action and close the four
blind pigs and the gaming places in
Lidgerwood, it will only mean that we
must become more explicit and we
will have to mention some things that
don't look well in print. We don't
want to use Jim Shea's muck rake,
but we can do 1t.