The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1906-03-19
'ULD BUILDING
WILL BE RAzED
SCENE OF MANY FAMOUS
MURDER TRIALS
New Court House To Be Built at Dead-
wood, Recalls Days When wild Bill
Was Id the Harness Famous Men
Have Been on Bench.

Deadwood, S. D., March 10. The
Lawrence county courthouse, built by
the late Fred T.. Evans, formerly 9
prominent resident of Sioux City, is
aboutsto be'torn down preparatory to the
erection of new building. This old
courthouse has, been in use for over
twenty-five years and has been the scene
of many famous trials. 1t is a peculiar
looking, triangular shaped, brick build
ing, irconvenient and old fashioned. The
new building, with all modern conyen-
fences and beauties, will be built Of
brick and stone, at cost Of $4,000. The
various county officers will be housed in
different places in the city during the
time that it requires to erect the new
building. A small portion of the old
courthouse will be left standing for the
present, and the sheriff, clerk of the
courts and the register of deeds will re-
main in this piece of the house for sew
eral months to come.
The past thirty years have been IA
nous ones in the legal history of this
county The first court held in Dead
wood was held by Judge G. G. Bennett,
territorial judge, and the first seat OF
justice was a keg of nails in the tin
shop in the rear of Star & Bullock $
hardware store Captain Seth Bullock
now United States marshal of South ,Da-
kota. was the first sheriff, and terror
to the various evil doers of the then law
less camp.
L. Iofo-. oIx nf f1a low,
to Deadwood that Wild Bill was shot
from the rear while playing cards in the
| No. 10 saloon; but equally interesting
cases came up afterwards. One peculiar
case, often quoted today by the old time
lawyers, was that known as the Callison
case. A man named Couka and a wo-
man, Mrs. Boughton, were arrested for
the murder of Mrs. Callison. the first
school teacher in the Black Hills, who
was found dead in her bed one August
morning. The peculiar feature of the
case was that Couk, who was charged
with conspiracy with Mrs. Boughton to
commit the murder, who was tried first,
was found guilty, while Mrs. Boughton,
who was charged with the murder itself
was acquitted. Couk served but a short
term in the penitentiary, being pardoned
out. He was afterwards hung some
place down in New Mexico for murder,
and it is said, confessed at that time to
having killed Mrs Callison.
Up in the town of Dassel, MINI, a
few years ago, lived a man named Bell.
He conducted a hardware store, was a
member of the city council and was also
running for sheriff on the democratic
ticket. At this very time, and while his
affairs were apparently in good condi-
ton, he killed himself Old timers in
Deadwood remembered that in the early
days this very man Bell had been tried
on the charge of numbering his partner,
a man named Lee, ,2whose dead body was
found by some children while playing on
the hill known as White Rocks. Bell
was acquitted after a stormy trial, and
returned to his home in Minnesota,
where he afterwards came to his tragic
end. d. r..
The restduction of this old court
house, so replete with memories pf
frontier life, has brought forth floods of
"reminiscences from the pioneers. One
Of the most popular of these is the story
of the Centennial party organized at
Ames, La, in January, 4776. 1t was COM
posed of fourteen members, all residents
of Ames and vicinity with, the exception
of Doctor Overmar This party, with
two loaded wagons, left Sioux City in
the midst of wild March storm over
the old Elkhorn route for the Black,
Hills, under the captaincy. of John John
ston. This party gave its name to that
wide stretch of country, fertile and rich,
now known as Centennial Prairie Mr..
Johnston also started the first newspaper
ever published in Spearfsh.. 5.t. ".
Many, an Indian from the Rosebud
and Pine Ridge agencies was tried
in this old courthouse Chief among
them all was Crow Dog, whose trial
for the murder of Spotted Ttai1 has be-
come historic FIe was condemned to
be hung and the day of execution was
set, when one day he disappeared The
authorities, expected never to see him
again and were unduly surprised when
pne day a short time. before the day
Tor his execution he reappeared. He said,
u go away alone; come back alone
go to, say good bye to the. squaw and
pappooses, now 7 die" But he did not.
When the appeal was taken the court
decided that the United States courts
bad no jurisdiction over, crimes commit
ted by one Indian against another III
Indian country. 1t is because of this
very question that congress afterwards
passed an act giving jurisdiction to the
United States courts in just such cases.
d The various Judges who have presided
i, this circuit and in this old courthouse
were G. Bennett. afterwards dele
gate to congress: G G. Moody, after
wards United States senator; w. E.
church, now "a prominent lawyer iii Chi
cago Charles Thomas, deceased A. j..
PloWrlan and Joseph B Moore, both
now engaged ii the practice Of law III
this county. and wv. e Rice. the present