The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1906-04-13
Cleaning Them. Out.

the recent term OF ulSCTlCC COuTt Ill
McHenry county, our sister coun-
Ity. on the north, was a faithful one
and that a number of characters
whose actions have been viewed
with suspicion in connection with
the disappearance Of horses and
cattle for sc many years past have
run their race and will now serve
as object lessons in the state peni.
Tertiary. This goes to show that
those that persist in following the
business of stealing and running
off stock are bound to be caught uI
and to meet the fate they court in
time. Mark A. Pace, Ed. and Will
England are former residents OF
this county, having ranched around
NJ Clusky:
Court convened here today for
the purpose of passing sentence on
eleven men who were convicted
during the term. There we're los
civil cases on the calendar and ff-
teen criminal cases. About one
half of the civil cases were dis
posed of without trial either on
motions or settlement. Out of the
criminal cases there were eleven
convictions. five of them being for
felonies, four of which are convic-
lions of the supposed horse steal
ing gang which is operating be-
tween Montana, eastern North
Dakota and Canada. The four
men convicted in this connection
are Mark A. Pace, convicted of
of forgery lin the second degree,
his hired man, Melvin Dill, plead
guilty to the same crime. Will
England, of criminal conspiracy,
and Ed. England of receiving stol-
en- property. crime equal to grand
larceny. Mark A. Pace is an old
time farmer who has lived about
fifteen miles southwest of this
place for the past twenty years;
he is about IS years of age and has
a family. In the fall of 1904 he
returned home one day with a bill
announcing an auction sale at Ber-
wick, n. D. He talked the sale
over with his hired man, Melvin
Gill and wanted him to go to Ber-
wick on the day Of the auction and
bid in the property in a fictitious
name, and they would divide up
the spoils. AT first the hired man
would not consent to be used as a
tool for such purpose, but finally
he agreed.
On the day Of the auction sale
both Pace and the hired man were
there and Gill bid in two large
horses and three head Of cattle,
giving his name as Brooks and
claiming to be from the northern
part of the county. He signed
notes for the amount by the name
of Brooks and gave a mortgage on
some land and cattle and other
property which he claimed he
owned in the northern part Of the
county. Gill and Pace drove the
cattle and horses by a round about
way to PAGES home. Then Ed.
England, a brother-in-law of Pace,
and his brother. Will England,
drove the horses and some of the
cattle twenty miles southwest to
the Rat lands, which has always
been a favorite retreat for horse
thieves in McHenry and Rolette
counties. Afterwards it appears
that Gill went to Granville and
got Attorney Brock to make out a
bill of sale on these horses and cat
tie, conveying the title from
Brooks to Ed. England, Gill sign
ing the name of Brooks again.
This bill of sale was flashed in
court, but when the state cross-ex-
amined Gill he plead guilty to the
whole affair and confessed all and
swore to it on the stand. Ed.
England was Immediately arrested
for perjury and bond fixed at S..
600. He had claimed that he did
not know Gill and Pace; they had
attempted to fix the entire crime
on Gill and thus clear themselves
4 no q t5