The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-01-06
APPEARED BAD
Story of An Accident That
Came Near Hanging
a Man.

Colonel Lounsberry in a gossipy let
ter from Washington tells an interest
ing story of Theodore Elton, we'll
known in the early days in this state.
Some of us were chatting at Grand
Forks one day." says the Colonel.
Colonel Smith, Elton and myself were
telling of the meanest things we ever!
did. I'll not tell you what Colonel
Smiths offense was because the Col
onel has gone to the land that is hap
pier than this, and I'll bet he'll not
be shoveling fuel in the one region or
loafing around the throne in the other
but just doing something to help some
body get out of the cave of gloom,
or overcome some great difficulty es-
sential to their welfare. Elton's mean
est thing was to not only whip his
boys for going fishing on Sunday but
to take their fish from them and throw
them back in the river. II the fish
had been alive and he had done it to
give them their freedom it would not
have been SO bad. Did Elton ever tell
you how near he came to being hang
ed for murder one time I'll tell YOU
the story. 1t was when North Dakota
was young. When the distances were
Observation-Disclosures good stopping
places and sometimes between any
kind. He and STEVENSON and couple
OF others drove out from Devils Lake
to about where Pleasant Point is now,
and were going on to a point in Nc
Henry county the next day and to re-
turn the next day and engaged lodg-
ing for that night and the next for the
old Frenchnlan who kept road house
there then. OF course they had the
usual good time in the evening but
got to discussing politics or something
during the latter part of the evening
and quarreled. 1t is probable that as
STEVENSON thought he was big enough
to do it he was going to clean out the
whole bunch-at least so it looked to
the Frenchman. They started out the
next morning not in the best of humor
as 1t appeared to their landlord. On
their return STEVENSON got out at
lake quarter of mile or so from the
house to shoot some ducks for their
evening meal and Jim and the other
members of the party went on to the
ranch to put up the team. Stevenson
fired shot just after they left him
which was heard by the rancher.
There explanation that they had left
Stevenson at the lake to shoot some
ducks was very satisfactory at first,
but when hour after hour passed and
no Stevenson appeared the French
man was certain they had certainly
lost him on the prairies, and was very
confident that they had something to
do with his disappearance.
, He spoiled their rest for the night
by frankly telling them SO and max
Ing their entertainment SO chilling
that some of them went to the barn
and stayed with their horses. Mora
ing came but no Steenerson. They
found him next day, many miles from
where they left him, as he had travel
ed all night, foot sore suffering from
hunger and with worse thirst than
| had when w. e. Curtis and General
Bell lost me among the buffalo away
north OF Glendive in the early times,
III tell you about that some day.
Elton thinks he was never so glad
to see man In all his born days as
he was. to see Steenerson next day.
He began to realize what circuinstan-
tial evidence might do for man had