The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1906-03-08
C0L. L0unsbeITY S Notes ON. Dakotans

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the 1 Bismarck stage line, should ii be
estapllshed, and then to Chicago, making
1ttessaIlle arrangements with the Chicago
and Northwestern, meeting Mclean
tagahn at Chicago Il sS 4, ss
Russell Blakely, of St. Paul, completed
the transportation ARRANGEMENTS from
Bismarck and for the stage route, Sc
curing reasonable rates from the gov
ernnlent for carrying the mail seven
times a week. a
he company was known s as the
Northwestern Stage & Transportation
20. Burbank and Carpenter, identified
with the early staging interests Of the
Iked ise river valley, were interested par
ties. They built bridges and stations
and sent out supplies, and provided
armed guards not only to protect against
Indians but against robbers who soon
infested the country, but the "road
agents" probably never knew of the inn
mefise sums of currency sent over this
route to the Black Hills, because there
was a persistent attempt to hide this
TACT while the impression was Strength
sned by every possible means that the
route to Sidney was. carrying the treas
ures and that route got the "hold-ups." :"
When the new mail lettings occurred
g firm Of mail route grafters bid in the
Black Hills route at about half the for
mer pr1ce. They were to commence
service the first of july and it would
cost them more than the aggregate of
their compensation for four years to
get ready to carry the mail So their
thottght was to get the postrnasters at
eitfler end to make the necessary re-;
ports that would show service. Thev5
assured ME that the DeadWood post
master was all right and indicated that
they could make it to my interest to
JON him in helping them out" They
We're assured that there was no possible
way they could make it to nv interest
TO make a false report The next prop
.osition was that I should hold a part
.ot the mail. Arldswere informed that
not piece would be held. They next.
asked that the mail be put in a small
sack. That | consented to do. Thew
next asked that let them have the
mail half an hour earlier than the
schedule time so as to give them an
early start. That I also consented to
do, as there was no mail coming in so
early in the morning. SO they took.
the mail, put it in a trunk, bought
tickets over the established stage line,
and delivered the mail promptly at the
other end of the route. They did not
incur the expense of dollar fitting up
the line, and finally forced Blakely to
'earry the, mail and give, them half Of.
the reduced compensation. Their Dead
wood friend finally went to the peni-
tentiary for grating The Crook civ
postmaster also went to the penitentiarv1
tor stealing lot of registered letters
tor which he produced my receipts, bt1t
IN entering stolen packages on nv re-
ceipts which had been returned du1yI
signed for what I did receive, his peI1
slipped one day and barely touched the
red ink date Of receipt inserted by me
\ he inspector had spent weeks looking
me up from the cradle, and in my daily
lite and habits. but never asked me for
an explanation. They told him what
kind of a fellow Lounsberry was and
pointed out his unfortunate slip Of the
pen and he confessed.
The other route was from Bismarck
to Miles City weekly, allowing some
Sin days for the trip. each way. The
route was let for 81, 800 per anrunn. Tel
cost the contractors some $4,000 TO build
the necessary stations and bridges be-
tore they could make a trip. The route
was infested BY Indians 1t was estab-
lished regardless of these difficulties IL /
was increased and expedited under the
system they then had Of doing those
things, until the compensation was rais-
ed to 600 per aniiuIll The service
was to be in sixty hours. There was
no dickinson then. and none of the /
towns west of Bismarck, not even Man
dan, were in existence They carried
he mail on schedule time during the |
good weather iii summer and atiturnnj
but the winter time came, when to make /
hat trip on schedule time was i11lpos-
'ible. They placed some thousands Of |
dollars in the hands Of Bismarck
banker who telegraphed me to meet
lifll IN ST. Paul, in the hope of aSraflg-
lg the matter in some way that would /
-esiilt in their benefit. + did not Iistenl
ar enough to learn just what they WANT
ID done. Tlley Ayere informed that there
re some things better than money and
hat they must carry the mail or quit. +
Ihey were fined $1,000 a week for tllir-
cen successive weeks, and do you kflow
hat it was that fact, and the further
act that was authorized to re-let the
ontract for 10000 a year, which II
advertised and could not get a single
'idder, chat saved them on their trial |
/ Washington fol conspiracy. From \
tllllors had reason to suppose that |
hey were taking the mail daily from |
ny Office and carrying ii to one of the
lear stations, and there holding until 1
week mail accumulated, returning
nail every day BY thai means there /
we're some fourteen days consumed in
citing each mail to its destination whenl
he schedule time was sixty hours. The |,
mes were based on delays instead OIL,
ailtlres ard therefore there was sorael
hing left Of the annual conlpensation.l
ven alter paying the fines. The gov
rnfnent theory Of the cases was tllatI
be postiliasters Wefe ia the conspiracyl
nd vixen on the stand tlley were crowd
ig me very closely I'd bring out nv
lor3<r