Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1908-12-25

The last chapter in long record OF
crime was finished in Canton last
Friday when Judge Jones in special
session pronounced sentence upon six
young men that landed them in pri-
son. The court house was jammed
with people when the Judge opened
court and in terest in the subse-
quent proceedings was intense and
terribly dramatic. Fathers and
and relatives were there with
broken hearts while others were
there to witness shameful drama
that tlays our proud record as a city
into tatters, and yet there were 9TH
ers there who had suffered loss at the
hands of these men. They came to
see justice and law vindicated and
went away not altogether satisfied,
because they had hoped the ring
leader would have got a longer term
than years.
The LEADER had warned those gull
ty of arson that their crimes would
find them out and that an outraged
people would hunt them down In
time, and repeatedly urged them to
stop their horrible work. We pre-
sumo they laughed at our advice and
planned for another fire, but they
know now that our advice was good
though unheeded.
The beginning of this criminal COM
bination dates back several years, at
least seven years ago the railroad cars
we're being looted. Then the fires be-
gan. At first pure cussedness prompt
ed the acts of arson, then freedom
from detection made them bolder and
seemed safe from the mid
night torch. With the burning OF
the Mutual Lumber yard our people
began to realize the desperate nature
Of those engaged in the work. The
wind was blowing fifty miles an hour
when the flames leaped high from
the main lumber shed and just across
the street there was another big lum-
ber yard over which the flames leaped
and roared for nearly an hour. 1t
was dreadful night for Canton, but
the fury of the storm carried the
great tongues of kissing flame high
over the other yard and it was saved,
not alone by the fury of the wind,
but by heroic work of the tiremen who
fought as brave fight as tiremen
ever fought and Hemstock was there
fighting fire like an honest fireman.
That fire gave Canton the shivers and
the town shivered everytime the fire
whistle shrieked an alarm. The low
er end of the town was saved that
night but it was a narrow escape.
Then came the burning of Judge Ken
nedy's monster hay filed barn, and
Canton seemed to be marked for de-
struction.
Suspicion of guilty ones was thick
enough to cut but there was no proof
and Canton went on shivering.'
One night in September when the
wind was blowing a fifty mile gale
from the south and everything as dry
as tinder the tirebugs put torch un-
der one of the big elevators on the
railroad track and another great fire
was blazing. Two elevators, railroad
cars and corn cribs we're burned and
this time the entire east part of the
city was in danger of being destroyed.
Here again the fremen did heroic
work and their saving the Hunting
elevator from destruction saved the
Electric light plant, the Roller mill
and the Farmers and Fitch elevators,
for had they burned the residence
portion Of the city could not have es-
capped, and as it was the homes of
many were saved by heroic work of
men, women and boys who protected
their homes from sparks and chunks
of burning wood that fell on dry roofs,
porches and dry lawns. 1t was a ter
rible fire and again luck and hard
work saved the city. The enormity
of the crime in setting such fire on
such night can not be measured in
any punishment under our miserable
statute for third degree arson, which
is not less than four nor more than
seven years in the pen. The statute
should read Is to 80 years. Had that
fire ever got into the residence dis
trict with such a wind and the fire
helpless to do more than
they were doing in saving the big
Hunting elevator, no one can meas
ure the loss, misery, ruin and suffer
ing that would have followed such a
dreadful catastrophe, and yet the law
says not less than four nor more than
seven years for such a dastardly
crime, and there is little doubt but
human life would have been sacri-
feed and animals without number.
With the bitterness in ones heart
over that fearful night, the desire
was for speedy and terrible punish.
ment, but as time rolled on sorrow
takes the place of bitterness and
mercy creeps into the human breast
and the sight of weeping mothers soft
ems the desire for vengence.
Mixed with the fires were numer-
Gus burglaries and on several occas-
ions the fires gave the guilty ones a
chance to rob with greater ease.
Some OF the fires were no doubt the