The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1908-04-23
THIEVES,
WERE DIRECTED
BY WOMAN'S WIT
Clever Schsmer Whose Wiiex
Wrought Terror Among the
Pioneer Stockmen.

Oacoma, S. D., April 22.-In the inN
dictment of Joseph DeMarsche for cats
tie rustling and the action OF Judge
Garland, of Sioux Falls, last week In
holding him for trial at Deadwood next
month, brought to light q remarkS
able story of h formation or AM
avowed thieving society, In which a
woman's wit played an important party
THE Circle society,"" as this organi]
zation, dreaded by every I'M
Lyman and Presho counties, was called,t
was the product of the brains OF Mrs
Meyer Winter and her husband. BoundI
by all the rules of a black hand sol
| ciety, operating systematically, with al
membership so secret that no mani
knew whether his neighbor was a thief
or honest citizen, this organization for
10 years terrorized this trans-Missouri
county. Jack Sully, picturesque out1
law, In his aerie on a high hill in the
toughest part of the country, was one
OF the chiefs in the conspiracy.
The Circle society held its monthly
meetings at DeMarsche ranch on tho
Big White river, above the town of
WestoVer. TIL officers OF the society
were: Meyer Winter. president; David
Colombo, vice president; Mrs. Meyer
Winter, treasurer, and Joe DeMarsche,
secretary. Winter left the country
4 EOlllC III oBO ~ SNoP bhbAAANg DA al
bond. He had a store at Westover,i
where members Of the circle came to
talk over plans with him and his wife,
Colombo is now in the penitentiary fort
cattle rustling and DeMarsche is at bay
in the courts. '
Mrs. Winter, as received
the profits Of the wholesale thefts and
distributed them pro rata among the
members. AS natural to one in her
prominent place, she was never at a
loss to suggest ways and means to in
crease the loot of the society, pointing
out herds that could be taken n rel
branded n showing the precise way
to do It.
Monthly assessments were aid by
each member into the treasury n the
funds so raised were used in defending
any member of the organization who
might be arrested for stealing cattle or
horses. Because of its extensive men,
bership n the secrecy which attended
its operations, 1t could never be known
whether or not members were on the
juries that heard the evidence against
any one of the society on trial. John
Bartine, county attorney, dared to I'M
dertake the breaking up of this organi-
cation and, though his house vas burnt
over his head and he was threatened
with death time n again, he never re-
Tented in the unequal struggle. Mem
bers of the society even were elected to
county office, so profoundly secret were
all their doings.
Two regular meetings Of the circle
were held each month, on Sundays
usually, and there was always a large
attendance. Whites, mixed bloods andl
Indians were represented in the organi-
zation.
John Q. Anderson crossed one Of the
members in a saloon at Chamberlain,
defying an order to dance under a re-
volver and twisting the weapon froml
the HANDS Of the outlaw. Knowing this
stockman on the Grow creek to be one
Of their indefatigable opponents and
smarting under his insult, the society
heard and adopted a motion to ruin
Anderson's business. Every member of
the circle took an oath that he would
shoot every cad OF live stock belong
ing to Anderson, wherever he might
find II within the next two weeks, and
the society furnished the ammunition.
AT the next meeting of the circle the
members were called on to report how
well they had carried out their pledges
and it was shown that over 200 of An
derson's cattle and horses had been
slain.
ciety was terrible enough to do justice
TO a Clan-a-Gael, the death penalty be-
ing expressly provided for any act of
~disloyalty. With the settling of the
country, the organization has had more
and more trouble to keep out of the
clutches of the law. A number of it's
members are already i'm prison and II
DeMarsche is convicted, it is likely the
end of cattle rustling I'm this section
will have been sounded.