Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1908-02-06

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residents are accordingly circulating a
petition to congress that is receiving
general signature. Belle Fourche has
vast stretch of adjacent territory north
and east that during the past years has
been filling mp ra pidly and it is largely
for the benefit of these new settlers that
the effort to secure the land office is
being made.
With jact screws and heavy timbers
such as are used in moving houses, w
II Waters, of Miller, is having some
cedar trees, of mature size, moved to
new locations Last fall the trees were
dug round deep down, leaving the roots
in several tons of earth Now that this
mass is frozen the trees are being raised
ont of the ground by the whole bulk
carefully set in another place which was
made ready before the ground froze. 1t
is believed that the trees will start right
off in the spring as though nothing had
happened to them
Harry Frazer, Santee Indian. was
drowned while crossing the Missouri
from Springfield to the agency at San
tee, Neb He had been over there drink
ing heavily, and started on his return
home with party of companions all
more or less drunk. He dropped
through the ice and his companions
were not in condition to render much
assistance. Frazer was graduate of
the Sisseton Indian schools, but had
fallen into disreputable ways ana was a
confirmed lover of firewater. He leaves
no family and no property, the latter,
having been squan dered.
Since financial matters over the coun-
try have been showing an improvement,
the change is apparent in the state land
department. With the opening days of
January there were no final payments
on state lands showing up, and the sit
uation did not look like any great mum
Der coming in. But the last two weeks
has brought in a number of payments,
and in one day last week the depart.
ment sent out more than fifty patents TO
those who had closed their accounts
with the state This gives the depart
ment the ready cash to make new loans
which have been held up until the
money was on hand to supply the
requests.
State Engineer Lea returned to his
home at Pierre January 80 from his trip
to the dry farming congress" which
was held at Salt Lake City. He found
large attendance of delegates who
were just as enthusiastic in regard to
their m ethod of crop raising as are the
irrigation followers, and the "dry" cult
can show returns with far less expense
than can irrigation. Both systems are
growing in extent of use all over the
western part of the United States, and
with both systems in operation that
part of the country which has been held
to be outside crop region will soon be
supporting just as dense population as
is the farming section of the east
The stranger who gave his hame as
Carl Hendrickson, who shot and prob
ably fatally wounded Alexander Him.
mann. of Avon, S. d., and then robbed
his victim of $53, gold watch and chain
and overcoat, is being searched for by
scores of officers Mr.. Hinzmann is in
the Sioux Falls hospital in critical
condition. The fugitive is described as
being about % years of age, of dark
complexion, and at the time he was last
seen wore gray coat, striped trousers,
brown, double breasted overcoat, light
colored cad and wore a sweater with
blue neck in place of vest. He has a
defect In one eye, which is so marked
that it alone would lead to his identi-
fication.
A peculiar incident happened in the
exhibit of chickens in the state poultry
show at Mitchell in which spectator
nearly lost a valuable diamond ring. K
H. Belts, leading grain man, has
something of fondness for chickens
and while walking through the long
rows of coops he stopped before one in
which a friendly hen of the Buff Orping-
ton variety stuch out its head. Mr..
Beets naturally patted the bird on thu
side of the head. not thinking of the
possibility of the bird nipping him.
Mr. Belts wears a valuable diamond
ring and its sparkle attracted the eye of
the hen. Quick as q fash its beak
struck the brilliant and in second the
hen had transferred the diamond from
the setting in the ring to comfortable
corner in its craw. Mr.. Belts hurried
over to Secretary Scailin and wanted TO
know il that hen was for sale, and
explained the serious reason he had for
buying the bird. The owner was not
present and the secretary could not say
It was necessary that the diamond be
secured 50 one or two attendants poured
some hot water down the throat of the
bird expecting it to make the hen sick
and that she would give mp the diamond.
The cilicken became sick, but the dia-
mond was not recovered. Later the hen
died, and after little surgical opera
ton the diamond was secured.