The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1912-08-01
O WHO
In South Dakota
By O. N. coursey
A Se!f-Made Attorney,

The second class that graduated
from the Mitchell high school, ava,
back in the year 1887, consisted OF
four girls and two boys. The youne
ladies were the Misses Stella Adams
Emily Rogers, Beulah Windle ant
Eva Keith. They are today Mrs. Stel.
la Meyer. Mrs. Emily Upton, Mrs
Beulah Scallin-all of Mitchell-and
Mrs, Eva Mohr of Alexandria. res.
p%ectively. Having each one married
they curbed their ambitions fol
greatness in life, except in the realm
OF motherhood. The two men were
Marvin Dundas and Timon j. Spang.
Ter. Unfortunately. Dundas, a lad of
great promise died shortly after
graduating, leaving Spangler, alone,
TO achieve distinction.
Timon J. Spangler.
Born at Amboy, H., in 1869,
young Spangler's parents brought
him to Dakota in the spring of 1883,
and the family settled on "a Dawson
county farm. Like most of the rug
ged pioneers of those days, they were
poor. Timon yearned for an educa-
ton. He therefore went to Mitchell
where he supported himself and
worked his way through high school,
as a newsboy, selling the Mitchell
Daily Republican. 1t was at that
time a morning sheet. Young Spang-
Ter got up at a o'clock, regularly
every morning, so as to get his pap
ers and be the first boy on the streets
offering them for sale and making
deliveries to his customers. Each
night, after getting his studies for
the ensuing day, he went to the COM
posing rooms of the daily and set
type, so as to learn the printers
trade. This knowledge became very
useful to him later on, as we shall
subsequently see.
Out in the World.
When young Spangler graduated
from the Mitchell high school, he was
six feet tall, slender, 1.-the, a foot
racer and an all-round athlete. (To-
day ne weighs $50 pounds). Fired
with ambition, n month after grad
uation he struck out into the cold,
crule world, to begin a new career.
Going to Sioux City, he worked on
the Sioux City Journal for a few
months, and then switched over to
the Sioux City Tribune, with which
he was identified for nearly two
years. In 1889 he struck west and
landed in the then village of Hot
Springs. Buying a press and a small
equipment he established at Hot
Springs the "Minnekahta Herald.3'
Final proofs on Fall River county
homesteads were being made thick
and fast. Spangler got all of these
notices of final proof for publication.
AT the end of a year he had cleared
$4,000. Then he sold the plant to the
"Oelrichs Times" which was moved
to Hot Springs and merged with the
"Minnekahta Herald" thereby giving
birth to the Hot Springs Times
Herald" which is still published in
that city by a gentleman named Har-
rison.
Lawyer.
From his early days while stand
ing as a newsboy in the corridors of
the old court house at Mitchell and
listening to the eloquent H. c.. Pres
ton pleading for justice for his eli
ents, before the bar of man, Spang-
Ter had determined to fit himself for
a lawyer. With the money earned at
Hot Springs he made a bold dash for
Ann Arbor. Mich, and entered the
famous law school at that place. His
funds became exhausted, but he had
a trade to fall back on. Entering a
print shop and working as a devil
therein at night he earned enough to
put himself through school.
After graduating at Ann Arbof
with the class of 1898, he returned
direct to Mitchell where, for nineteen
consecutive years. he has engaged in
the practice of his chosen profession
The starvation period" in a law
yer's career came truthfully home to
Spangler. The first three years his
annual income from his practice av.
eraged him only 5000. This scarcely
paid his office rent. But Timon haG
bull dog tenacity-he stuck. Condi-
tions changed. He got a toothold;
his practice began to enlarge rapidly
and during the next few years he
forged to the front so rapidly that
he SOC acquired the largest individ.
ual law practice in the state.
Spangler is, first of all, successful.
trial lawyer. His massive phys.
ique and overpowering personality
his deep BASS voice, his force. logic
and shrewdness-all combine to fiji
him prominently for practice in
court. For nineteen years he has
tried cases in the old court o
against the mighty Preston whose
stirring eloquence at the same bal
fired the ambition of Spangler as {
boy and gave rise to his success ir
life. Today his practice is so exten'
sive that he has to hire another goot
lawyer at a good salary to remain
in his Office and do nothing but draw
up his papers.
He was states attorney in Dawson
county, 19O5-19OS, inclusive. Dur
ing his service he made a record as
a public prosecutor W. before
equaled or approached by any other
attorney in the state. In all he sen,
about thirty men to the pennitenti,
iary-eventeen OF them in n year
HoboS coming to Mitchell, having
heard of him, marked on the rail,
road ties and signboards near thai
place, certain signs as a caution to
to their uniformed comrades to be.
ware
In 1902. without any solicitation
on his part, General Conklin appoint.
ed him judge advocate general of the