The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-01-27
WOMAN BROUGHT GAMBLERS AND
SALOON MEN TO THEIR KNEES
Miss Fern Hobbs Private Secretary Governor West
feq self Now Being Talked of For Next Chief Fxecu-
's's the State of Oregon

and soon internal war was declared
IN this bowl Of nature, with no one
outside TO fear or care
III. A. Stewart and Tony Warner.
early settlers, owned a saloon. Will
lam Wiegand, Tom Ingram, Martin
knezevitch and Montenegrin were
also in the saloon business and were
getting most of the trade from the
cattlemen back in the hills. Last MAY
while kneZevitch and his wife were
asleep. some one set fire to his saloon
loon, and the building and the hotel
next door burned to the ground The
couple escaped by quick flight Knee
witch started anew at the end of town
just where the cattlemen came in from
the ranges
\ Hot City Election.
His opponents then won their ticket
in a hot city election and took away
his license. Stewart was mayor, and
his partned in the saloon business.
Warner, was councilman. William
Wiegand, a saloon keeper: Charles
kuntz, bartender. A w. Parker, a
teacher and J. j. Burns. a liverymap
were also councilmen. Burns was an
| ex-cOnvict. Some one stole some
| horses. Burns went out with the 9TH
| ers and captured the thief. They tied
the man under the horse and dragged
him back to Copperfield, nearly dead.
KneZeyich would not leave, and last
November soon after the election, his
| saloon again burned, as did Wiegand's
Both found oil-soal1ed hindling in
their places, and each accused the
| other, saying they had started the two
| fires to throw suspicion upon the 9TH
| ers action. Knezevich took his troub-
les into court but lost.
| County Prosecutor c. I. Goodwin
was called from the county seat at
| Dol r,
| such wrangling and such counter ac-
| cuSations that he could not get stable
evidence He was big and broad
| shouldered, but could do nothing.
Then they called Sheriff Ed Rand.
Rand is feet inches and weighs
over 200 pounds. He formerly work
! ed in q lumber camp, and he Is all
muscle, but even their respect for his
| strength and determination would not
| scare the warning factions into Civ
| ing him a coherent story, and he left
| in disgust.
A Messenger Needed.
| Then petition was sent to Gov
West knezevich was blamed for send
ing it, but this he denies. The petition
asked that the council be deposed, and
the governor found that there was
chance to do this, because the council
| was controlled by saloon men, He
called on County Prosecutor Goodwin
and Sheriff Rand to remove the men
from office. The two county officials
| asked how this was to be accom-
plished. They could find no handle to
use in legal manner.
"If you don't find a way. [ will, !" an
| sWered Gov. West, and he sought for
a plan to make these men, $50 miles
from the State capital behave or get
out. He would give the men, strongly
| intrenched TO battle with the outside.
a chance to quit control Of the city.
and if they refused he would wipe out
their business. He would first send a
personal message telling them to quit.
But how to get that message TO them
was the problem. If he sent it by
mail, no attention would be paid to It
If he sent a man. the ma n might not
come back to tell the tale. II he sent
soldiers. their fate might be the same
In his dilemma he though of Fern
Hobbs. Fern Hobbs is frail little
woman. not out Of her twenties. She
is five feet tall. She had served faith
fully at the typewriter and at the files
with always a happy smile, but little
to say. She was too busy" to talk
Gov. West knew her story, how a
few years ago in her mothers kitchen
she had an idea, from which sprany
an ideal. Then. as she worked among
the pots and pans during the day. she
used the remainder Of her time t.
study stenography and shorthand un :
til she was able to enter an office T.,
her position with an attorney she con :
!. | tinued her studies. never forgettinl =
her home. Her two sisters say that
it was due to Fern that they received
their education.
One Who Could Be Trusted
Gov. West knew that he could trus
t her He had sent her, only a few
: months before, to Washington 10 se.s
Continued on Page Eleven