The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1920-01-30

used TO be said that if the freight
Blackfoot and should go into Central
Idaho via Ketchum, Blackfoot would
become flag station and remain
so. Therefore Biethan was consid-
| cred a man of doubtful foresight
when he erected a twO-story stone
building for his store. Mr.. Biethan
was one of half dozen men who
stepped into the breach when Black
foot had its sugar factory stolen
from it by one Nielsen, promoter
who sold it to us and then sold it
again to Idaho Falls. It was a clean
steal and a clean getaway, and most
people sat down and twirled their
thumbs and considered themselves
beaten. Not so with Biethan and his
half dozen associates. They planned
and waited and waited till the vital
moment when they could claim their
own and filed an injunction against
having their mill made fast at the
site above Idaho Falls, now called
Lincoln. They brought Nielsen to
terms and got $1,000 in cash and
with that they paid up their promo
ton bills and went out promoting
again and got the present mill that
stands above the fairgrounds
Biethan is 'scrapper," and he took
leading part in the fight that
brought Nielsen to bay.
A Joker Who Joked
GEORGE A. ROBETHAN was
fine spenman. He started life for
himself at very early age, working
somewhat as bound-boy, and at the
hardest labor one could suggest
on the screening section of coal
mine. But tho George worked while
others learned their A B C's, and
their multiplication table, he learned
to read and write and conduct bust
ness so he made money. For many
years he was the auditor and re-
corder in this county and came to be
rated as capitalist who didn't have
to work unless he wanted to. He
took keen interest in the fair and |
its races and amusements. He was
good joker and loved to get some
of the excitable fellows into an argu-
ment as to whether people like horse
races or not, and then he would sit
back and laugh up his sleeve while
they settled the momentous ques-
ton. He was quiet and likable, but |
one had to know him to appreciate |
him. One day when one of the |
stockholders of the fair was dis
couraged and angry and wanted to
sell off the property and let it go,
Robethan jollied him along and tried
to convince him it was better to
persevere, but the fellow was stormy
and said the fair was failure and
that the stock was only worth 25
cents on the dollar. A crowd had |
gathered around and Robethan
asked the man IL he would sell his
own stock at that price, and in his
anger he replied that the would
Robethan nudged friend in the
crowd and told him to slip out and
get all the cash he could in a few
and bring it in. They bought
all of the fellows stock while the
buying was good, and then went
about among the candidates for Of
flee and told them that it was mark
of public-spiritedness for each one
to buy 500 worth of stock in the
fair, which they did as part of their
expense. On each sale
there was profit of SIS and Mr..
and his friend turned it all
into the treasury of the fair associa-
ton and by that maneuver paid off
some old debts and threw fresh cour-
age ald enthusiasm into the board of
directors.
The foregoing is a review of the
ZEN men who constituted the first
board of directors. In succeeding
chapters we shall tell something of
he twenty-five others who filled ,
places on the board in later years.
t- To be continued.