The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, February 15, 1917, Page 9

NYONE who travels through what is now the prairie state of South Dakota, with its pros- perous-looking, well-improved ranches and thriving young villages and larger cities, with big state buildings and public schools, would hardly realize that until the early eighties or until the Chicago & Northwestern railroad’ pushed its way over the flower-decked plain to old Fort Pierre, the country was inhabited by nothing but game, both big and little, and an occasional band of Indians. But after the road came, the country soon settled with pioneers of all classes. Some came to stay—in fact most. of them did; others —a very few—came for no other pur- pose than to “file” on a piece of free .ngvemment land, get what they could out of it and move on to pastures new. Among the first to come to the coun- try where we had located a homestead was a colony of Belgians, most of whom had only been a short time “over.” There were, as I remember, one or two who spoke a little English, and it was decidedly little. But be that as it may, I want no better neighbors than those same Belgians—honest and straight forward to a fault, and a better class of people to live by it would be hard to find. Father and Mother had been raised in “lower” Canada, among the French, and both could speak the language fluently, so that it made no difference with us whether our nearest neighbor, & Mr Connard, could talk English or not. The Canadian French and Bel- gians speak almost the same “lingo.” At least' we had no trouble in making them understand, nor they us. On the quarter west of ours was a family whose name I do not now remember. Joining our homestead on the north was a widow, Mrs. Bennett, and on the east lived a man named Woods— “0Old Man Woods,” about the meanest old sinner who ever pulled a cork out of a bottle or shot his neighbor's horses. If there was any trouble in the country, you might be sure old Woods had something to do with it BELGIAN KILLS AN ANTELOPE One morning during the early sum- mer of '80, while I was finishing up a little strip of breaking, I broke a clevis, and being afraid to leave the team to go and get another, I called to father to bring one out to me, but he had himself broken one the day before so that we had no extra one on the place, So he started across the field towards Connard’s to borrow ore until we could get to town, as we were anxious to finish up that day. Just then we both heard the sharp crack of a rifle, but did not pay any at- tention to it as nearly every one carried a gun in those days and a good many of us depended on our “shooting irons” to supply us with meat, for let me tell you that none of us had more to eat than the “law allowed.” When father came back with the clevis, I asked him if he saw any one with a gun and he said he came upon Connard skinning an antelope, but not to say anything about it, and he had cautioned Connard not to leave any “evidence” laying around where any one would find it as it was against the law, even in those days, to kill antelopes. But I hardly think Connard was the only settler who had broken the game laws, though I doubt if any one did it unless out of necessity. I had forgotten all about the incident till about 1 o'clock in the . afternoon. I saw a buggy drive up to Connard’s and a few minutes after- wards drive away with two men in the rig. In a little while, one of Connard’s little girls came running across the *prairie and told father that Struble had come and “took‘papa away.” Struble was the deputy sheriff. Father turned to me and said: TRIAL 1S BEFORE JUSTICE OF PEACE “Never mind that strip of breaking; I am going to take the team and find out what's up.” That night when he came home he ,told us old Woods had caught Connard burying the antelope hide and had had him arrested. The trial had been set for 10 o'clock the next day before Judge Ackerman, an old Union soldier, who had been elected the fall before as the first justice of peace in that township. At 9 o'clock the court room was crowded and standing room was at a premium, for news like that carried on the wings of the wind. There were no telephones at that early date, and automobiles were decidedly scarce—and Connard was a man who was not only well liked, but well known. But I hardly think any one would say that for Woods. I believe there was more justice in that trial than law. The whole pro- This is Denny Hannafin, famous character of the two Dakotas, who lives at Bismarck, N. D. He is known as the “squatter governor.” governor, but he acquired his nickname by virtue of his being one of the oldest pioneers of the Dakotas. He lived at Yankton in what is now South Dakota in the territorial days when Yankton was the capitol of “Dakota territory.” came well known by the politicians of the two states by his constant attendance on legislative sessions. . they choose to follow. He’s Called “Squatter Governor” THE HOLD-OVER AND HOLD-UP SENATORS (Editorial in the Cayuga (N. D.) Citizen) It should be truly regretted by the citizens of North Dakota that there are in the state senate twenty-four hold-over senators, who with the few of the opposition forces elected, have the opportunity and will probably take advantage of it, to impede the progress of the Nonpartisan League program. This situation is made doubly regretable by the fact that most of these senators were elected from counties where the League elected, by large majorities, their candidats and polled a large majority for the Non- partisan ticket. Most of these senators realize that this will be their last term in office and consequently have no one to answer to for any course The main business of some of these senators has been blocking pre- gressive legislation for the farmers, and they will probably make a stubborn fight to continue along this line. With such men as Governor Frazier, and the real men of North Dakota, as elected to the legislature of this state, at the helm of the Nonpartisan League, it can be taken for granted that any legislation that is introduced will have the sanction of the farmers of this state, and to delay such a program would merely tend to show the real caliber of the twenty-four hold-over senators. North Dakota has put the farmers in almost every state office, and is prepared to elect them again in two years, should their legislation be blocked the first time, and incidentally, these twenty-four hold-over sen- ators will be missing from the senate then. a N Ao XRUWSTA i midt cedure was, to say the least crude. Father was appointed “official inter- pretor” and he also acted as Connard’s attorney. The judge read the com- plaint and Connard, through his in- terpretor, pleaded guilty. Woods made a few remarks to the jury, stating his case, and wound up by saying he be- lieved in upholding the law passed by congress and thought it was about time something was done to stop this ante- lope killing business, and the court should make an example of some of He was never He be- N ¥ '%?’%;":‘Yv oF these “ignorant Belgians.” Anyhow, he didn’t say anything about the time he had been caught wiping the blood off his knife after he had disemboweled a sleeping hog belonging to Mrs. Bennett. But when it came father's turn to make his little “speil,” he (Woods) got what he had coming. Not only did he hear about the hog, but about everything else from sheep stealing to deserting his wife and family in Ohio. Dad had his record right down to date and finished up his speech by telling him that the best place for men of hig stamp was in jail,and if there was any- way to do it he (father) wous. s h&s he got there. SHOOTING IRON WAS NOT THERE Just then I saw Wooed's hand go around to his hip pocket for his shoot- ing iron, but I had sat down behind him and just before dad got up to make his “address” I had lifted it out of Woods’ holster. Dad told me after the trial he had seen me when I took it so he hadn’t even kept his eye on Woods. Dad sat down then and Mr. Acker- man read his “charge’” to the jury, say- ing among other things that as the de- fendant had pleaded guilty there was nothing for them to do but return a verdict to that effect. The law provid- ed a fine of $100 and three months in jail, one or cither or both, and without waiting for the jury to go through the formality of balloting, he kept right on with his “charge.” He believed a good deal as Woods had stated—it was time to make an example of somebody. Therefore, he would fine Mr. Connard the limit. But the law provided that the complaining witness should have one-half the fine as his reward, but it was evident that Connard had nothing to pay a fine with. “Therefore and accordingly,” said the judge, “I am going to leave out the hundred dollars and under the circum- stances I have authority to remit the jail sentence. I would like to give old Woods about half of it, but I believe a good coat of tar and feathers would look d--- good on him.” And then Bedlam broke loose. I saw Struble whisper something to Woods and he got up in a hurry and went out the back door and Struble stood with his back to it till he got a good start. Nobody ever saw him aggin. The next morning his team was gone, so we al- ways thought that some one had helped him get out of the country with what little they could get together in a hurry, . but nobody so far as we know, ever saw him again. Judge Ackerman died in the Soldiers® home in Minneapolis. I saw him about a month before the end and we had a good laugh about his first “case.” I helped to dig poor Connard’s frozen remains out of the snow and lower it to its last resting place three weeks after the big blizzard in January, ’88. Father has been dead 20 years—in fact very few of the old homesteaders who settled that part of South Dakota are there today. Connard’s only son, Charley, was killed at El Carney and the mother died years ago, and the last we heard of Mrs. Bennett she had married again and left the state. I still have Wood’s gun, but have never used it IT TAKES A BIG KICK Goldwin, N. D., Jan. 22, 1917, Editor Nonpartisan Leader: Dear me, it takes a mule well shod with an iron kick to knock Big Biz and special privilege out of the way. But a pest like that is like the plague, hard to get rid of. We sure have some honorable hold-over senators that will sooner take fip with special grafters than to help make laws that will make the state a better place to live in. They would sooner block progress and linger the thing along, sb the dividends won't be cut of so sudden. Who can tell but what they take a drag from somewhere. People as a rule don't stop a good cause that the majority wants unless there is a lot of grease on the rail and causes the wheel to slip. But you can never tell what a skunk will do next. But let’s not criticize them too much. You know they may come to their senses yet and take the slice of bread buttered on both sides in preference to that one-side smear. F. A. LESKA.