USA > South Dakota > Minnehaha County > History of Minnehaha county, South Dakota. Containing an account of its settlements, growth, development and resources Synopsis of public records, biographical sketches > Part 24
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94
The foregoing is sufficient to outline the incidents connected with one of the most horrible tragedies that ever occurred in a civil- ized community, and one which undoubtedly will never be paralleled in Minnehaha county.
THE MURDER OF ALFRED ERIKSON.
Sometime during the early evening of December 7, 1897, Alfred Erikson, a young man about twenty-two years of age, was most bru- tally murdered. The crime was committed in a small one-story house located near the Mulhall block on Main avenue in the City of Sioux Falls. He was an eccentric character, and known to be a little below par in point of intelligence, but strong and robust. The house in which he was killed, was occupied by James Garrington, a small man about sixty-six years of age, who was at that time in feeble health. Erikson had the day before returned to Sioux Falls, from whence he had fled on the 28th day of August, preceding, to escape arrest upon a complaint charging him with having committed a serious offense upon the person of a girl about eleven years of age, the daughter of William West of Sioux Falls. The girl during Erikson's absence had been sent to the Reform school at Plankinton, and was burned to death at the time the Reform school buildings were destroyed by fire. Erikson arrived in town December 6, and stopped over night with his aunt, Mrs. Langbien. During the fore- noon of the day following, Erikson went to Garrington's place, took dinner with him, and was out and in during the day. He was at Dunning's drug store at 4:45 P. M., where he was last seen alive. A little past midnight that night, he was found dead in Garrington's building. As stated above, he had been brutally murdered, there being no less than thirty-three wounds upon his person. Garrington was immediately arrested, and he then charged Wm. West with hav- ing committed the murder. Two hours later West was arrested. During the evening of that day, representatives of the Sioux Falls Daily Press interviewed Garrington and represented to him that West could prove an alibi, and that the only hope he had was to con- fess that he did it, and to claim that he did it in self-defense. Before they left they succeeded in getting Garrington to sign such a state- ment. Within an hour thereafter State's Attorney Bates, with two
234
HISTORY OF MINNEHAHA COUNTY.
or three others, also visited the prisoner, when he made in substance the same statement to them. The next day West was discharged, and Garrington remained in prison charged with the murder of Erikson. On the 13th day of December he plead not guilty and Mon- day the 3d day of January, 1898, was fixed for his trial. Before this time arrived, on motion of the defendant, the time of trial was changed to Monday, January 31. A special venire was issued for seventy-five jurymen in addition to the regular panel, and the trial commenced at the time appointed. State's Attorney C. P. Bates, assisted by ex-State's Attorney P. J. Rogde, appeared for the prose- cution, and D. R. Bailey, assisted by A. F. Orr, appeared for the defendant. The trial lasted until February 9. The jury retired at 11:05 A. M., and at 4:10 P. M. returned a verdict of guilty, fixing the death penalty. On the 14th day of February, Judge Jones sentenced Garrington to be hanged on the 14th day of April, 1898. D. R. Bailey, attorney for Garrington, made a motion for a new trial, based upon alleged errors occurring at the trial, and upon newly discovered evidence, which motion was on the 4th day of April denied by Judge Jones. Mr. Bailey, on the 8th day of April, secured a writ of error from the supreme court, which operated as a stay of the execution of Garrington, and all further proceedings in the case were trans- ferred to the supreme court. On the 14th day of June, the case was argued by C. P. Bates and D. R. Bailey, and the court took the case under advisement.
The last of August, 1898, the supreme court granted a new trial, and at the next term of the circuit court the case was called on Tuesday, the 3d day of January, 1899, and the trial commenced. The same attorneys appeared for the prosecution as at the former trial, and D. R. Bailey, assisted by D. J. Conway and C. C. Gliem, conducted the defense. On the 12th day of January, at four o'clock in the afternoon, the case was submitted to the jury. At nine o'clock the next morning the jury found Garrington guilty, and fixed his punishment imprisonment for life.
The writer having been the leading attorney in the defense, will refrain from any comment, except to assert that a large percentage of the people in the county feel confident that if the whole facts were known other parties would be implicated in this brutal murder.
THE JOHN McDONALD HOMICIDE.
During the evening of December 24, 1897, an affray occurred be- tween John McDonald, a printer, and Gilbert Gilman, a saloon keeper, both of Sioux Falls, which resulted in the death of Mc- Donald.
There were some words between the parties in a saloon on Phil- lips avenue in reference to a bill Gilman claimed McDonald owed him. Gilman left the saloon, McDonald followed him and continued to talk to him about the matter. Just as they turned the corner of Tenth street, going east, Gilman turned around and struck Mc- Donald a slight blow upon his face, telling him to stop his talking, and then walked away. Shortly after, McDonald was found lving on the sidewalk in a dying condition, and was carried back into the
235
HISTORY OF MINNEHAHA COUNTY.
saloon, where he in a few minutes expired. Considerable excite- ment prevailed in the community in reference to the affair. Gilman was arrested and bound over to the circuit court, which was then in session. State's Attorney Bates filed an information against Gilman charging him with manslaughter. There is a statute which declares that homicide "when perpetrated without a design to effect death by a person while engaged in the commission of a misdemeanor" is guilty of manslaughter in the first degree. The trial commenced on Thursday, January 6, State's Attorney Bates appearing for the pros- ecution, and H. H. Keith for the defense. After the regular panel had been exhausted, a special venire was issued for additional jurors. At 3:30 P. M., the following jurors were accepted: Charles Foss, Frank Edgington, E. T. Haves, Fred Witte, P. F. Sherman, Sam Herbert, Chas. Arndt, W. H. Holt, and Henry Dalton, all of Sioux Falls, W. J. Page of Dell Rapids, H. A. Foster of Wayne, and I. N. Griffith of Brandon. The testimony of Doctors Morgan and Olney, who conducted the post-mortem examination upon the body of Mc- Donald, developed the fact that he came to his death from the ob- struction in the air passage to the lungs by quite a large quantity of fine cut tobacco and mucus, which they found in the trachea and bronchial tubes.
The case was vigorously tried by the attorneys. Mr. Bates claimed that Gilman while in the act of striking McDonald was com- mitting a misdemeanor, and that the blow McDonald received caused him to swallow the tobacco which resulted in his death, and hence the jury should find him guilty of manslaughter as charged in the information. Mr. Keith, on the other hand, claimed that the prose- cution had not established the fact beyond a reasonable doubt that the swallowing of the tobacco by McDonald was the result of the blow struck by Gilman. The jury retired to consider their verdict at 2:10 P. M. Saturday, the 8th of January, and after being out about three hours, returned a verdict of not guilty. On the first ballot the jury stood three for conviction and nine for acquittal.
The jury were all of the opinion that Gilman did not contemplate doing McDonald any serious harm, and it is greatly to his credit that since his acquittal he has materially assisted in maintaining Mc- Donald's family.
THE MESSIAH CRAZE, AND THE TRIAL OF PLENTY HORSES, ALIAS TSUNKA WAKA OTTA, FOR THE MURDER OF LIEUTENANT E. W. CASEY.
Plenty Horses was indicted on the 13th day of March, 1891, at a term of the United States District Court at Deadwood, S. D., charged with the murder of Lieut. E. W. Casey on the 7th day of January preceding.
During the latter part of the summer of 1890, it first became known that a remarkable hallucination had taken possession of some of the tribes of Indians belonging to the Sioux nation. It was known as the "Messiah Craze." At first it attracted attention outside of the Indian country by reason of its strange features, both in refer-
236
HISTORY OF MINNEHAHA COUNTY.
ence to the character of the delusion and the peculiar demonstrations resulting therefrom. Just how it originated is not well verified, but that it was madly contagious and rapidly spread among the Indians, completely demoralizing whole tribes, was soon well known. It was at first thought to be harmless, and it did not seem possible to a sane person that such a craze could last for any length of time, and the authorities in charge of the Indians delayed taking any active, ag- gressive measure for its suppression, believing that it would destroy itself by its own intensity. The Indians professed to believe that the Messiah was at that time to be found west of Salt Lake, and that they were to leave the Union Pacific railroad and go into the moun- tains, about four day's travel, where they would find him; that he would talk to those who went to see him in their own language, and the next spring, or at some stated time, he would come and visit them. That the purpose of his coming was to punish the white people for crucifying him and for the wrongs they had committed against the Indians, and that they would be restored to their former mode of living. That another earth would come from the west and cover up the white people, and that the Indians would mount this new earth. Dances were organized among them, and were so un- natural and weird that they were called ghost-dances.
This condition of affairs at last became intolerable; but it was found impossible to control them by peaceful measures, and the reg- ular army was called upon for aid. General Miles was in command. The Indians believed that the white man's bullet could not injure them, and they were defiant. A battle was fought at Wounded Knee on the 29th day of December, 1890, in which one hundred and forty- nine Indians, and forty-nine soldiers were killed. Another battle took place the next day on White Clay creek.
General Miles, at the time of the killing of Lieutenant Casey, had the Indians surrounded and was endeavoring to force them to surrender. Lieutenant Casey, at the head of the Cheyenne scouts, was with General Brooke, northwest of Pine Ridge, and on the morn- ing of his death, left General Brooke's camp, taking one of his scouts with him, for the purpose of obtaining information in regard to the location of the camp of the hostile Indians. He proceeded without molestation until he reached the picket line of the hostiles, when he was told that he was in great danger and had better turn back. He paid no attention to this, however, but proceeded in the direction of the camp, when he was again warned by some friendly Indians that he was in danger and ought not to goany further. He hesitated, but at the same time expressed a desire to go a little further where he could see the hostile camp. While conversing with a messenger who had been sent out from the Indian camp by Red Cloud (who had learned that Lieutenant Casey was approaching the camp) to inter- cept and warn him of the danger he was in, Plenty Horses, after changing his position so as to get behind Lieutenant Casey, deliber- ately shot him and rode away. Lieutenant Casey died instantly.
General Miles immediately after the death of Lieutenant Casey demanded the surrender of Plenty Horses, which demand was com- plied with. After the indictment was found, the court ordered the
237
HISTORY OF MINNEHAHA COUNTY.
trial to take place at Sioux Falls, and on the 24th day of April, 1891, the trial of Plenty Horses commenced in the United States court room in the Masonic Temple at that place. Judges Shiras and Edgerton were upon the bench. U. S. District Attorney Sterling, with his Assistant Howard and Lieutenant J. G. Ballance, appeared for the prosecution, and George P. Nock and D. E. Powers of Sioux Falls, appeared for Plenty Horses. The indictment of Plenty Horses for murder aroused considerable interest throughout the country. The New York World sent one of its most competent men to report the trial, and the account of the proceedings in that paper was most minutely and graphically given. The trial lasted six days, and the attorneys for the defense endeavored to secure the ac- quittal of their client upon the theory that actual war existed at the time of the killing of Lieutenant Casey, and that Plenty Horses was one of the hostiles; that his act was not murder but excusable as an act of war. They had, however, but short time for preparation, and did not succeed in establishing the fact beyond question that there was actual war, and the Court not feeling justified in directing a ver- dict, the case was submitted to the jury and resulted in a disagree- ment.
The Court immediately fixed upon the 25th day of May following, for a second trial. At that time the same judges and attorneys were in charge, and assembled at the place of the former trial to deter- mine the position the Indian holds in the time of so called war. At this trial the real character of the acts of war occurring during the Indian outbreak was clearly shown by the defense, and when the testimony was all in, Judge Shiras directed the jury to return a verdict of not guilty; holding that at the time of the killing of Lieu- tenant Casey there existed in and about Pine Ridge Agency an actual state of warfare between the army of the United States and the Indian camp; and that Lieutenant Casey was killed by Plenty Horses while reconnoitering the camp of the hostile Indians; and, while condemning the manner in which the act was committed, still, it was a legitimate act of war. Judge Edgerton did not concur in the opinion of Judge Shiras.
Plenty Horses was educated at the Indian school at Carlisle, Pa., going there the 24th day of November, 1883, and remaining until July 8, 1888, when he returned to the Rosebud Agency where his father, Living Bear, was the recognized leader of the Brule tribe of Indians. He was a dull scholar, although considered quite intelli- gent, but upon the return to his old home he again adopted the habits and customs of the Indians.
In the fall of 1890 when the Indians were banding together and threatening to make trouble, he sympathized with them, and after the destruction of Big Foot's band he joined the hostile Indians and became a participator in their warlike demonstrations and undoubt- edly felt justified in killing Lieutenant Casey.
It only remains to mention that the trials were of a more sen- sational and dramatic character than any ever had in South Dakota, attracting the attention of the whole country; and were conducted by the attorneys on both sides with great energy and ability.
CHAPTER XIV.
SIOUX FALLS IN 1862, 1866, 1870-REMINISCENCES OF MRS. PHILLIPS -- JOHN NELSON'S "INDIAN SCARE"- GILSETH'S AND AASEN'S EXPERIENCE IN COMING TO THIS COUNTY IN 1866.
SIOUX FALLS IN 1862.
REMINISCENCES BY JESSE B. WATSON.
"When Company A, Dakota Cavalry, of which I was a member, came to Sioux Falls during the summer of 1862, there were four small houses along the river bank on the west side. One of them was occupied by the printing press, the others were empty. Near the present site of the Burlington depot was a small house occupied by J. B. Amidon, and a little east of where the brewery is now, on the side hill, was another small house occupied by G. P. Waldron, and between his house and where the Merchants Hotel is now, a man by the name of B. C. Fowler was living with his family. This habi- tation was built of stone, poles and grass. There were also two young men by the name of Allen living a little southeast of Amidon's place."
SIOUX FALLS IN 1866.
Eihardt Fleitz, who came to Sioux Falls as a member of Com- pany D, 22d U. S. Infantry, in 1866, and has been a resident of the county since then, has kindly given us a pretty full description of the buildings and general appearance of things upon his arrival. He said in part: "I came to Sioux Falls with my company, I think on the 7th day of June, 1866. It was commanded by Colonel Knox. There were just seventy-three men in the company. Company E, 6th Iowa Cavalry left Sioux Falls the day our company arrived. The buildings in Sioux Falls at that time were the barracks, round house, commissary building, laundry, stable, sutler's store, a stone house at the foot of Ninth street, and another on the east side of the river. opposite where the Commercial Hotel is now, and a house called the pipestone factory near where Pankow's foundry is now located. The two buildings called the barracks were side by side about
239
HISTORY OF MINNEHAHA COUNTY.
twenty feet apart. The south room in the east building was occupied as a hospital, the next room was the office, and in the next room the soldiers slept in bunks. The south room in the west building was occupied, after we came, by the orderly sergeant, next to this was the kitchen, and the balance of the building was a mess room. What we called the round house was a stone building north of the barracks. It was called so, owing to its shape, for it was nearly round. It was built of stone, but had no roof, and the floor was about eight feet from the ground. It was built to go into in case of attack. I think it was more than thirty feet in diameter. The commissary building was of stone, and stood pretty near where the Commercial Hotel is now. The laundry was a small log house near the west end of Eighth street bridge, and the stable was north of this, and was dug out of the bank for the west wall, and stone and logs next the river, and covered with poles and hay. The stone house near the foot of Ninth street was occupied by Dr. Nisley. The sutler's store was a little shanty built of cottonwood boards in part. I don't know what the building on the east side was built for, but we used it for an ice house. During the summer of 1866, we built what was known as the officer's quarters, where E. J. Daniels now has his store. We also built a hospital between this building and the sutler's store, south of the Edmison-Jameson building. It was built of logs, and was one story high. We also built a powder house, and a building to exer- cise in during the winter. Our company fenced in what we called the parade grounds, putting down posts and a rail on top. There were thirty-five saddle horses in our company, and a detachment was occasionally sent out scouting. We had more snow and rain then than we have now. The highest water I ever saw in Sioux Falls was in the spring of 1867, and I have seen the flat west and north of the city covered with water in June. I was discharged May 7, 1869, and during my service four men of the company died. The first one was a man known by the name of Bolse, he died of fever; the next one, of consumption; the third was drowned, and the fourth was frozen to death out by Frank Forde's farm. After about a year Colonel Knox left, and Captain John Duffy was in command of our company. In 1868, I think it was, about eight or ten men took up land on the military reservation along the Sioux river north of town, and commenced cut- ting timber and building log houses. A detachment of our company was sent out (and I was one of the men sent) to arrest them and bring them in. They were arrested, brought in, and put in the guard house for two or three days, and then Captain Duffy let them go, after promising they would keep off the reservation. Some of these men are now living on the same places where we arrested them. When I came to Sioux Falls there was an old steam boiler lying on the bank of the river west of the island, but I don't know where it came from, and whether it was ever in use in Sioux Falls or not. The men usually had pretty good supplies, sometimes a little short, but were comfortable and contented.
Since obtaining the foregoing statement from Mr. Fleitz, the writer met Mr. John H. Holsey of Canton. He was a member of Company D, and said: "the company marched out of Sioux City
240
HISTORY OF MINNEHAHA COUNTY.
Sunday afternoon, June 3, 1866, camped that night five miles from Sioux City, on the Dakota side of the Big Sioux river, Monday night camped on Brule creek, Tuesday night at Nixon's, Wednesday night at Pattee slough, Thursday night at Canton, and marched into Sioux Falls Friday, June 8, at two o'clock in the afternoon."
OFFICERS' QUARTERS, 1866.
The cuts for this illustration and the one on page 29 were made from photographs obtained from Amos Broughton of Tishoka, N. Y., who procured them while on a visit at Sioux Falls in 1870. It has been frequently said to the writer by old residents of the city that the earliest date any photographer visited Sioux Falls was in 1872; that the pictures of Sioux Falls claimed to have been taken in 1871 were in fact taken in 1872, and those of 1872 taken in 1873. One thing is certain, the soldiers were in Sioux Falls when the picture of the officers' quarters was taken, and they left here June 18, 1869.
John Holsey, when shown our illustrations said: "I recognize them very well. Col. Knox was down to the Missouri river to Yank- ton, I think, and brought a photographer back with him in an ambu- lance. In this picture of the officers' quarters Col. Knox is sitting in front of the door, with his orderly standing behind him. Ed. Brough- ton sits facing the Colonel, and Charley Howard is sitting with his back to the building, with his little daughter Mamie standing by him. Mr. Howard at this time was living in Sioux City and was up on a visit to his sutlers' store then in charge of Ed. Broughton. The other illustration represents the barracks as they were at that time, and the tarpaulin covering the barrels and bags of provisions at the end of the barracks looks familiar. The photographer took several pictures at the time, and I feel sure these were taken in the fall of 1866, or in 1867."
241
HISTORY OF MINNEHAHA COUNTY.
The officers' quarters faced the east, and was located on the south lot where E. J. Daniels' store now stands, and the photograph of the same must have been taken from the northeast of the building, as the whole contour of what is now the city west of Ninth street appears in the background. When the other picture was taken, the camera must have been placed southwest of the officers' quarters.
SIOUX FALLS IN 1870.
After having obtained a biographical sketch of Mr. Fowler's life down to the time he arrived in Sioux Falls, the remark was made to him: "You have seen a great many changes since coming here in 1870?" His reply to this remark was taken down by a stenographer and is as follows: "Not many changes, but great many improve- ments have been made in Sioux Falls since I came here. When I came, Colonel Allen had a grocery store in the barracks, the post office was in his store and he was postmaster. Cyrus Walts clerked for him and was deputy postmaster. W. S. Bloom had a stock of hardware and groceries also in the barracks, and C. V. Booth and John McClellan had each a room in the same building. I worked for Jeptha Duling in his stage barn the first winter. East of the bar- racks on the bank of the river a man by the name of Moulton had a general store in an old government building; the old government stables were a little east of this building on the bank of the river. Frank Raymond kept hotel in what was called "Old Steve's House" it was on the bank of the river east of where the Emerson block now stands. In the west tier of barracks Hiram Caldwell (who died a few years ago at Hartford) lived with his family, and Joe Dickson and his brother Tom lived there too. Duling was running a stage from Sioux Falls to Yankton. Afterward, when Stevenson had this line, I drove for him - used to drive through in a day, change horses and deliver the mail at Turnerville, Swan Lake and Clay Creek. When I came here, C. K. Howard had a stage line from Sioux Falls to Elk Point; there was an express messenger on this line. There was also a pony express from Sioux Falls to Flandreau, run by Lew Hulitt. Howard had a stock of goods in the old sutler's store. This store was built of logs and fronted east, and was lo- cated east of Phillips Avenue near where the E. L. Smith block is now. South of the store, Howard kept a hotel in the building which has been recently used for a butcher shop, and now stands opposite Dr. Robert's residence on 12th street. Cash Coats and a half-breed by the name of Mark Wells, clerked in Howard's store. There was a place called "The Dive," it fronted east, and you had to go down a step or two to get into it; it was built of stones, logs and dirt, and was the dirtiest place on earth; this hole was north of Howard's store. In the spring of 1871, True Dennis came to Sioux Falls and started a blacksmith shop in the store building Moulton had vacated. R. F. Pettigrew built a small office that spring about opposite of where the Commercial House is now; it was just south of the bar- racks. There is a little building still standing nearly opposite the Commercial House which was built about twenty feet south of the west barracks at that time by a man named Prescott. In 1871 Joe
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.