History of South Dakota, Vol. I, Part 34

Author: Robinson, Doane, 1856-1946. cn
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: [Logansport? IN] : B. F. Bowen
Number of Pages: 998

USA > South Dakota > History of South Dakota, Vol. I > Part 34

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The Republican territorial convention to nominate a delegate for congress and two dele- gates to the national Republican convention at Philadelphia was called to meet in Canton on May 2Ist. The fact that Canton, a town far up the Sioux river, was selected for the accommoda- tion of this convention is a witness to the develop- ment of the two or three preceding years. There were fifty-six delegates provided for in the call.

The feeling between the friends of Colonel Moody and Judge Brookings was intense from the outset, and the moon was wading through blood long before the nominating convention was. reached. Half of the counties sent contesting delegations. At this distance it is impossible to discover the real merits of the situation. From all the available testimony it may be safely con- cluded that "purity was not paramount" in either

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camp. The "organization" appeared to be with Brookings. The inevitable and perrenial fight over the power of the central committee to make up a roll of delegates who prima facia had a right to participate in the organization of the convention was the splitting point. The Brook- ings men predominated in the central committee and consequently they were jubilant over their

house Colonel Moody was nominated for con- gress and J. H. Babcock, of Yankton, and Alex. Hughes, of Elk Point, were sent to the national convention. At Philadelphia both delegations were admitted with half a vote each, the conven- tion declining to attempt to settle the Dakota fight so far from the scene of action. The county dele- gations returned from Canton with a feeling of

Campree

mcPherson

Beadle

Stone

RESSUR

walworth

Edmunds

mills

Greeley

grant

Ash more

Faulk

Thompson

Sully

Hand

Spink

Clark

Adair

Deus

Hughes

Hyda

Burchard

Kingsbury

wood

Brookings

Buffalo

Wetmore

Miner

Lake

moody

Bramble

Cragin

Davison me.

Minnehaha

gregory

Douglas

Armstrong

Jayne

Lincoln

Jord

Bon Homme

Yankton

Clay

Union

1872

MAP SHOWING COUNTIES, IS72.

enemies. The convention was called to meet at Windsor's drug store and at the appointed hour Brookings' followers assembled there, feeling that they had the organization cinched, when they discovered the Moody party wending its way to the school house. Two conventions were held, each with approximately the maximum number of delegates in their seats. At Windsor's Judge Brookings was nominated for congress and Judge Jefferson P. Kidder and Nye E. Phillips were elected delegates to Philadelphia. At the school

beligerancy which has not been paralleled in another Dakota campaign.

Of the old established newspapers, the Dakotian supported Colonel Moody and the Press Judge Brookings. The Dakota Republican was a Brookings paper and the Elk Joint Courier was for Moody. Union county had supported Moody in the convention without a contest.

Early in July Alex Hughes, in the role of peacemaker, attempted to bring about a settle- ment of the difficulty in which the party was

Chas mix

Hanson

cook

Hutchinson

HISTORY OF SOUTH DAKOTA.

SisseTon Ind

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HISTORY OF SOUTH DAKOTA.

involved and wrote an agreement providing that the central committee should call a new conven- tion and all parties should abide by the result. Judge Brookings put his name to this agreement, but when it was presented to Colonel Moody he countered with a proposition that the old conven- tion should be reconvened and that it should be organized by the uncontested delegates, who should determine the merits of the various con- tests. This would have placed the entire propo- sition into the hands of the friends of Colonel Moody and Brookings would not accede to it ; so the effort at settlement failed.

The Democratic convention was held on July 18th at Bon Homme. Here we have another testimony to the geography of thirty years ago. It is likely that many intelligent citizens of the state who count themselves old residents could not locate the city in which this august territorial convention was assembled. Moses K. Armstrong was renominated without opposition. The cam- paign was prosecuted with the utmost vigor and acrimony until election, which occurred on Oc- tober 8th. Armstrong was re-elected, receiving 2,305 votes, to 2,150 for Brookings and 1,507 for Moody. The next day came the earthquake. It was not very severe, but set things trembling for a short time to the great alarm of the timid ones. It was felt throughout all of the settled portion of the territory and in northern Nebraska.

At the middle of June of this year the first of the Holland immigrants arrived and began the settlement in Charles Mix county. A new land office was established in Yankton in July, making three in the territory, one at Vermillion and the original one at Springfield. A correspondent of the Yankton Press on a trip up the James river writes of "Old Fort James, with its towering massive walls." We have not elsewhere found a description of this stronghold, which we believe was built of the granite native to the Rockport locality, but it is probable that there was little in the abandoned post to justify the impressive language of the correspondent.

On July 31st Yankton Academy was or- ganized, with Joseph Ward, president, James S.

Foster, secretary, and Josiah R. Sanborn, treas- urer. The board of trustees consisted of James S. Foster, Joseph Ward, Josiah R. Sanborn, Franklin J. DeWitt, J. A. Potter, W. H. H. Beadle, Newton Edmunds and E. P. Wilcox. This was the foundation of Yankton College and was the first beginning of an institution for higher learning in Dakota, a monument to the industry, devotion and self sacrifice of Joseph Ward. Nathan Ford was selected principal of the academy and on August 26th he organized the first classes in a building on Second street, between Walnut and Douglas. Work upon a permanent building for the academy was under- taken at once and was completed that fall and was duly dedicated with great eclat on the evening of January 1, 1873. The new building was at Sixth and Walnut, where the high school now stands.

Even the political convulsions of the year did not affect the railroad boom and on October 23d the construction train reached Elk Point and on November 25th it was at Vermillion. Yank- ton made every preparation to give it a grand reception by New Year, but the inclemency of the weather prevented its completion for some weeks. This railroad was distinctly a Dakota project and under all of the conditions its projectors de- serve great credit. Judge Brookings appears to have been the most active among its promotors. The first board of directors were J. M. Stone, W. W. Brookings, Joseph R. Hanson, Newton Edmunds, Downer T. Bramble, George Whet- more and W. A. Burleigh, with Stone president and Hanson secretary. The board for 1871-2, the year the road was built, consisted of Brook- ings, Stone, Burleigh, Whetmore, Bramble and a Mr. Weston, who was the superintendent. Judge Brookings was the president, and Hanson continued as secretary.

In the fall of 1872 the Winona & St. Peter division of the Chicago & Northwestern Rail- way was completed to Gary, on the state line in Deuel county, and the grading completed to Lake Kampeska, to which point the iron was laid the following spring. The road was not operated, however, until six years later.

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HISTORY OF SOUTH DAKOTA.

The Dell City (Rapids) Journal was es- tablished in February of this year by J. C. Ervin and the Sioux Valley News of Canton made its appearance in July.

The Sioux Falls Pantagraph was established in February, 1872, by William F. Kiter and the Sioux Valley News at Canton made its first ap- pearance in July, which, with the Springfield Times and the Dell City (Rapids) Journal, which were established the previous year, made a total of eight newspapers in the territory at the end of 1872.

During this year Levi Hain and John Head made the first settlement in Davison county at Firesteel.

On September 27th Laban H. Litchfield, United States marshal, died at Yankton. Mr. Litchfield was one of the first settlers of Dakota and had served as marshal since 1865.

This was the year of the great epizootic which swept the country, a sort of influenza which at- tacked the horses, weakening them very seriously and incapacitating them for work. It is said not a horse in Dakota escaped. It was of short duration, but caused great inconvenience and alarm while it lasted. The animals wholly re- covered from its effects.

The tenth session of the legislature convened in December. The legislative campaign preced- ing the election was only second in excitement to

the congressional fight. The new settlements had introduced new elements into territorial politics. Richard F. Pettigrew had already become a political factor. A legislative district, comprising the entire Sioux valley, including Turner county, had been organized and Moody and Brookings tickets had been placed in nomination. The dis- trict had six members of the house and a council- man. Senator Pettigrew was a house candidate on the Moody ticket. The ticket upon which Mr. Pettigrew ran received a majority of the votes upon the face of the returns, and was given the certificate of election. This majority was predicated upon the vote from Deuel, then un- organized. The railroad was built into Gary that fall, and Mr. Pettigrew had secured a large vote from the railway builders, who were not legal citizens of the state. There was not a single qualified citizen of Deuel county at that date. The Brookings candidates contested the election and were successful in securing the seats, but later in the session, the votes of the Pettigrew men being considered necessary to carry a meas- ure, the Brookings men were thrown out and the Pettigrew party re-admitted, but as soon as their votes had been duly recorded for the particular measure they were again bounced and the Brook- ings delegation restored. The entire session was occupied with petty politics and undignified conduct.

CHAPTER LXV

OCCURRENCES OF 1873-THE McCOOK-WINTERMUTE AFFAIR.

The spring of 1873 opened up unusually early and before the first of April seeding was well in progress and for some weeks the most delightful weather prevailed.

The war department had determined to open a post on the upper Missouri in the vicinity of the crossing of the Northern Pacific Railway and had detailed the Seventh Cavalry, General George A. Custer, for the duty of locating and building its post as well as for general scouting services among the plains Indians. On the 20th of April the General and his command arrived by rail- way at Yankton, and disembarking established a military camp on the flat just northeast of the city. It was late when they arrived and they hastily made preparation for their first night. At midnight there came down upon them one of the most terrific springtime storms in the history of Dakota-a most impenetrable blizzard, driven by a fierce wind, created great suffering in the camp. General Custer was accompanied by his wife, sister and some female servants and they had taken quarters in an open, tumble-down shanty adjoining the camp. The storm continued for thirty-six hours without abatement and but for the heroic efforts of the citizens of Yankton, who carried supplies to them, the results might have been even more serious than they were. Mrs. Custer, in her excellent book "Boots and Sad- (lles," devotes two chapters to the experiences in this camp. The people of Yankton exerted them- selves for the comfort of the General and his command during the storm and afterwards enter-

tained them royally. They remained in Yankton for three weeks or more before advancing up the river upon that enterprise which three years later resulted in the complete annihilation of the com- inand at the battle of Little Big Horn.

There were no politics this year, the harvest was abundant and the people generally prosper- ous and contented.

In Yankton and Yankton county, however, there was great dissatisfaction over the conduct of the Dakota Southern Railway Company in its failure to establish shops and do other things consistent with its contract with the citizens through which they had been given the bonus of two hundred thousand dollars in bonds in Yank- ton county, and there was open talk of repudia- tion.

For several years, beginning about 1870, there had been constantly increasing friction between the two ends of the town known as the Broad- way faction at the west and the Capitol street faction at the east. These streets are four blocks apart and the rivalry between them was intense. It was contended by the Broadway faction that the contract of the Dakota Southern Railway re- quired that the terminus of that line should be upon Broadway, whereas the builders had stopped construction and erected their depot at Capitol street. This feeling and disagreement resulted in the calling of a mass meeting to be held in Morrison's hall on the corner of Capitol and Third streets on the evening of September II, 1873. Almost the entire male population of the

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capital city were congregated at that time and place. Among the partisans of the Broadway faction was Peter P. Wintermute, a young man, a banker by profession. General Ed. S. McCook, secretary of the territory, had come to be deemed an adherent of the Capitol street faction. When the meeting was called to order McCook was not present, but Wintermute took an active interest in the organization and through his activity se- cured the election of Governor Newton Edmunds, who resided on Broadway, as chairman of the meeting. Shortly after the meeting was or- ganized Wintermute stepped out and into the saloon in the basement of the St. Charles to pur- chase a cigar. There he met McCook and, find- ing that he had no change in his pocket, asked McCook for the loan of a coin. McCook answered him irritably, refusing the loan, where- upon Wintermute declared he had been insulted and threatened to punish the big secretary. Win- termute himself weighed about one hundred thirty-five pounds ; McCook, a born fighter, about two hundred pounds. Some words followed in which Wintermute threatened to shoot the sec- retary and shook his fist in his face. if he did not strike him. McCook, losing control of himself, took hold of the little fellow and threw him to the floor, striking his head against a pitcher, which was broken by the contact, and then catch- ing him by the head bumped his head upon the floor several times and wiped it in the filth ac- cumulated before the bar. Wintermute arose from this brawl frantic with rage. He was an exceedingly fastidious man and, passing into the hotel wash room, cleansed his person and then returned to the hall where the meeting was in progress. As he entered the hall he met Billy Powers in the door, called attention to the bruised and bleeding condition of his face and declared that he would shoot McCook on sight. Intense feeling had been engendered in the public meeting. Hot words had passed among leading citizens. Burleigh, Moody, Brookings and Spink were engaged in a violent war of words and general disorder prevailed. In the midst of this Wintermute arose to a point of order and asked if the meeting was to be broken up by rowdyism.

He then called attention to his own bruised con- dition and remarked that General McCook had just "whipped him out of his boots" and made further allusion to the Capitol street methods. He then sat down where he could watch the en- trance to the room. A moment later General Mc- Cook, accompanied by Charles Rossteucher, ap- peared in the doorway. Wintermute arose, drew a revolver from his pocket, and stepping forward began to fire at the General. His first shot, however, did not take effect. Rossteucher and McCook rushed forward to wrest the revolver from Wintermute's grasp. Three other shots were fired. McCook threw himself upon Winter- mute, crushing him to the floor. In doing so they knocked over the stove, which fell upon them. Ageneral melee followed. There was a panic in the hall and the weaker and more timid made a rush for shelter, while the more coura- geous tried to separate the assailants and prevent further bloodshed. Peter Hackney, in trying to wrest the revolver from the two men, for Win- termute had it by the handle and McCook had grasped it by the barrel, was shot through the hand. Major Hanson set his knee upon Winter- mute's hands and succeeded in wresting the re- volver from the men. McCook then caught Win- termute, rushed him across the hall and at- tempted to throw him from the window, but his strength failed, and he was himself carried out into another room of the hotel. He was im- mediately examined by Drs. Burleigh and Moore, who informed him that his wounds were fatal. "I am not afraid to die," he said; "the McCooks die game," and asked to have his wife and boy sent for. They were at once brought to his bed- side and he talked with them freely, advising them of the fatal character of his wounds, and giving them directions in relation to his affairs, and advice for their future course. He lingered until the next day, when death came to his relief. Wintermute was promptly arrested by Charles Rossteucher, who was a justice of the peace, and guarded in his own home, there being much talk of violence. At the October term of the court, Judge Barnes presiding, he was indicted for manslaughter and the trial set for an adjourned

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term in January, in the meantime being released on fifty thousand dollars bonds, which he furnished. No event in the entire history of the territory produced so pronounced a sensation as this. The high standing of the parties, the fac- tional fight in the city and the general political situation in the territory made it an affair of much more than local interest.

It may as well be stated here as elsewhere that the indictment for manslaughter was quashed at the adjourned term in the winter, but he was re- indicted at the April term for murder, his trial beginning on the IIth of May, 1874, and con- tinuing for more than three weeks. He was prosecuted by Phil. K. Faulk, county attorney of Yankton county, assisted by George H. Hand and Jason Brown, and was defended by Moody and Cramer, Bartlett Tripp, William Tripp and Leonard Sweet, of Chicago. He was convicted of manslaughter in the first degree, appealed the case to the supreme court where it was reversed, a change of venue granted to Clay county, where lie was again tried and finally acquitted. Oscar Whitney, the father-in-law of General McCook, was appointed the secretary of the territory to fill out the unexpired term.

In 1873 word came to the Dakota settlements that a large colony of Russian Mennonites were looking for a place to locate in America, and James S. Foster, then commissioner of immigra- tion, with creditable energy, set about to secure communication with them. The Russians, how- ever fell into the hands of the land-grant rail- ways and they were hustled about from point to point by the officers of these roads and kept en- tirely away from the commissioners of immigra- tion in those localities having free public lands, and their representatives returned to Europe, having kept entirely out of the reach of Mr. Foster. He, however, kept his eyes open and securing information of the arrival of immigrants for a location in Kansas he intercepted them at Elkhart, Indiana, and influenced them to stop there and send three of their representative men into South Dakota to examine the free lands here. Three of the commission came up, were satisfied, and went back, making a satisfactory report, and

so came about the settlement of Mennonites on the James river and in Bon Homme county. The German Russians also made their preliminary plant in South Dakota this year.

On the 23d of November a great prairie fire started in the meadows of the Missouri and James rivers and was driven by a terrific wind in the direction of Vermillion. The citizens felt that the salvation of the town was impossible and loaded as many of their movables as possible upon a train of the Southern Dakota, which was for- tunately standing at the depot, and prepared to leave before the flames. But providentially the wind fell as the fire reached the Vermillion river and they were, by heroic efforts, able to prevent its crossing that stream.

Governor Burbank liad succeeded in making himself exceedingly unpopular in Dakota. In fact he was left almost entirely without a con- stituency. Something of the feeling against him may be noted from the following remark of the Press and Dakotaian. The Sioux City Journal had cited the fact that Governor Burbank had gone to Hot Springs, Arkansas, and suggested that it apparently was not necessary for the gov- ernor to go south for a warmer climate as it certainly was hot enough for him in Dakota. To this suggestion the Press and Dakotaian said, "If things are disagreeable for our governor here no one is to blame for it but himself. No,ex- ecutive officer should pervert his office to per- sonal ends and should not expect to find things to his taste unless he likes it hot." Governor Burbank was a brother-in-law of Oliver P. Mor- ton and made much of his pull through this re- lationship. Burbank Station, in Union county, was nicknamed "Morton's brother-in-law," a name which clung to it for many years. The people made it so disagreeable for the Governor that he sent in his resignation in November and the Dakotans immediately united in recommend- ing Judge Shannon to be appointed to the vacancy, but before their recommendation had reached Washington John L. Pennington, of Alabama, received the appointment.

On November 20th the proprietors of the Yankton Press bought the Dakotaian from

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HISTORY OF SOUTH DAKOTA.

Arthur Linn and the merger was thereafter known as the Press and Dakotaian. George W. Kingsbury was the business manager, while Col- onel E. M. Brown, father of the well-known W. C. Brown, of Hurley, and of Mrs. Linn, of Canton, became the editor in chief.

In the autumn of this year the granger move- ment ran like wildfire among the farmers of the territory and in a brief period more than fifty granges were organized. N. J. Wallace, a well known lawyer-farmer of that period, became master of the "state grange," as it was called, and shortly afterwards a state newspaper organ known as the "Dakota Gleaner" was established at Elk Point to represent the principles of the grangers, the first class paper to be published in South Dakota.

With the fall of 1873 the burning of anthra- cite coal was tried as an experiment in the Dakota towns. The Press and Dakotaian devoted a full column to the topic and announced with great pride that it had supplied its office with an an- thracite base burner with windows in it.

The first eleven months of the operation of the Dakota Southern Railway was most satis- factory. The total earnings were one hundred sixty-two thousand dollars, while the total cost of running was less than eighty thousand dollars. More than a half million bushels of wheat were shipped to market out of Dakota territory. Puffed up by their prosperity, the directors of the railway company announced that they would

place "a smoking car on their regular passenger train for the accommodation of their patrons."

The Indians seemed to be peaceful this year and made good progress in their relations with their white neighbors. The Sissetons are re- ported by their agent to have been prosperous, to have received good returns from their labor, and to have given up many of their old tribal customs. Under date of September 20, the agent says, "All are now working industriously, cutting and haul- ing their hay, repairing up their houses and barns for the winter during the week and resting on the Sabbath, and the large majority regularly at- tending religious worship on the Sabbath day." "In view of this state of things at this agency, we may well exclaim, 'Behold what God hath wrought.'" Of the outpost at Flandreau, Agent Adams denominates "that noble band of natives, who, through faith, have escaped the pollutions and thralldom of tribal and annuity arrange- ments, and are struggling against poverty and want with a heroism and zeal truly commend- able." The agency for the Uncpapas was re- moved in June of this year from its location at the mouth of Grand river to Standing Rock, in North Dakota, though a very large percentage of these people still continued to reside within the portion of the reservation within South Dakota. The reports from the other agents, including reports from Crow Creek and Yankton agencies, are all favorable, but recite no circumstances of particular interest.

CHAPTER XLVI

CUSTER DISCOVERS GOLD IN THE BLACK HILLS.

The year 1874 opened under most hopeful conditions. The excellent crops of the previous year, the great success of the railroad, and pros- pect that it would be at once extended up both the Missouri and Sioux valleys, and the flocking in of the new immigrants, filled the people with the belief that at last the reward for which they had so long struggled had come to them and that for the future the way was clear.

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History of South Dakota, Vol. I, Part 34

Author: Robinson, Doane, 1856-1946. cn Publication date: 1904 Publisher: [Logansport? IN] : B. F. Bowen Number of Pages: 998

Author: Robinson, Doane, 1856-1946. cn
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: [Logansport? IN] : B. F. Bowen
Number of Pages: 998