The Dakota Daylight
This paper was first issued by J. C. Adams & Son on May 2C, 1883. It was located
in a sod shanty on Will Adams' claim. At the time of its first issue the nearest
post office was Ft. Sisseton, twelve miles east, and the nearest railway
station, Andover, thirty-five miles away. The Daylight was printed here, and the
place known as Giles City, from May 20, 1883, to March, 1884, when it was
removed to Britton. During the whole of that winter there was no mail route, and
M. Baker, who was associated with the Adams', carried the mail to and from the
fort in all kinds of cold and disagreeable weather. Mr. Baker and C. O. Jones as
employee published the paper that winter, doing their own cooking and housework.
During the first summer our genial friend, J. C. Adams, one warm summer day was
quietly contemplating what the future might bring forth, and how to boom the
country and Giles City in particular, when a stranger put 'n his appearance. "Is
this Giles City and are you Mr. Adams?" quoth the stranger. "Yes, sir! Have a
seat," replied Mr. Adams, with a bland smile. "Of all the infernal liars you
take the cake. I supposed from what your paper stated concerning Giles City and
its business, schools, etc., that you had quite a town and a chance to speculate
in town lots, and here I find only a sod shanty on the wild prairie." Mr. Adams
soon pacified his man by showing him in glowing colors the future possibilities
of this valley and Giles City. His imagination did not make a mistake, except
that it proved to be Britton instead of Giles City. Britton had not been thought
of at that time. To Will Adams is due the credit of this work. He had only
reached his majority, and to establish a printing office in a sparsely settled
country required an unusual degree of energy and confidence. Mr. J. C. Moore, of
Atlantic post office, hauled the furniture and necessary printing material from
Webster. J. E. Dyer purchased the Daylight in 1884, and in August, 1885, sold
out to J. W. Banbury, present editor and proprietor, who came from Ontario Co.,
Canada, to Manitoba in 1882, and in 1883 to Lisbon, Dakota.

Looking for a Home in Dakota--A Night
in the Coteaus During a Terrible Snow Storm
[Personal narrative by Samuel Denton.]
The following particulars were recently related to the writer by Mr. Denton:
"In June, 1882, Josiah True, Robert Lemmon and myself, rigged a boat on the
running gear of a buckboard and with a good team left Avoca, Iowa, to hunt for a
home in Dakota. We entered the territory at Sioux Falls and traveled north by
the way of Watertown, Clark, Groton, Grand Rapids, Jamestown and Ft. Totten. Not
finding a suitable location, we turned back at Ft. Totten and traveled in a
southeasterly direction; but found nothing suitable until we reached Sacred
Earth Gap, just east of Britton, where we found the first good drinking water
after a three days' journey. On our way down here we camped at Bear Creek, where
we discovered a bed about six feet square of tame onions, which had undoubtedly
been planted by the Indians.' The next day we went to Frank Ford's, a short
distance south, who had located' his home a month previously. From there we
traveled south, to what is now Waverly Township, where we concluded to settle.
This was in the latter part of July. Frank Ford's house was then the only one in
the valley in this county, and ten miles from our location. We set about
building sod houses and cut hay with the "Armstrong" mower and put it up with a
wooden fork. As our locating here is given in the township history I will pass
over to January 23, 1884. I had been down at Waubay at Mr. Barse's surveying,
and on above date reached Ft. Sisseton by stage. The morning had been foggy and
the weather turned colder in the afternoon and commenced snowing. . The snow was
about eighteen inches deep on a level, and in the marshy places I frequently
plunged through the snow waist-deep. I soon began to regret that I had not
heeded the advice of my friends at the fort, and remained there until the storm
had abated. But, fearing that my family might be suffering for the want of fuel,
I redoubled my efforts, facing the blinding storm, to reach home, a distance of
sixteen miles. There was no trail, and having observed the direction of the wind
when I left the fort about 2 o'clock P. M., I was enabled to take a direct
course home. About dark I reached the west side of the hills, three miles from
home. In coming down a hill I suddenly discovered a wolf thirty yards distant. I
stopped, somewhat startled at the sight, knowing that wolves were not common. I
feared there might be a pack of them not far off; and not having a desire to
have my bones picked I charged the foe with a pine stick, determined, if he
stood his ground, to grapple with him; but he slunk off, gave a howl which was
answered by an other wolf on the hill, and together they disappeared. I had been
perspiring freely, and the delay had chilled me so that one of my legs clamped
and made it impossible for me to reach home. It had now grown dark, and I
retraced my steps a few rods to a gulch containing brush. The cold was intense
and the storm continued with unabated violence. I dug down several feet in the
snow and cleared a place to build a fire and camp for the night. I burnt several
newspapers in my vain attempts to light a fire, when I finally succeeded with
the last paper by holding my coat-tail over it to keep the wind from blowing it
out. I soon discovered that instead of having my camp on the ground I was on the
top of a plum-brush heap. I wound my watch, and every thirty minutes during the
night I went after a handful of brush. I did this so that I might not go to
sleep. I crouched over the fire and kept comfortable, although, as I learned
afterwards, the thermometer went clown to 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
About 5 o'clock AM, I sketched with a piece of charcoal a skull and
cross-bones on the hard snow near the fire, faced it, and then bid my camp
adieu. The storm was still raging, and knowing my exact location I took my
bearings by the direction of the wind and started for home. I plunged about in
the gulch for two hours, the snow having drifted in during the night. After
getting out I once more took bearings and started for home; suddenly I saw a
house, a man chopping wood, and another man going round the house. I walked up
to it and found it to be a large stone; the man chopping wood was but a weed
nodding in the gentle breeze, while the man going round the house was another
weed being whipped back and forth by the wind. The smoke I thought I had seen
was snow drifting over the top. I now, for the first time, realized that hunger,
cold and fatigue had affected my brain, and my chance to reach home was one in a
thousand. Both my hands were already frozen and numb, and only by
extraordinary-will power, and my wife and children perhaps perishing, did I move
forward. I wanted to lie down and go to sleep, but knew if I did it meant
certain death. I finally reached what I recognized to be breaking south of my
house about fifty yards, but took it to be Mr. Brunskill's pasture, and wondered
why he had moved it there. (I state these facts to give an idea of my mental
condition.) I finally reached my house, but could not knock with my hands;
neither could I speak, as the ice had frozen my whiskers so that my mouth was
open and filled with snow. After awhile I kicked at the door. Just before
reaching the house, while trying to collect my thoughts, I was taken with
violent cramps of the stomach, and came within one of perishing before my own
door. My wife took in the situation at a glance, and at once proceeded to thaw
me out in snow slush. For two days was bathed with kerosene and then with
glycerin to absorb the water collected in the blisters. This treatment proved a
success to a certain degree. I still feel the effects of the great exposure and
freezing. There are perhaps but few, if any, persons that ever came so near
the brink of death by freezing and lived to relate their experience."

Charles Bailey
The following sketch of Charles Bailey, the first
settler in what is now Marshall County, was obtained by the writer from
authentic sources and from persons acquainted with him before is arrival here.
The Baileys, of whom there were several brothers, lived
in Brown's Valley, Minn., whence the subject of this sketch waylaid a supposed
rival in a love affair and shot him but not fatally. For this criminal offense
he served some time in the penitentiary at Stillwater. He was finally pardoned
before the expiration of his term, and in a few days married a young lady but
fifteen years old, and engaged to work a Oman's farm. The proprietor called one
day to see how he was getting along and found the house, locked. An
investigation disclosed the fact that Bailey and his wife had skipped the
country, taking the proprietor's oxen, wagon and other useful articles.
The next heard of him was at Waubay where several
old acquaintances happened to accidentally find him, where he had located a
claim about the year 1879. This claim he sold and located in a timber gulch in
what is now Victor Township, this county, and known as the Underwood farm (Sec.
12). He located here in 1881 and was the sole occupant of Marshall County for a
time. The next year a few pioneers reached his neighborhood and settled there.
This portion of Marshall County contained several gulches or coulees, which at
that time embraced considerable timber. He sold a relinquishment of his claim to
several different parties on the same day and pocketed - the proceeds and, like
the Arabs, silently folded his tent and stole away, taking several horses with
him. The horses, three in number, had been surreptitiously abstracted from their
owners. An Indian coming from the Devil's Lake country met him and on his return
to the Reservation described the missing horses; which, however, did their
proper owners little good, as Bailey had then eight days the start, and pursuit
was out of the question. The next thing heard of, his whereabouts was in the
summer of 1883. The following account of his sudden demise and the cause
leading' to it, is perhaps as nearly correct as any, as it was obtained by a
gentleman who visited the locality where it occurred. It appears that after
leaving Marshall County he located in the Mouse river country. His nearest
neighbor was an old well-to-do bachelor who had considerable stock and money.
-After a while this neighbor was missed by his friends and on inquiry at
Bailey's they were informed that he had gone east to visit and that he, Bailey,
had been engaged to look after his stock. This apparently satisfied the missing
man's friends, as they heard him speak of a contemplated visit. This occurred
along in the winter of 182-'83. Along the next summer the neighbors one day
missed Bailey and his stock he was caring for. Some fifteen or twenty neighbors
mounted on horses started in pursuit and soon came up with him. He was requested
to explain his position in driving off his neighbor's stock; Bailey stated that
he had received a letter from his neighbor ordering him to bring the stock to a
designated point where he would meet him; on being requested to produce the
letter he failed to do so, stating that he had lost it. It was determined that
Bailey must return with them, to which he agreed without any hesitation. On
their route back they had to cross a deep coulee and, as he was closely guarded,
he requested that some of the men assist his wife in driving the stock over. Two
guards, well armed, went ahead with Bailey, pleasantly chatting with him in
their ascent on the other side; after reaching the top or bank of the coulee
they stopped to rest some distance in advance of the other party, when Bailey
suddenly struck one of the guards, felling him to the ground and, grasping the
guard's rifle, started off at the top of his speed. The other guard, who was
some distance away at the time, started in pursuit, calling Bailey to stop or he
would shoot. Bailey replied, "Shoot and be d--d," at the same time discharging
his rifle at his pursuer. The guard then fired twice, mortally wounding him.
When Bailey was informed that he could live but a short time he made a
confession of which the following is the substance: He had killed his neighbor
in the winter, cut a hole in the ice on the lake near there and dropped him in,
and when captured was on the way to British America with the murdered man's
money and stock. Such was the crime committed for filthy lucre. Bailey is said
to have been a genial, pleasant, and extremely hospitable man.
Since writing the above we learned that he squatted on
the banks of Skunk Lake, a fine location, previous to his location in Victor
Township. He induced a Mr. Ross to purchase his claim at a handsome figure, who
purchased it and built a large hotel in anticipation of a railroad that had been
surveyed. He hauled his lumber from Wahpeton and spent a small fortune in
building. After he had completed it he was informed that his claim and hotel
were on the Indian reservation. Several surveys were made and Mr. Ross was out
every dollar expended. Bailey, no doubt, knew that he had located on the
reservation and did it to take in some one. The hotel is unoccupied and going,
to ruin. |
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