(87) THE Oakdale "Pen and Plow" of December 21, 1878, in its news columns contained the following:

     "In an interview with Sheriff Hopkins we have ascertained the real facts of his recent raid on the horse thieves' nest on the Niobrara. In obedience to a warrant placed in his hands to serve, he started out with a force of eighteen men, including Cassidy, the interpreter, and Longford, a guide and scout, from the Yankton tribe. They proceeded to a point thirty miles from the Niobrara, on Turtle Creek, which is about one hundred and thirty miles from Neligh, and came upon the real headquarters of this nest of horse and cattle thieves. They captured eighty-one head of cattle and eleven head of horses, all of which have been since reclaimed. Sheriff Hopkins supposes that there are about fifty men engaged in this nefarious business of horse and cattle stealing, who have headquarters on Turtle Creek. They are freebooters -- bandits, like those of Italy and Spain. No United States marshal dares to penetrate that nest, although they can have, if they wish, the whole United States army to back them."

     The foregoing is substantially correct, only there was no interpreter along, and none was needed. Longford, the Yankton Indian, was Longfoot, mentioned in the preceding chapter, who was with the camp of Indians that
was attacked by the Middleton gang sometime before, when Tom Brown was killed. He acted as guide and scout, and had no love for the Middleton gang. There was also a man along by the name of Frank Tappan, who was employed as foreman by a cattle company who had suffered (88) from the depredations of this gang. It was through this man Tappan that Sheriff Hopkins first obtained definite information as to the probable headquarters of the gang. Tappan got the most of his knowledge from Longfoot and other Yankton Indians, who had harbored a spirit of revenge ever since their former experience with this gang of outlaws. The Turtle Creek mentioned is the Keya Paha, the latter being the Indian name. At the same camp they caught four of the men, but Middleton himself was away, and only these four were seen.

     The sheriff proceeded to follow down the Niobrara River to Niobrara city, in Knox County, where he turned over most of the stock to the owners, and gave the men into the charge of the sheriff of Knox County. Seven head of the cattle were brought to Oakdale, as will be seen by the following notice taken from the "Pen and Plow"

     "Notice is hereby given that I have seven head of cattle, six yearlings and one spring calf, captured along with other stock on Turtle Creek, October 5th, 1878. The owners are requested to prove property, pay charges and take them away.

     "Dated at Oakdale this 14th day of November, 1878. 

      Middleton himself was suspected of having had a hand in robbing a post-office, and on this charge United States Deputy Marshals Llewellyn and Hazen were instructed to capture him. To do so they employed a ruse, as it would have been foolhardiness to have attempted his arrest in that country with a small force, and no large party could have penetrated that region without information being sent along the line in advance, so that not a man wanted could have been found. They sent word to Middleton that they wished to meet him and that they had a proposition to submit, -- that if he would quietly surrender he (89) would be pardoned and protected and would be given a prominent place on the detective force. He agreed to a consultation and set a time and place for the conference.

     The detectives met with him as agreed, and as they were proceeding along on horseback, Middleton riding between the two detectives, one of them gave him a letter to read, containing the proposition. A third man was concealed at a certain place they had to pass, and when the party reached this place this man fired at Middleton, wounding him in the hip. Middleton was thrown from his horse, but, at once drawing his revolver, he fired twice at Hazen, both shots taking effect and severely wounding him, Hazen at the same time falling from his horse.

     Llewellyn put spurs to his horse and got out of the way as fast as possible. He went directly to Fort Hartsuff on the North Loup just below the present site of Burwell, and got a squad of cavalry to go back with him to the scene of the encounter.

     Middleton went to his father-in-law's cabin, which was not far away, as his wound did not hinder him from dragging himself along. He supposed that he had killed Hazen. He was taken by friends into a timbered cañon where he was cared for in a tent. Hazen crawled to a settler's cabin and was brought to O'Neill. He subsequently entirely recovered. Llewellyn returned with the soldiers. They hunted up Middleton and placed him under arrest. He passed through Antelope County, in charge of Llewellyn and a squad of soldiers, July 30, 1879, was tried, convicted, and served his time in the "pen." This completely broke up the gang and for many years the settlers were free from trouble from horse thieves.

     From the time of the first settlement of the county, in August, 1868, to the coming of the railroad, in November, 1879, a period of eleven years, the settlers were at a disadvantage by reason of the long distance to market. Counting the distance from Neligh by the most direct traveled roads it was sixty-five miles to Wisner, sixty-seven miles to Columbus, seventy-two miles to Yankton, one hundred ten (90) miles to Sioux City, and one hundred twenty-five miles to Fremont. At the first there was only one road leading out of the county. This road followed down the north side of the Elkhorn River to Norfolk. At Norfolk it divided, one branch leading northeast to Sioux City, the other keeping on down the valley to Fremont. From 1868 to the fall of 1871 all the travel to and from the county passed over this road on the north side of the Elkhorn. The Norfolk flouring mill was completed and began grinding in the fall of 1869. This gave the settlers a chance to have their grain ground into flour and meal and also furnished a supply to those who had to buy. Norfolk was thirty-seven miles from Neligh by this same road.

     In the summer of 1871, the merchants of Columbus, having heard that the middle Elkhorn valley had been settled to some extent, took steps to open a road from the present site of Newman Grove to Cedar Creek. From Newman Grove to Columbus there was already a road that had been used about two or three years. This road was first made by the soldiers in their trips through the country for the purpose of keeping the Indians quiet. The road followed down Shell Creek valley, and the soldiers had bridged the small streams tributary to Shell Creek. As Shell Creek was settled, this road had been used and the bridges kept in repair by the settlers. Lewis Warren and George Whitcher of Shell Creek were employed to extend this road, and this was done in July, 1871. Lewis Warren and George Whitcher had homesteads on Shell Creek near the present town of Newman Grove, a part of Newman Grove, in fact, being on Mr. Warren's old homestead. These men came to Cedar Creek and remained over night. The next morning, after procuring a quantity of oak stakes from the timber along the creek, they began on the west line of section a Cedar township, and staked out a road to connect with the one already in use on Shell Creek. These stakes were placed about eighty rods apart and were plainly marked by mounds of sod and earth. Other roads were marked out from St. Clair and from Ives Creek valleys to connect with this Shell Creek road, and in a short time (91) it became the main thoroughfare. These were not regularly established roads, but were marked out and used by the settlers for their convenience until county roads were legally established.

     The Fremont, Elkhorn, and Missouri Valley Railroad was begun in 1869, extended to West Point in 1870, and in a year or two more was extended to Wisner. The trade of the county was divided after 1872 between Columbus, Wisner, and Yankton. The settlers in the southern part of the county did their marketing at Columbus; those in the northern part went to Yankton; while those in the Elkhorn valley divided their trade between Columbus and Wisner. It took from four to seven days to make the round trip to any of these market places.

     In going to market in warm weather it was customary to camp out, a camping outfit being carried along for that purpose. In the winter, stops were made over night with ranchmen who had the necessary accommodations. All the accommodations needed, however, were a stable and hay for the horses, a chance to make coffee on the kitchen stove, and a place inside the house to make a bed. Every one was expected to carry his own bedding, and usually his grain for the team and provisions for himself. In the winter, when bad snow-drifts were likely to be encountered, and icy, slippery hills to be traveled over, it was usual and necessary for two or more to go in company, so as to render mutual assistance. Shovels were always taken along at that season, to be used in opening a road through the snowdrifts. Scarcely anything was taken to market except wheat. Spring wheat was the only variety raised, and, the ground being new, the grain was nearly always of extra good quality, and brought in the Columbus market from forty to ninety cents per bushel, the usual price being from fifty to sixty cents. Sometimes a few loads of fat hogs were marketed, but not often, the haul being too long. Cattle were not fattened for the market to any extent, but were sold to drovers, who were in the habit of coming around two or three times a year, buying up the feeders and driving them to points on the railroad farther east to be fattened.