Friday, March 2, 2012

FIGHTING IN COURT - Santa Fe, Kansas. A Haskell County Dead Town

Sorry for the misspellings. This is copied from a 1913 Hutchinson News - Amy Bickel


The Haskell County Seat War is
a Bloodless One.

BATTLli WITH LAWBOOKS
The Town of SatantaJoins Forces
Willi Santa Fc to Beat
Sublette.
"Tlin county soot fight in Haskell
county is Retting to be a real contest
now," reported Chas. Button, n land
agent who has returned to Hutchinson
from a business trip down tJio new
railroad.
"Satanta, while having no chance
of securing (he county seat, itself,
has Joined forces with the old town of
Santa Fe, or what Is left of It, to
keep the county seat from being moved
to Sublette. Satanta and Sublette
are hardly on speaking terms."
Mr. Button expressed tho belief
however, that tho necessary vote
would be secured by Sublette at tho
special county seat election which
will be held February 25.
Tho Rival Leaders.
Steve Cave, who owna th« big
mercantile store at Sublotto, and is
one of the heavy land owners of the
county, is lending the fight for Sublette.
J. 8. Patrick, real estate man
and land owner nt Satanta, is heading
the faction of that town.
There isn't much left of Santa Fo
excepting the court house, an old
frame structure, the rest of the town
being gradually broken up and moved
away. Hut those who own land Interests
In that section are hoping
that a noii.h-and-south railroad will
build through .from Onrdeu City to
liberal which will give Santa Fe a
railroad, and a chance to retain the
county seat. . ;
"Mayor" Steve .Cave, of Sublette, insists
however, .that. ' this/ north-ami-j
south road, even ir •bttlH,,"#ill make!
his town a junction, point and even I
more'desirable for the county, seatship.
' '.• .
Fighting In the Courts.
TTiilike other county seat wars In
the shortgrass, tho • fighting In this
Haskell county "war".'is being ifone
in the courts. Both sides have hired
lawyers, Satanta being represented by
Attorney Sluhbs, and '>3tiblelle' by Attorney
Murr, both of Garden City.
A petition was filed by Satanta to
enjoin the Haskell county newspapers
from printing the election notice for
the county seat removal election, and
restraining the holding oftlio election.
Judge Downer, In chambers at Garden
City donlcd the application/
Overlooked the Women, /
The Sublette petition almost fell
through, however, because those In
charge of circulating It forgot to consider
the women. The law requires
that the petition bear a certain percent
of taxpayers. The night before
It was to he presented to the county
commissioners, Attorney Marr discovered
that they had overlooked the
'women, who are now legal voters and
taxpayers. It therefore lacked the
necessary three-fourths of the signatures.
He hustled to Santa Fe and Induced
the commissioners to defer action for
one day, wlille the Stibletln -workers
scoured the county in automobiles and
got the necessary additional women
signatures."
A Satanta Trick.
A trick -worked by tho Satanta people
failed to work. They pretended
at first that they were favorable to
the county seat being moved, and all
signed tho petition.
At tho last moment the Satanta
people withdrew their signatures oxpectlug
It would leave the petition deficient.
But It had eigjit names to
spare when tho show-down came.

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