Celebrating History: An after-election slugfest

By Emily Mayer

The election was over, but the slugfest continued. Much to the disappointment of the Havre Plaindealer, Republican candidates backed by the Non-Partisan League won both sheriff, that being Matthew McLain, and county attorney, that being C. R. Stranahan. W. B. Rhoades squeaked out his bid for District 18 judge, winning by 151 votes.

But some serious damage had been done. Regular readers of this column will recall a couple of weeks ago, there was a legal publication in the Nov. 2, 1918, Plaindealer accusing the Rev. E. J. Huston of libel over a circular he had written and was paid for and circulated by the Non-Partisan League. Huston stated “L. C. Trump shined up Glass’s lamp”, to which Trump declared “is false and untrue, as the said L. C. Trump has never had any altercations, trouble, fight or dispute of any kind or nature whatsoever with the said George W. Glass.”

Trump, I believe, was a local railroader (I’ll get back to readers on that one, I did a little checking because I was curious of the name) and the clerk of the district court, G. W. Glass, who would remain in this position as his office was not up for election in 1918. W. B. Rhoades was also a target in the circular, titled “The Black Record of the Havre Gang,” of which the Rev. Huston could “prove every assertion made by him in the publication, and County Attorney Griggs says that he will give him an opportunity to do so in the district court.” Huston wasn’t the only one facing the charge of political criminal libel. L. E. Brady (or “Boss Brady” as the Plaindealer liked to call him) and Walter Wiese, both of Gildford, Axel Olsson of Joplin (who ran for public administrator and won), Henry Kurtz of Chester and Havre attorney O. G. Larson were also being charged with the same felony. The circular contained “false statements and charges reflecting upon the morality character and integrity of W. B. Rhoades” and “It is also alleged that the publication was made without serving a copy upon W. B. Rhoades at least 15 days before its publication as required by the corrupt practices act. The corrupt practices act makes this crime a felony and the penalty upon conviction is from one to three years in the state penitentiary.” All this was found in the Nov. 9, 1918 edition of the Plaindealer.

The following week Nov. 16, 1918, the Plaindealer ran a lengthy column continuing the saga. Not only was Reverend Huston putting up his dukes with W. B. Rhoades, he was also taking jabs at Reverend L. J. Christler, minister of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, and Rev. P. H. Case, minister of the Presbyterian Church. Huston was minister of the Methodist Church. He challenged them to prove his allegations were untrue, but if they were true, Huston would pay them $200, to which both ministers accepted the challenge but waived the sum, instead stating it should go to the United War Fund. The two then went to all attorneys in Hill and Blaine counties to ask them if they thought the allegations were true. Of the 24 attorneys between the two counties, 18 said the allegations were not true, none voted yes, and five refused to answer. According to the Plaindealer:

In the interim, the Rev. Huston evidentially learned that the legal profession were signing up against him, came out with another statement and German-like in his diplomacy, tried to place other conditions upon his challenge, by asking that the Rev. Christler and Rev. Case meet him in his study to arrange for further conditions.

However, this request was not complied with in view of the fact that the conditions of the original challenge were very clear and did not call for the arrangement of any further conditions. The issue was squarely met, the legal profession showed no hesitancy in voting upon the matter and by an overwhelming vote declared for Judge Rhoades, there by repudiating the charges made by the Rev. Huston in his famous “Black Record of the Havre Gang” circular, as false.

The public wait with considerable interest to see whether or not the Rev. Huston makes his word good and pays over the $200.00 to the United War Fund.

Those refusing to vote were H. S. Kline, R. E. Hammond (candidate against Rhoades), W. B. Sands, F. N. Utter and C. R. Stranahan. O. G. Larson could not be found when the two ministers arrived at his office.

The column concludes “A feature of the incident which was especially noticeable to the decent and respectable people of Havre was the insulting, undignified, and unministerial attitude taken by the Rev. Huston in the matter and the dignified and professional attitude assumed by Rev. Christler and Rev. Case who state in so far as they are now concerned the incident is closed.”

In other election news. Mrs. R. X. Lewis, Republican candidate for Hill County clerk and recorder, failed in her bid for office, with John H. Devine retaining his position. The count was 2,991 for Devine and 1,070 for Lewis. She was a pioneer nonetheless, with she as the first woman to run for a county office outside that of county superintendent of schools. For which the incumbent, Laura Lovett, was trounced by challenger Elizabeth Ireland in one of the most unbalanced results of the ballot — 674 for Lovett, 3,429 for Ireland.

Because of the war news and local bickering, a couple of other issues have been overlooked, those being the Spanish flu epidemic and the deaths of two of Havre’s pioneers. More war and Spanish flu news will be the subject of next week’s column. But I would be remiss not to include the announcements of the deaths of two of Havre’s pioneers. In the Nov. 2, 1918, edition of the Plaindealer, it was announced August DesCelles had passed away. Here is the column in its entirety:

HAVRE PIONEER DIES IN CALIFORNIA HOME

August DesCelles Came in Days of Buffalo and Indians

Word has been received here of the passing away of August Des Celles, which occurred in California on the 27th of October, 1918. Mr. Des Celles was the pioneer resident of Havre, having originally owned the townsite of Havre. Mr. DesCelles came to the country long before the days of the railroad, when the buffalo and the Indians held almost undisputed sway.

Whole soul, liberal and public spirited citizen, he was loved by all who knew him, and was familiarly known by all his old acquaintances as “Gus”.

He lived the three score years and ten allotted to man and up to a few months ago resided in Havre the past thirty years. His remains were interred in California where he had recently purchased a home and where he resided with his wife, Mrs. DesCelles, to pass his few declining years. He is survived by his wife and by his son, August Des Celles, Jr. who resides in Harlem.

The following week, in the Nov. 16, 1918 edition of the Plaindealer, came the announcement another pioneer had gone to his great reward. Here is the column in its entirety, complete with misspelling:

HAVRE PIONEER LAID TO REST IN CALVARY

The funeral services over the remains of Louis Shambo, the Havre pioneer, who had died in this city Monday, was held from the Kay undertaking parlors Tuesday. Rev. Father Sullivan conducting the same, and interment was made in Calvary cemetery. Louis Shambo was born in Graceville, Minn., in 1846, and was one of the greatest scouts blazing the trail to civilization known to the west. Hew as a government scout and guide with General Miles during the time of the capture of Chief Joseph in the Bear Paw mountains district in 1876. After this he served in the capacity of scout and interpreter for the government. He was a special friend of General Pershing in the early 90’s at Fort Assinniboine in his official capacity of interpreter and government scout. Shambo was very reticent in his demeanor, silent and reserved, friends only in his reminiscent mood could get him to divulge his experiences of the early days. Volumes could be written of private history related in his personal experience. He lived as a boy among the Chippewas of Minnesota, grew to manhood among the manners and customs of the aborigfines, graduated in the school of frontier life, thus becoming a valuable servant to the government in later years as one of the most valiant and reliable scouts that this country has ever known. He is survived by this daughter, Mrs. Maggie Burch, and a son Edward Shambo, both of Dodson.