I grew up in a tiny prairie town in South Dakota, population 700 when I left it, 500 now. I’ve talked of this place many times on my blog, published two books on growing up there, but just today, someone on the town’s website published these newspaper stories from 1922 which I found fascinating, as many of the people mentioned were known to me. Judge Parish lived across the street from me and many of the other family names are well known. This may not be interesting to anyone other than my sister Patti and friend Jim, who read my blog and who grew up in Murdo as well, but for what it is worth, here are the stories:
Mrs. Burke [people]Aberdeen Journal (18 Apr. 1922) transcribed by Marla Zwakman
Murdo, April 18. – Statistics are said to show that after every great war nature replenishes herself through twin babies. Mrs. Burke of this place has the distinction of being the mother of three sets of twins and one set of triplets.
Mrs. M. P. Kerlin, also of Murdo is the mother of twin boys, who are now a few years of age. During 1921 Mrs. A. O. Kimble and Mrs. Roy Guthrie each became the mother of twin girls. Mrs. Sam Hubbard gave birth to twin sons, both of whom died.
Recently twin boys were born to Mr. and Mrs. Rex Williams.
Thus, out of nine births in Murdo, nineteen children were born, seventeen of whom are living. It is believed that no other town of Murdo’s size in the state or northwest has a birth record equal to this.
John Connery
Two Boy Swimmers Drown
Lads Meet Death While Bathing at Murdo, S.D.
Deadwood, S.D., June 17 — A telephone message from Murdo, a small town east of Rapid City, tells of the accidental drowning there of John Connery and a companion named Pomberr. Both boys, who were sixteen years old, were in swimming at the railroad dam at that point and are supposed to have been seized with cramps. Neither body has been recovered.
[17 June 1910; Aberdeen Daily News] *Note from Judy: In my part of South Dakota, little manmade lakes were called dams, probably due to the fact that they were created by digging out the earth and rolling it up to the side to create a depression large enough to collect rainwater and snow runoff. In this dry cattle country, it was necessary. My dad got his start building such dams. Below is a photo of a dam in process. That’s my dad, Ben Dykstra, sitting on the back of the grader adding his weight to smoothing out the dam grade.
Charles Eaton [fire]Aberdeen Daily News (5 May 1916) transcribed by Marla Zwakman
Murdo, May 5. – Fire early Wednesday morning in the residence of Charles Eaton here cost the lived of two members of the family, severe burns to others and the entire destruction of their home.
Mr. Eaton had started a fire in the kitchen stove, stepped outside and when he returned the fire was smoldering. He picked up a kerosene oil can, pouring the contents into the stove.
The explosion which followed set fire to his clothing. He rushed from the building, followed by his wide, who tried to extinguish the flames, but failed. He died in a few minutes from the burns. The wife turned to enter the building to rescue her three children who were asleep at the time. She was stopped by the flames. Neighbors, however, rescued the little ones, but a baby sleeping in a crib was taken out too late and expired in a short time. Mrs. Eaton was severely burned about the face and body, but is expected to recover.
Mr. Eaton was a member of Eaton Brothers elevator and dray line.
Owing to the early hour the fire was not discovered by neighbors until the building was all in flames. Although the firemen responded promptly when the alarm was given the building and contents were entirely destroyed.
George Heiterifer [people]Aberdeen Weekly News (8 Nov. 1906) transcribed by Marla Zwakman
Murdo – George Heiterifer of Butternut, Wis., is here making inquiries into the death of his son, who was picked up on the streets in a dazed condition and died in the hospital. His body showed marks of violence.
I.W.W. VandalsI.W.W.’s Suspected of Setting Blaze
Try to Burn a Train near Murdo – Railroad Officials to set Watch
Mitchell, July 16 — Activities of alleged I.W.W. vandals spread to South Dakota today, when an attempt was made to burn a Milwaukee freight train early this morning near Murdo. Several are alleged to have set fire to an empty car in which they were riding from Rapid City to Murdo, leaving the car just as the train was pulling into Murdo.
Two members of the I.W.W. party were rounded up by Murdo officers and placed in jail. The box car was destroyed, the flames being discovered in time to prevent destruction of other cars.
Earlier this week the Milwaukee oil house at Scotland Junction, S.D. was burned. It is believed to have been the work of I.W.W. members.
According to local railroad officials, strict orders have been issued to watch and guard against depradations by I.W.W.’s. [16 Jul 1917; Aberdeen Daily News]
I.W.W. Members
I.W.W.’s Arrested at Murdo
Murdo, S.D., July 13 — Two I.W.W. members were arrested here today after they had made an alleged attempt to burn a freight train on which they rode here from Rapid City. They were locked up in the local jail pending investigation. [14 Jul 1917; Aberdeen American]
Bert Johnson [visit]Aberdeen American (3 Feb. 1915) transcribed by Marla Zwakman
Ashton – Bert Johnson of Murdo, S.D., formerly barber at Ashton, is visiting old friends here this week. Bert has been married since leaving Ashton and is now postmaster at Murdo.
Ray and Guy Kirkendall [people]Aberdeen Daily News (16 Nov. 1922) transcribed by Marla Zwakman
Salem, Nov. 18. – The Kirkendall twins, as they are known everywhere around Salem are leaving for the west river country this week and the Epworth league of the Salem M. E. church gave them a farewell social on Friday evening.
Ray and Guy Kirkendall were born in Salem some 23 years ago, but their old schoolmates are not yet able to distinguish them apart. Many amusing mistakes were made by those who had known them almost from birth even at their farewell.
The party was a very pleasant function. Dee Wood the president of the league, made a presentation to Mrs. Ray and Mrs. Guy of pieces of plate on behalf of the league and the evening ended with community singing and hearty good wishes for the future.
The brothers are going to farm 300 acres of land together near the town of Murdo.
Meyers Baby [injury]Murdo Baby Steps on Rattlesnake
Murdo, S.D. – July 12 – Albion the 2 year old son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Meyers, who live 11 miles northwest of Murdo, was bitten on the foot by a rattlesnake the other day. The little fellow wheeled his express wagon over the snake and stepped on the reptile with his bare foot. Mrs. Meyeters brot the child to the hospital in Murdo, and it is thot he will recover. [13 Jul 1919; Aberdeen American]
John V. Neisses [crime]Murdo Prisoner Gives Up His Hunger Strike
Murdo, April 5 — John V. Neisses, who is serving a 30 day sentence in the county jail here, went on a “hunger strike” and for a period of about 48 hours refused to eat anything. He claimed he was not going to eat anything “until some good Christian came to his rescue,” but as no one came to his rescue he decided to declare the strike off.
Neisses decided that this is a cruel and heartless world because the expected sympathizers did not appear and demand his release before he starved to death in the jail. After declaring the strike off he was taken to a restaurant by Sheriff Babcock and has since been regularly making his trips three times a day for meals.
This was the first time a prisoner in the county jail went on a hunger strike. [05 Apr 1922; Aberdeen Daily News]
M. L. Parish [crime]Four Fleeing Men Battle Posse and Flee in Prosecutor’s Auto
Sioux Falls, S. Dak. Aug 25 — Four convicts, who escaped from the penitentiary on August 17, fought a posse near Stamford early today. After mortally wounding State’s Attorney M. L. Parish and wounding Sheriff J.C. Babcock, they escaped in the State’s Attorney’s automobile.
The men were pursued from Murdo, S.D., by a hastily formed posse when it was learned they had recrossed the Missouri River into this State and were heading toward the Bad Lands. Airplanes have been sent to aid in locating them. [26 Aug 1922; Philadelphia Inquirer]
Louis Simpson [injury]
RATTLESNAKE PROTESTED
Struck Boy Who Trys to Pull It From Its Hole Near Murdo
Murdo, May 19. – Catching a rattlesnake by the tail to prevent it escaping him nearly caused the death of Louis Simpson, the young son of Mrs. Charles Luken, living near here. The reptile struck the boy on the left hand with its fangs, and but for prompt work he would have died.
When the boy discovered the snake the reptile beat a retreat for its nearby hole, and was partially down this, when the boy grasped it by the tail and attempted to pull it back to the surface of the ground. The rattlesnake doubled back and buried its fangs in the boy’s hand, this being one of the tricks of the average rattler when grasped while partially in its hole.
[Source: Aberdeen Weekly News (SD) May 25, 1916] tr. by mkk
John Spencer [crime]
Gun Play at Murdo During Celebration
Murdo, S.D., June 13 — At the Old Settlers’ picnic just closed, only one occurrence marred the day. A gambler from Sioux City by the name of John Spencer ran a 40 per cent flat device. He used a table that had been “borrowed” without permission, it is said, from F.L. Lyman, a real estate dealer, who demanded the return of the table. Spencer drew a gun, but Lyman took the table.
Shortly afterwards Spencer went to Lyman’s office looking for trouble and got it. Lyman knocked him off the sidewalk into the gutter. Spencer drew his automatic and fired, but Lyman knocked the gun away and thus saved his life. Spencer was taken into custody by Marshal Petrie. Spencer was placed under arrest, charged with shooting with intent to kill, was examined before Justice McKee and discharged. He had a permit from the authorities, but popular sentiment does not concede that he was licensed to do shooting. Spencer afterwards pleaded guilty to assault and was fined $5 and costs, amounting to $40.
[14 June 1907; Aberdeen American]
Clyde Whiting and Oliver SchroederKilled by Dynamite
Two Railroad contractors Meet Horrible Deaths Near Murdo
Chamberlain, S.D., Oct 1 — Two men by the names of Clyde Whiting and Oliver Schroeder, who were in the employ of one of the railroad contractors about 25 miles west of Murdo, were badly mangled and killed while preparing their breakfast about 7 o’clock last Friday morning by the explosion of a stick of dynamite.
The two men were employed in the dynamite gang and had taken several sticks home with them to experiment with it, or that is the supposition, and it is thought that they had either put one of the sticks in the stove to see if it would burn, or that they had put one of them in there accidentally. [02 Oct 1906; Aberdeen American]
lifelessons - a blog by Judy Dykstra-Brown 