More stories about Jailer Days - Deadwood South Dakota

"A New Suit of Clothes"

"Many men in Deadwood were without their families such as miners, adventurers, cowboys, and you name it..Some literally "ended up" in jail and died there. In that case, they were given a new suit of clothes to be buried in.  I don't know who provided it, the town, the territorial government or who.

There were two brothers, Ike and Jake, who had a tailor shop.  Dad thought up a scheme to give them a scare.  He sent someone to tell Ike one of the inmates had died and he wanted to make him a suit.  Ike came to measure the man who was "laid out" on the table looking very dead.  Ike carefully measured him but when he measured his chest the dead man raised up and grabbed Ike in a tight embrace.  Poor Ike froze.  When everyone laughed, he recovered.  The 'dead man" got off the table, but Ike said, "No,no..somebody go get Jake."

So the little drama was repeated, but Jake didn't freeze.  He gave the 'corpse" a terrific blow to the face and ran out the door and down the street out of sight.  They later found him in the black smith shop.  The blacksmith wondered what the poor man had seen.  Dad realized then that sometimes a good joke can backfire, but it must have been funny at at the time.  Dad would laugh so much he could hardly tell this story."..from Estelle.

Crow Dog's Story

"When the Dakotas became a territory, officials, anxious to establish law and order (and give the new circuit courts something to do), rounded up all known criminals, including Chief Crow Dong, who had killed Chief Spotted Tail. My father, D.S. Billington, was the jailer in Deadwood at that time.  Some years prior and at the invitation of Chief Yellow Bird, my father had hunted with the Indians.  Few white men had this privilege.  He came to have a great respect and admiration for the Indians.  He and Crow Dog became friends.

Crow Dog had an arrow wound in one lung.  Dad, knowing also how painful it was for an Indian to be caged, told Crow Dog that he would let him out during the day if he would return at sunset every evening to be locked up for the night.  My father had absolute faith that an Indian would keep his word to a friend. So, with one of my father's two English bull dogs, Crow Dog would go up to White Rocks every day and return at sunset every evening.  This went on for nearly four years.

Most people expected the day would come when Crow Dog would not return, but Dad's faith in him never wavered. The wait Crow Dog endured was unusually long for a man accused of a crime which carried a sentence of death.  Crow Dog was sure he would eventually be hanged according to white man's law.  The reasons for the long wait was that there was no one to defend him  No one wanted to take a losing case.

One day Dad and another man had to go down Spearfish valley to pick up the body of a man killed by the Indians..that's another good story.  Crow Dog overheard their plans.  That evening Crow Dog and the dog did not return.  People were sure their predictions had come true.

When Dad returned, he was soundly repremanded, but he still believed that Crow Dog would eventually return.  He probably went to the Reservation to tell his people good-bye.  Not having Dad's faith in Indians, the Marshall sent a man named Billy to bring back Crow Dog.  I don't remember how many days had passed before Crow Dog came back to Deadwood alone.  When asked where Billy was, Crow Dog answered, " I do't know any Billy, I left by myself.  I came back by myself."  Dad asked about his dog.  Crow Dog said,  "Sorry, I ate it."

In the meantime, a young lawyer in Boston named A. J. Plowman had heard about this "strange" case.  Not knowing anything about the West, other than tales he had heard, he thought that it would be quite a lark...and some publicity ...to go West and take this case.  He went to the Reservation and talked to many Indians.  He learned that Crow Dog had been tried by the tribal council and that he had been exonerated by them. At Crow Dog's long awaited trial, young Plowman then proved that this was double jeopardy, and Crow Dog was freed.

Unlike the television rendition of this story, the people of Deadwood were glad that Crow Dog was set free.  They had come to like this Indian who had been quite a fixture in Deadwood.  Many had to admit that Crow Dog had taught them an unforgettable lesson in honor."

Laws were changed after this decision was made as  Crow Dog had to petitioned the United States Supreme Court for a Writ of Habeas Corpus and the Supreme Court had accepted the case.  1863 ^{[1][6][9][10][14]}

In the BLACK HILLS DAILY TIMES NEWSPAPER appeared this article dated Dec. 1883 p3.col.2 :

When Jailor Billington heard of the supreme court decision, last night, he went to Crow Dogs' cell, awoke him, and told him the news.  Crow Dog leaped out on the floor, jumped up and down exclaiming, "bet your boots, bet your boots: washta, washta."  

To see the whole story go to link:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ex_parte_Crow_Dog

Note:  This story was submitted by Estelle Billington Fontana in 1985, to the Adams Museum in Deadwood, along with an Indian purse, knife and peace pipe that had once been give to Dee Billington from Yellowbird.  Also submitted was an album that had been signed by Crow Dog.  He drew a picture of a dog with a crow on his back.   He also drew a picture of himself and Chief Spotted Tail on horseback.

Deadwood Days from 1878 to 1897 about the era D Billington lived there

1878

1888

1890

post card of 1897

1897 Main street

for more info link: http://archive.cyark.org/deadwood-info?gclid=CMW8mP3e3KsCFWYbQgodkQrXOwdeadwood south dakota

for buildings.

Jailer Days - Deadwood South Dakota

Dee was jailer for the local Deadwood jail  for four years under Sheriff Garland and later Sheriff Manning.  He shared  many unusual adventures about this time of his life with his daughter, Estelle, who has now shared them with us.  Some of these stories will be retold here in her voice.

"Dad often had to go to the saloon to break up a fight or put someone in jail until he sobered up, mostly on Saturday nights when the cowboys came in with their week's pay.  Dad, of course, had a gun but didn't usually wear it.  He believed the best way to get shot was to wear a gun. He also was more concerned about killing some one than being killed himself.  He had two English bulldogs.  He said they looked fierce but wouldn't hurt a mouse.  Whenever he had to bring someone into jail, he would take the dogs along instead of his gun.

"Come on, I'm taking you to jail until you sober up," he would tell the guy stirring up the trouble.

"Who's going to take me??" was often the reply along with a dirty look and a fist ready to hit Dad.

"Take'em Boys!" Dad would yell at the dogs.  The dogs would each grab a pant leg and pull until the guy sat down---HARD!  After that the guy would step on his heels to get into the jail away from the dogs. 
The dogs loved this game.


One time when the jail was full, one of the inmates asked Dad to let the dogs in because there was a mouse in there and they thought the dogs could get it.  So Dad let the dogs in and locked the door. But it sounded like all H...broke loose.  When Dad opened the door, every man was downed and the dogs were looking at him very self satisfied.  They didn't understand they were sent in just for a little old mouse!"

Jailer Days-Deadwood South Dakota

Dee told Estelle, his daughter, how he came to stay in Deadwood:

"When Dad decided he wanted to stay in the Black Hills of South Dakota, he looked for a job.  They had a dangerous prisoner, Mr. Lawton, in jail and they needed another man for the night shift, so Dad got the job.  Mr. Lawton, had killed four men and was the reason that another man was needed.  When Dad asked for the key to go into the room where the prisoner was kept, he was told, "Don't go in there!"
Dad said, "How can I do my job if I'm afraid to go in there?  He took the keys to go in.  The door was unlocked, then locked after Dad went in.  He could hardly believe what he saw.  Lawton was chained hand and foot to a bench.  He just scowled at Dad.  Dad went over to him and saw that his wrists and ankles were swollen over the irons.  Dad went to the door and asked for the keys to the irons and a basin of warm soapy water.  Fellows outside said, "You're crazy...he will kill you."  But they did give him the keys and the water, but they locked the door after him again.  Dad took off the irons and bathed his wrists and ankles and messaged them.  He thought he saw a tear in Lawton's eyes.  He said, "Thank "God, there's one human being here."

Dad got him to walk around and exercise.  He became very friendly and he and Dad would have long talks to while away the long hours.  Lawton admitted he was getting what he deserved.  He didn't blame anyone but himself.  He said it was his uncontrolled temper.  He said each of the four men had wronged him but they didn't deserve to die.  Dad really liked the man.

When the time came for Lawton to be hanged, he asked Dad, "Do you think you could get me the rope?"  When dad asked why he said, 'I want to be sure who ever ties that knot knows how to do it right."  You see he didn't want to hang and choke to death--the knot should break his neck.  Dad was able to bring him the rope.  So Lawton himself tied the knot that broke his neck the very next day.  That same knot is on display today at the Adams Museum, in Deadwood, South Dakota."


www.adamsmuseumandhouse.org/   Link for your information 

James' Oldest Son, heads north

In the winter of 1879, while the family was struggling to survive in Carrollton, Missouri, a neighbor, Captain Wolfold came to see D.S., James oldest son, and explained that the Northern PacificRailroad was building a steamboat called the "St. Louis", to go up the river to Bismark and he was to be the captain.  He asked D to go with him on the initial trip, so brother Meriot was left in charge of the ranch and D started off on many adventures.   At that time steamers could go as far as the Yellowstone River.  Although D knew nothing about  steamboats, Captain Wolfold offered him a job.   They stopped in Bismark where they used the steamboat to take a railroad engine across the river to Mandan for the railroad extention being build by the Norther Pacific westward from Mandan.

It is unknown how many trips D made up and down the Missouri on "The St. Louis,"  that summer, but we do know he had serveral jobs on the steamboat from dishwasher to actor and singer.  We have one picture of him in a costume on board the ship.  This is the earliest picture we have.  He was probably 24 years old at the time.  The next  fall he took a horseback ride up to Deadwood, N. D. for a few weeks, then spent the winter in Denver.  The next spring, he returned to the Black Hills town and was offered a job as a jailer by Sheriff Garland.  He stayed on as jailer for the next four years even when Sheriff Garland was replaced by Sheriff Manning.  Here we  begin a series of interesting stories from wild west days in Deadwood.

Florinda Jean Atkinson Billington

Florinda was born in Bowling Green Kentucky, Adair County on February 9, 1937, married  November 17,  1854 in Freestone County Texas  to James A. Billington and emigrated to Missouri around 1865-6.
Shortly after settling in Carrollton, her husband, James died and she and the children maintained the ranch for a time. We know little about her life except that she was quite gruff and domineering.  She had several illnesses throughout her life.  She was the mother of 9 children.  She out lived all of them except D.S. and Meriot.  She was a window for 36 years.  She lived the last half of her life with her son Meriot in Kansas City.  She took several trips to Deadwood/Spearfish South Dakota area to see her son D.S. and grandchildren.  The only picture we have of her was taken in Deadwood probably around 1887.   She died in Kansas City on December 30, 1904.

James A. Billington 1829-1868

      Family records indicate that James A Billington was born January 24, 1829 although research by the Hass family (as mentioned in last blog) place his birth year closer to 1822.  Both say he was born in Bedford County Tennessee to Jared and Tracy.  We are not sure why they moved to McCracken County, Kentucky  around 1832 but Jared was buried there in 1850. Although we have no record (yet)  we believe another sibling, Thomas was born  between 1841-1850. Mother Tracy moved the family to Limestone County, Texas along with other extended Billington families around 1851.  The family tradition says they were following Sam Houston.  James married Florinda on November 7, 1854  in Limestone County and by 1860 as shown on the census record they had 3 children.  When the Civil War broke out and all Texans were enlisted, James was enlisted on June 24, 1862 for a one year time period in the Texas Confederate Calvary.  We have a copy of his enlistment papers that describe him as  6'1'' tall with black hair and black eyes, fair complexion and being 33 years of age. He was enlisted under General McCulloch at Camp McCulloch for one month  then discharged on July 31, 1862. We have a copy of his discharge papers.  Family records tell us that he was then transferred to Tyler, Texas for the rest of his service. Apparently the drafting officer noticed the gun carried by James and asked him who made it.  When James replied that he made it himself  a decision was  made to transfer him to the gun factory.  So we Billingtons should rejoice that instead of being sent to the front, his talent was noticed and he survived the war, returned to his family and continued raising horses and 6 more youngin's.

       We have a letter from his brother Thomas describing their service at the factory as he was also enlisted there at an early age of 16: ""This was a large factory employing several hundred men in the various departments.The principal officers of the institution consisted in part of Col. Hill, in command, and a captain whose name I forgot and several foremen, etc. We made firearms, and utensils of war." Thomas may have  lived with "brother Jim" as he called James A  or lived in the same area, until the close of the war in 1864.

"James raised thoroughbred horses and that's where his son, my dad, got his love for horses and a keen knowledge of them and of riding.   I believe they were comfortably fixed but not rich. They were not plantation owners with lots of slaves but most people except the "poor whites" had them. Dad remembered his father and uncle talking about slavery.   They had a few slaves, tho, and when Dad's father and uncle talked about slavery they concluded that the right of some human beings to own others, was wrong and would have to end. But they felt that they would have to be educated so they could take care of themselves.  Therefore they required the black children to go to school with the others.  It wasn't against the law there (in Texas) to teach black children."  ...from Estelle Fontana.