Voices from the Past

October 31, 1924

Chausse Is Killed Smuggling “Moon”

Velle Chausse, residing a few miles south of Piniele, in Carter County, and near the Almone pass, was almost instantly killed across the state line in South Dakota Sunday evening by Sheriff Lefors of Butte County, S.D., while trying to smuggle a load of “moonshine” into the Black Hills country in a large car.

Particulars as relayed on to Broadus are only meager, but according to these reports Deputy Sheriff McKenzie of Carter County learned of the liquor transportation and gave chase as far as Alzada where he discovered he was being outdistanced and was losing in the chase. He is said to have used the telephone circuit from Alzada to Belle Fourche in calling up Sheriff Lefors and asking him to take a hand. Lefors with a posse is said to have met the “booze” car a short distance west of Belle Fourche and to have commanded the driver to halt. Bill Francisco, also of the Piniele vicinity, was driving the car, it is said, and instead of stopping, “stepped on the gas,” accelerating the speed of the car to a dangerous momentum. The sheriff took a shot at the car’s driver, it is said, but instead, inflicted a mortal wound in Chausse who was sitting in the same seat. Francisco continued to drive the car down the road, losing all discretion in his frenzy to elude pursuit. Round a curve, the car as though intoxicated from its illicit cargo, reeled over and was badly demolished. The corpse of Chausse was thrown clear from the seat, it is reported.

Francisco knew he could not be outdistanced on foot so while awaiting the arrival of the sheriff he busied himself with a hammer in breaking the receptacles holding the liquor. He used the car for a barricade in defense when the sheriff drove up, and one report says he had crawled underneath it. The sheriff commanded him to surrender when he is said to have started a bodily attack upon the sheriff with his hammer. A bullet from the sheriff’s gun struck him in the leg, dropping him to the ground and into sheriff’s custody. The prisoner and corpse were taken on into Belle Fourche.

Chausse was a man of about 50 years of age and is survived by a widow and family south of Piniele.

First Car to Be Put over Bridge Here By Sunday

With no unforeseen delays, the steel bridge here will be ready by Sunday next to convey a car from one side of the river to the other by next Sunday.

The bridge crew, under the instruction of Jim Leech for the Security Bridge Company, has made excellent progress in the past week in installing the old 192-foot span. The reconstructed bridge from bank to bank measures 550 feet. The present work consisted of building a new concrete pier, installing the old 192-foot steel span and building a 120-foot wood span. The old bridge with its two 120-foot steel spans forms the eastern end of the bridge. Pedestrians are now using the bridge in walking across the river.

October 28, 1949

Colstrip Took Locals Measure

Broadus lost the opportunity to tie for the district football championship Saturday when they lost the game to Colstrip by a score of 54 to 13. The lopsided score does not indicate the type of game that was played here. Colstrip is the district champion.

The Colstrip 6 man team had two touchdowns and had converted after the touchdowns by passes to make the score 14 to 0 before the local team found themselves. At this point Slayton broke away after perfect blocking had set up an open field, and rambled 40 years for a touchdown. The conversion failed. Colstrip made two more touchdowns and converted before Ferguson ran over for the last Broadus touchdown. The conversion via a pass was good and Broadus had their 13 points.

After the first period the Broadus defense tightened to the point that Colstrip was forced to go passing to make yardage. This proved to be the best method for them to score. The defensive work of every man on the Broadus squad was near perfect. Hardly enough can be said for Elwood Barnhart, 135 lb. defensive center, who was continually breaking through the Colstrip line to get his man.

Those out for football this year were Gene Carter, Whitney Patten, Dallas Slayton, Dennis Cole, seniors; Claude Huckins, Elwood Barnhart, Buzz Jones, Jerry Stabio, Leon Alderman, Edwin Elkins, juniors; Ray Potter, Walter Ferguson, Francis Wetherelt, Billy Kramlich and Darrel Walker, sophomores; Bucky Carter, Bill Carr and Harold McCullough, freshmen. D. Huckins was team manager.

October 31, 1974

RTA Line Crews Are Arriving

Crews will be arriving in Broadus this coming week to being the preliminary work toward the 800 or 900 miles of Range Telephone lines which are to be buried, according to Weldon Hedges of Forsyth; plant superintendent for RTA. One crew will be obtaining easements and another crew from a firm in Billings will be doing the staking.

The 800 to 900 miles of line to be buried will cost about $2.5 million, Hedges said, and the buried cable will be used in providing one party service for customers of RTA. The bid will be let this winter, he said, and work will, hopefully, begin early in the 1975 construction period.