Back when Davis County was temporarily ‘lost’ and Sandy was terrorized

DAVIS County was “lost” temporarily in May of 1892.

“County mark lost” was a May 13, 1892 headline in the Davis County Clipper. On May 6 of that year, “the stone that indicates the division line between Salt Lake and Davis counties was pulled up and moved into the middle of the wagon road,” the Clipper reported.

On May 9. Davis County road supervisor John Parkins heard about the vandalism and he headed south from Farmington to the border line, hoping to reset the block. However, he found that the block was no longer in sight.

“But after a three-hour search succeeded in finding it under some weeds on the inside of the stone wall on the lower side of the road, about four or five hundred yards north of where it stood,” the Clipper stated.

He surmised that the large stone had been taken on cart to that distant location. He also found two cigarettes at the scene and noticed that the wagon had done a U-turn to head back to Salt Lake County after dropping off the stone.

The stone was replaced and Davis County was back to normal.

-“Terrorizes citizens of Sandy” was a March 2, 1893 headline in the Clipper.

“A few days ago a crowd of Salt Lake toughs, thugs and jailbirds, headed by Hyrum Cassady, who had recently escaped from the city prison, descended upon the peaceful village of Sandy and began stealing right and left,” the Clipper stated.

Their thefts were quiet at first, but after they procured a keg of beer, they became reckless.

“Three of them went into the co-op. store and stole two pair of pants and it was decided to make a general raid on the town that night,” the newspaper reported.

One of the thugs’ own betrayed them and warned some citizens of their plans. That man was beaten and driven out of town.

“By this time it was rumored that the gang intended to set fire to buildings and the little town was wild with excitement. The citizens organized, and after quite a battle, succeeded in arresting five of the fellows, who were locked in a freight car,” the Clipper account stated.

The Sheriff was then sent for and he and his officers captured another three or four of the men. They were now holding the whole gang, but these thugs set fire to the railcar and cut a big hole in the side of it.

The eight criminals were finally contained and when brought to court, the leader was sentenced to six months in jail and a $15 fine. The other seven men received lesser sentences, ranging down to just two months in jail.

Some considered this the toughest gang ever arrested in one roundup in the area.

-“Tramps and grasshoppers” was an Aug. 10, 1893 Clipper editorial by Jed Brown of Bountiful. He maintained that the Bountiful area had never before had so many idle men or tramps walking around.

“They steal our vegetables and fruits and have feasts on our hard earnings,” Brown stated. “We should surely have an officer closer than we have to look after our interests.”

                                                      Buffalo on Antelope Island.

-The Clipper newspaper also had an item in its Aug. 3, 1892 edition on “How buffaloes were slaughtered.”

During an annual migration for food, buffalo herds were simply unstoppable and if an animal fell, it was trampled to death by the bison behind.

So, lazy hunters eventually realized that they didn’t have to always just shoot buffalo. All they had to do was frighten a herd in the direction of a ravine, “where if the front ranks halted they would be pushed over by the thousands.”

The article, taken from “Our Animal Friends” publication, concluded with “It was reckless, wholesale slaughter of noble animals and accounts partly for the scarcity of the buffalo in later years.”