The Deadwood Daily Pioneer

Deadwood, South Dakota

18 February 1891

"AN OLD FEUD ENDED"

"N. LaFlamme and C. Carter Settle Their Difficulties."

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"Carter Dead; LaFlamme in Jail."

"News reached Deadwood last evening, that C. Carter, an Elk Creek ranchman, had died at an early hour yesterday morning, from effects of injuries received during a quarrel with N. LaFlamme on Friday of last week. The men had been enemies for years, it being as long ago as '82 that LaFlamme tried to have Carter indicted for shooting at himself and his son. The quarrel began over the rights of the respective parties to cut hay on a certain tract of land; LaFlamme claimed the land was his, and that all others on it were trespassers. Carter denied this and insisted it was government land, on which he had as much right as any one else. The quarrel thus begun ended only yesterday morning when one of the men went to meet his maker, while the other remains in jail with the stain of human blood on his hands.

ACCOUNTS DIFFER.

What were the immediate circumstances preceding the last quarrel could not be ascertained. The men met on a neighbor's place, and as one account has it, LaFlamme immediately assaulted Carter, struck him a violent blow on the back of the head with a billet of wood, and leaving his victim for dead, proceeded first to his home, and subsequently to Sturgis, where he gave himself up to the Meade county authorities. Parties claiming to have been eye witnesses of the affair, who were in Rapid last night, informed a reporter that the assault was entirely unprovoked, and that residents of Elk Creek were all sympathizers of the dead man.

ANOTHER ACCOUNT.

After the foregoing report had been received, Coroner Cheney, of Meade county, called the Pioneer by telephone, and in substance made the following statement of the case: Carter was 73 years old; he was a man of violent temper, and had borne enmity to LaFlamme for years. On Friday afternoon the men met on a neighbor's place. Carter, armed with an axe, started for LaFlamme; the latter picked up a rock and threw it but missed; Carter still pursued; LaFlamme hurled a billet of wood at him and again missed. Carter continued his threatening demonstrations and getting closer all the while, LaFlamme picking up a stick, struck him in the back of the head, fracturing the skull. LaFlamme came to Sturgis and gave himself up. A post mortem examination was held this morning; the inquest begins day after tomorrow, Wednesday afternoon, at one o' clock."

~ source: 18 February 1890; DEADWOOD DAILY PIONEER, Tuesday's edition; Deadwood, Lawrence County, South Dakota.

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