Dakota Outrage—October 31—1882– Grand Forks, N.D.
Dr. Andrew Elliott of Almonte
Early store in Grand Forks. Third Street looking north 1882
A dispatch from Grand Forks says Dr. Elliott of Almonte who was tarred and feathered, is in critical condition. Half a day was spent washing his body with turpentine, grease and hot water after which he was put to bed. And he will recover. He threatens to prosecute his persecutors. The Daily Pioneer Press of St. Paul remarks editorially under the date of the 31st Oct., concerning the outrage on Dr. Elliott of Almonte.
Evidence is accumulating that the tarring and feathering of Dr. Elliott at Grand Forks was a most cruel and unjust outrage. The town authorities have tardily awakened to a sense of their duty and have responded and are doing all that they can for the injured man. He now lives at the house of a friend critically ill with inflammation of the lungs induced by exposure after his rough treatment.
There is a disposition in Grand Forks to hold a few persons responsible for this outrage, but if there was anybody in the place who did not agree to or applaud the act when it was committed the telegraphic reports their local press failed to show it. The good name of the whole community will suffer from the outrage.
Update from the Almonte Gazette November 3rd, 1882.
The Gazette waited to publish the update on Dr. Andrew Elliott of Almonte as they did not want to open up a painful topic for his family that was telegraphed as a special to the Globe.
There was indeed even doubt in the matter, and we now learn there is a great deal of exaggeration. The locality banded together to punish the man they believed to be an instigator. However, plans became known to officials, and the crowd was notified another act of Lynch Law similar to the one the day before would not be tolerated.
The press are demanding for an investigation into the matter, and now that Dr. Elliot is on the spot, he will doubtless do his best to make the parties feel outrage. Hopefully he will be assisted by intelligent and law loving citizens, some of whom without knowing him have felt it to be their duty to denounce the action in communications with him. Meanwhile it is pleasing to know that the Doctor is getting better
Almonte Gazette Nov 17 1882
The stpry been reported now that some drunken man was seen by a little girl in the outhouse of the public school. It is also said in her imagination excited by the scenes of the day previous (lynching) suggested that Dr. Elliott was endeavouring to entice her to him. Two young newspaper reporters hearing of this story in the evening thought they had seen the man.
At midnight Dr. Elliot was dragged from his bed at the leading hotel in the town. The little girl aroused from her sleep at one o’clock in the morning identifies the good doctor and despite his protests that he was not the man, and he did not confess, was led to the riverbank and was treated as was reported in the newspaper.
The Gazette feels the guilt should be upon the shoulders of the young reporters who not only pointed Dr. Elliot out, but who also helped carry out the brutal plan Nov 17 1882.
So who was guilty?
You can read the Perth Courier at Archives Lanark
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