Attention good (& not so good) people of Dogtown!
I have terrible news for us all. I have received a letter from The Beef Baron's lawyers that may spell the end of our wonderful little town. Apparently the Beef Baron is insisting that we vacate Dogtown, leaving the land we had been granted by him not sixteen months ago. Here is a full copy of the letter.
8 May, 1870.
To the residents of Dogtown, via Administrator Marty O'Doney.
I, The Beef Baron, owner of the land on which Dogtown is constructed, demand that all residents and itinerants in Dogtown vacate my lands completely within twenty-one days of the date of this notice. You may take all your possessions and construction materials with you.
Any person still in Dogtown at the end of this period will be forcibly evicted. Any building remaining will be burnt to the ground.
Any person returning to my lands, after the end of the twenty-one days, will be assumed to be tresspassing and will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
Signed, The Beef Baron."
They seem to have found some loophole in the "deeds of lease" arrangements which apparently allows The BB to legally resume his land.
I demanded that the lawyers tell me why he was doing this to us. Their reply was simply to pass me another document listing The BB's grievances against us, things that apparently have upset him. Here is a copy of that document.
"# Townsfolk attacking innocent cattlemen.
# Unauthorised construction outside the limits of Dogtown.
# Failure of tenants to actually start up their business after being given land.
# Failure of some tenants to build after being given land.
# Construction of a Roman Catholic Church.
# Introduction of sheep to the area, & the resultant devastation of grazing lands.
# Lazy K Ranch cattle grazing on The BB's land due to lack of fences.
# Opening of a Bordello in the town.
# Gambling on the Dog Races."
As you can see, the list is constructed as to give the impression that we are are a bunch of rustlers and thieves and brigands. These accusations are outrageous - we're not the type of people he is making us out to be. We know very well that we have put huge amounts of sweat and tears into building our little town. We started with nothing and have built a thriving little community. It is not fair to take this off us!
I propose we fight this eviction notice tooth and nail. We must fight it on two fronts.
Firstly, we should take immediate legal action to stop, or at least put on hold, the eviction. From there we will fight for our rights in the courts. I have already contacted a high profile legal firm in Kansas City and am awaiting their reply.
Secondly, we should fight this on the streets if necessary. I know The BB uses strong-arm tactics to get his way so he'll probably hire thugs to intimidate us into leaving. If we are still here at the end of the twenty-one days, these same hired guns will move on to more brutal tactics. We must prepare for this, starting immediately. The things we need to do are:
Stockpile food and water, we need transport and stockpile locations.
1. Buy in sufficient weapons and ammunition in order to defend ourselves.
2. Turn the town into a mini-fortress by:
a) barracading the entry and exit points so entry into town is difficult for 'outsiders';
b) sandbagging up the windows and doors of our buildings so they are more easily defended.
Any further ideas/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Finally, I believe we should form a defence committee headed by our very own sheriff, Casius Clay. Any persons wanting to be involved please let me know.
So, good citizens of Dogtown, get working so we can keep our little community together. I know I won't be getting much sleep in the next three weeks.
Administrator Marty O'Doney
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