Ditch Defenders by Dallas Max Schneider

Ditch Defenders by Dallas Max Schneider (Added to and edited by Bryonny Van Camp)

(Original info Provided by Dallas Max Schneider and added/edited by Bryonny Van Camp- I figured Grandpa Max wouldn't mind as he loved improving a good story).

There was a ditch from the mountain spring that Orval Dallas's Father, Frank William Schneider, has built to irrigate part of the farm on their 400 Acres in Burley Idaho.  This ditch was very important to the family, not only because it was their source of water and irrigation, but because their father had built it before he died.  Frank William dug this 30 ft cistern by hand because there were no utilities in the area at the time (an impressive feat for any man, and especially impressive while he suffered from tuberculosis).   He often would take Orval Dallas and Les, his sons, to the mouth of the spring and he would tell his boys to put their ears to the rock so they could hear the rushing water.  Side Note:  Dallas Max Schneider (son of Orval Dallas), at the age of 14, went to visit the old Idaho family farm and the ditch was still there, Max marveled at the strength of the grandfather, Frank William, he had never had the privilege of meeting in this life).

Life on a new farm was very hard, especially after their provider Frank William died and they were a long way from the help of their other relatives in Missouri, where they had moved from just a couple years before.  The little family was struggling and had 2 years of crop failure during this time.  Times were very tough and desperate for all the farmers in the area.

It soon came the the families attention that, someone up stream was diverting and siphoning off some of their water, however they didn't have any difinative proof.. yet.  Obviously this was extremely unacceptable and called for drastic measures to be undertaken as the family survival depended on this life giving water. 

Hattie Barnett Schneider, the widow of Frank William Schneider, was not to be messed with, she needed to be tough in this harsh frontier land and she was very concerned about protecting her water rights.   So one night Hattie, with her sons, Orval Dallas and Les, crept up to the ditch and lay there all night by the ditch with a loading 30-30 riffle waiting to see who the despicable person was that was taking their water.  At the dark of midnight under the pale moon, they saw outline of a figure approaching, and as he came closer they recognized their neighbor that had came with a shovel to steal the water. 

Fearless Hattie called the man by name and bellowed: "This is the widow Schneider.  Don't steal my water!" 

The neighbor, surely not afraid of a single women, said "Who's going to stop me?" 

She said "This gun and my boys" and to back up the claim, the sound of a riffle being cocked and then a single shot being fired rang out in the silent evening and it was all the proof that the neighbor needed that now was not the time to start a fight.

The neighbor said, "Now.. don't do anything rash!"  as he turned around and ran back to his house like a frightened coward.

They had to take him to court to make him stop permanently, but that incident showed that Hattie Barnett Schneider and her family was not one to be trifled with.