Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1878-08-29

- drills where blasting is required. Whe
-, all these improvements shall be complete'
80. 49,. the mines OF Trapper District, as they al
VIC no doubt the richest, will be more system
~ atically and scientifically worked than an
."c other mines in the Territory.
nts
Ok THE WETMORE STAMPEDE.''
=, New Version OF it.-Hasty and Un
Warrantable Conclusions OF H0l:
er lins.-Tessimony to the Former
Tor Excellent Reputation Of Wet
more.-A Clear and Con.
~ else Representation OF
y. the Entire Affair BY -
,"' Mr.Jno A. Farms
to BOHEMIAN, Aug. %, 1878.
w. Te the Editor of the Auant Courier:
80 The Times Of August 22d contains 1
- letter written by Win. Geo. Hollins, dateo
: August 10th, in which he brands Fl. j.
- Wetmore "a liar, thief and villian.''
~ Mr.. Hollins is lasty, and, in my opinion,
:. :. would have been far wiser had he waited
- the denouemcnt of the "Wetmore STAN
.e pede," before attempting to defame the
IS character of Mr.. We:more by libelous
newspaper publications. While | admit
!" that very dark cloud rests over Mr.. Wet
, more at the present time, yet no man
;, ;. kno,cs that he has no diggings. No ulti-
= matum has as yet been reached, and it is
Z quite possible that time may proclaim Mr..
Wetmore truthful gentleman and fully
>I,,ss>.1 ,nto hi I t1,nk
Hollirs (who is an attorney at law does
not not treat Mr.. Wetmore in the same
manner that Judge treats prisoner ar
rsligned ut the bar, /. e.. consider him in
n0cent until he Is proven guilty by fair
and impartial trial. Has Mr.. Wetmole 50
been proven guilty? affirm that he has
not.
am informed that Mr.. VIM. Geo. Holl-
ins resorted to crooked" means in order
to work his way into Mr.. Wetmore's par
ty on their start from Bismarck. Of my
own knowledge know that Mr.. Wetmore
never asked MIR. HOllins to 70 to the
mines, and objected to his being one of the
party, but finally gave reluctant CONSENT
Furthermore, Mr.. Hollins gave the party |
so much trouble, and caused SO much an
noyance by '.gadding" from mess to mess,
retailing gossip land some of the boys
claim that he manufactured good part of
it out Of whole clOti) to such an extent
that he was regarded as nuisance, and
when he left our party and started for his
home, on July 26th, by the majority his
departure was. hailed with delight. Now, ,
'fler MIR. Hollins was SO cunning as to
force his company upon MIR. Wetmore,
and Mr.. w. repays Mr.. II. for his nlearl-
ness by giving him the cold shoulder, ii a
really looks to me as if they were just i
even, and neither one should complain.
am certainly as well posted in regard
to Mr.. Wetmore and his actions us anyone, i
having induced him to leave his home in
the States snd start with NE for his mines. :
We intended that our party should consist o
of six persons all told. SOrely against n
Mr.. Wetmore's will, it numbered eleven o
and the probability that we would be oyer
hauled by large party before we could a
reach the mines. Before leaving the States =
MIR. W. told me positively that he would =
not go the mines if a crowd followed him. ri
md gave AS his reasons that he had two n,
very intimate friends whom he desired to IL
AXE to the mines, but that they were short p
If funds and unable to outfit and start =,
With him; that if he went to the mines I'm
With crowd, in very few days thou fe
ands would pour in and locate every foot =
# ground weeks before his friends could {
rive from the States.
On July lltli, we met party Of twenty of
hree men, who had followed us from tr.
lilies City; and it is beyond the shadow in,
I doubt that from this time MIR. Wet f.
lore had but two objects in view. namely III
to lead the crowd as far from, his mines W
possible, and to get away himself I'M v!
armed. Had l been in MIR. Wetmore's w
tuation should have done differently ".
IAN he did. He made an agreement to
Ike every one to the mines, provided that
icy would remain behind and permit him !
go to the mines and consult his part
RS, and then he would return anu con-
let the party to the new Eldorado. Il
This he did not do, but instead sent u
EN- pn ''wild goose chase" and he
arted back, ostensibly to bring mis- f,mi-
West. l think Mr.. Wetmore's better a..
urse would have been, after discovering W0
e party Of twenty-three that had follow
him, to have refused point blank to pro- "a
ed any further, and left them in a manly
". However, am more willing to ex- Nj
Sc him, as he feared bodily harm in case
did not follow the wishes of the crowd,
i he chose the former method to get At
ay. Had he made any money out of !
stampede, and gone of in such man.
:, would condemn him at once, but
lie know OF my own knowledge that
has had the very best opportunity to
Ike several thausand collars, do know /.
'itively that he has not made one penny 8 p.
r and above the expense of his outfit Rtne $ 3
very economical living for his fami- nsats
r a sfsfI
ir. Wetmore has good business talent -
could have made, in the same length Col
time, with far less Labor than he has ex no = !,
ded on the stampede, more money and first
ch better fare than he has received. Fer Hia s
eral years Mr.. Wetmore had charge of 800 ;
alton on the Northern Pacific railroad. II M IN s
fulfilled his duties to the entire salts Us to
ion Of the officers Of the road. and.
n ne resigned his position, was prime best 81 i
rite both with the officers and EN- aFat
res of the entire line, and bears to-day parss .'
them an excellent reputation. The 10
consideration OF all the facts is it not r. Il
tile premature to publish him as 4 mile d
!, thief and villiaaT' Will it not be r..s },
enough to do SO when such is proven pufs
the case beyond doubt? TO the pub h ae g.
large simply ask thai Mr.. Wetmore under
reated with the same justice that = snq y
'ner arraigned at the bar would u All,
THAT he be considered ianecent aulil s.ddl.
ly proven guilty. And I eav ,,,n.t ucies