The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1881-04-19

only one point Of interest on the route b
tween Ogden and Rlackfoot, and that Is Por
Neuf Canyon. This Is . grand, rocky cal
yon, made historical by a bloody battle b
tween ~stage-robbers and passengers. I d
not remember the dafe or the exact partic,
lars of the affair, but It was either in 1Sf
or 1855, when gold was being taken out
the Montana placers by the ton. An organ
ICED band of road agents. being informe
that the coach would carry out OF a cerfai
day . large amoun Of dust, ambushed tn
coach in a narrow gorge which forms tn
mouth of Port-Neuf Canyon. Several O
the passengers had = large amount of dust il
belts around their waists, and were armed
All but the leader of the gang Of highway
men were concealed in the willows that linet
the bank of the stream. The leader CON
manded the driver to halt, when q brave buI
discreet passenger fired his rife at the rob
Der. Immediately the concealed agents
poured . volley into the coach. The pas
sengers cramped up In the coach, and with
scarcely . chance for their lives, returned the
fire, but they were under too great q disad.
vantage, and the robbers forced them to sue
cumb, killing several. The passengers, the
corpses and the treasure boxes were riied,
and the gang made of, leaving the wounded
and %plundered passengers to get along ss best
they might. l do not remember that any of
these road agents were arrested for their
crime, though they were known, but it is pop
ular belief that every member OF the gang
met his death at the hands of a vigilance
committee.
The most important point or the Utah and
Northern at present is Blackfoot. This is q
little town situated on the bank of a small
river Of the same name. 1t contains about
200 houses, mostly implanted, with the usual
complement of stores, saloons and shops Incl
dent to a new camp IN a new railroad. A
weekly newspaper is published in the town.
Blackfoot derives its chief Importance from
being the point at which the staging and
Challis, and other districts in eastern Idaho.
At the mouth of the Blackfoot, below the
site OF the town, is where the old stage road
used to cross. l was there during a former
to Montana about Is years ago-a
made al a palace saddle. The only
affiliations on the banks of the stream were
The stage station and a trading post that went
by the romantic nane of the 'sRoot Hog |
a sign across the front of the build
ng announcing that title. The place was a
esorL for trapperS, Indians, 'squaw men" and
'arions viilaitous persons whom society had
to rH into seclusion. "Squaw me -
re white men who live and consort with The
ndlans. This is the name applied to them
y both Indians and whites. arrived at the
lace in the evening, and as l rode up my
airs were saluted with the tones of "A violin.
turned out my horse, fixed my camp, aud
Tent over to the Root Hog Ranch. l do not
hink | ever looked upon a more v%illainous-
ppearing collection of human beings in my
ife. In one corner of the low cabin Stood a
mall bar with a few dirty bottles on the shelf
ehind it. The room was hung with skins of
arious wild animals. a row of shelves COLI
aiming a lot of nasty cheap clothing, and
catered about we're a few boxes and barrels
nd sacks of flour. Seated on stools around
he room were white men dressed in hunting
hits and buckskin trousers, and huddled on
he floor were several squaws and bucks. The
entral figure, or rather figures OF the
,ene, were "Kelly, the fiddler," and
is Indian boy. "Kelly the fiddler" was
one time a noted man in California. He
as a natural musician, and, to use All ex-
ression often used in mining camps, could
just make a fiddle get up and hump ITSELF"
lie did not know a note of music, but by
MUSICIANS was acknowledged an artist with
lie violin. At one time he got $50 a night
Or playing in gambling-houses in the Cali
'rnia mines but the placer mines of CALI
had "petered out" evil times had come
n California, and "Kelly the Fiddler found
imseIf playing his artistic notes to a few
iaho, with whisky as his remuneraiont.
Indian Was a boy about 10 years of
&c, a cute. pretty, brieht-eyed little fellow.
lie had been picked up an infant on one of
~ ~" S'N ss'iH phS ohbPoiS III "LtSh
slaughtered the Bannacks and Snakes.
.elly adopted the brat, and as it grew up
it to 70 acrobatic tricks, dance jigs,
sing comic songs. | took in the music
nd performance for a few moments, aud then
Tent over to my camp. Kelly followed soon
fter, tipsy as any fiddler, and approaching
ae, whispered in my car ''Are you carrying
honey with you ?' "a few dollars for ex-
replied. "Tis WELL" he replied,
ramatically, sfor over. in this house is the
'orst set of cut-throats l ever encountered.
t they thought you had money you would
ever leave this place alive" l think Kelly
exaggerated, but the men certainly were a
set.
Now almnst IN siubt IF tho ,not xyharo