The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1882-02-15

900, the largest one ever made for a mile
race in the United States.
Derby or Prix de Paris never created
feTcer enthusiasm, and afternoon sun never
shone upon a scene more wildly animated
than that frontier race course. There was
no high enclosure, no morose ticket seller,
no insolent gate tender, no protecting po-
licemen. All was go as you please, 90
where you please, and unending confusion !;
at least ten thousand men, woman and chill
dren enclrcled the track in a hapless, swell
tering chain. The toughest and kindest, the
uilest and purest of the border elements there
migled without distinction. The men all
armed and many of them carried rifles. An
imposing stand had hastily been constructed
from rough boards and logs, and in this
structure the judges oficiated. The. gold
dust purse had been melted at the mint and
the 400 pound retort of shining metal was
suspended by wires and ropes stretched
across th& track from the stand to a huge
post. Men wildly staked their claims, their
homes, stock and money, and those of the
women who possessed diamonds or iewelry
did not hesitate to risk their baubles on the
result.
At last amid frenzied cheers the horses got
got a start, Rutflan forging ahead from The
stand. Chief flew the track, went over a
deep embankment, and before he could re-
cover the first heat was practically decided
in Rufian's favor. A yell OF disappointment
went up from the multitude, and a rush was
made to lynch the man who started Chief.
He succeeded in escaping the moi unframed
however. More than one hundred thousand
dollars had changed hands on the heat. The
gamblers, encouraged, doubled bets stakel
siders, yet confident, met them all cheer
fully.
An even start was obtained in the second
heat, and the two horses passed into the
quarter stretch neck and neck. At the half
pole, Kuf1an, in response to hard whipping,
slowly took the lead. All this time, Chief
had been given a free rein, but had been
spared the lash. Charlie Hamilton, q des'
perado, who had all his earthly possessions
staked on the Chief, stood at the back
stretch pole as the horses approached, a navy
revolver in each hand.
clay the whip to that horse or I'll drop
you from the saddle" he shouted to Eugene
Teats, Chiefs rider, sighting both of his
weapons. Teats knew that Hamilton would
keep his word unless the order was obeyed,
and although he was confident that CHIEF
would win the second heat without urging
he lost no time in applying the whip. HI
drew blood at every stroke, and Chief wen
under the wire winner of the heat by loo
feet, in 1:42.
like of which was never before or since wit
messed on a race course. Men pulled thei
six shooters and fired madly, indiscriminate
ly; gold dust, in the quarrel for stakes, was
the woman forgot their modesty so far as tt
curse their i'll luck in round Anglo Saxol
ephithets.
Rufian was completely broken down afte
tuls DCdts - s0LAolSAOe NPPASNA"tAA
that they were braten, became frantic wit
rage. Con Orem and Charley Switz, VIII
afterwards became noted prize fighters
stood at the door to the stand and held tn
crowd at bay until the judges had given thei
decision. Chief was ordered on the track
and after making the half mile wire was dc
clared winner of the race, The judges ha
to be escorted from the track to town by a
armed escort composed Of volunteers fror
the winning side.
Mounted Oh broncho ponies with pistol
and Bowie knives drawn, the Greer brother
: and a party of friends made their way to th
$685. 900 nugget and cut it to the ground.
: was loaded in a wagon and taken into town
: a guard accompanying the precious freight
: There was q large number of people she
and stabbed in the melee, but f%ortunatel
none died from their wounds.
That night Denver was one blazing reve
ry one gorgeous orgie. The immense MT
get was cut up into smaller and more CON
mercial commodities. Teats was presente
with SIS, 900 worth of these. The balanc
of the winning were equally divided by tb'
brothers, and in less than forty-eight hour
hey had squandered all. In a state of in
! ebriety they sold the Chief to Captai
MCGEE, the war guerrilla, for $3.50, who wa