The Bozeman weekly chronicle. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1883-1889, 1883-08-15
MONTE KATE.

MONTE KATE.
A BORDER CHARACfER FOR THE PAST
TWENTY YEARS.
From Riches to Poverty-the Career OF
. Frontier W0nan-laking
Surgeon do his Duty.
From he Philadelphia Press.
Ell PAso, Texas, August l, '83.
have just come up from San Antonio
over the Southern Pacific road. At Loz-
ier, q little station this side the Pecos
river, we were detained several hours on
account of wreck ahead. The long ride
had tired me and got out to stretch
my legs" The familiar sign, "Lickers,"
caught my eye, and entered the little
tent, over the door Of which hung the
above legend. An old frontier friend
was the presiding genius, and his rude
bar was supplied with better quality Of
liquid refreshments than is usually found
out here on the border. We were dis
coursing of the old times before the
advent of the railroad, whom we were
close contemporaries, or, vernacularly
speaking "solid partners" when q
women entered the saloon and reeled up
to the bar. She leaned her elbow on the
rail and lecred up into my face. Sud-
denly something like ray of recognition
swept across her bloated face and lit up
her 5leared and bloodshot eyes.
"Howdy?" she cried, and extended
very dirty hand.
"You recollect Kate, don't you?" said
the saloon keeper.
Course he does," replied the woman,
sharply.
"Oh, yes" added. II recollect You.
How do you do, Kate?"
"Drunk! Give me dollar!"
handed the creature the required
coin and it poured from her hands into
the till OF the bar. She reeled out tightly
clutching a bottle of "tarantula juice"
and my friend observed:
"Kate's about reached the final layout.
She's all broke up"
"Yes," I said, "and 1 recollect her
when she had thousands, wore diamonds
fit for a princess and counted her admir-
ers by the hundreds"
"WhiskyIl get the best Of 'en!" was
the sage rejoinder, and he continued the
relation Of a story which had been inter-
rupted by the entrance of the woman.
We are still deeply engaged in reminis-
cences when q man came in.
"Charlie," he said, speaking to my
friend, Monte Kate dropped dead q
minute ago at the door Of the section
house!"
"Al aboard" cried the conductor on
the platform.
II must go, Charlie" said, darting to
the door.
"See that she's buried decently, for old
times sake, and here's ten towards it!'
dropped a bill into his hand, shook
that member fraternally and had just
time enough left to catch on to the plat
form of the rear sleeper as the train
rushed past. As we whirled by the Sec
ton house noticed little crowd about
the door, bending over the poor woman's
body, and so forcibly did the not unex-
pected death impress me that I have
thought of nothing since but Monte
Kate" and her wild. gay, sin-laden life,
Everybody on the Southwestern from
tier knew Monte Kate. She has prom
inently figured as a border character for
the past twenty years. l never met any
one who knew her real name or ought of
her antecedcnts. saw her for the first
in San Antonio during the summer Of
1866. She was then the talk of the town
brilliant. witty, young, divinely beau
tifll and possessed of an abundance of
money, which was literally supplied her
by the countless friends the witchery of
her smile had won to her side. She had
Just come in from one of the frontier
posts and was scattering her money right
and left. She had sumptuous apartments
at the best hotel, drank the costliest
wines, ate the choicest viands and drove
about the Alamo City in natty little
phaeton, drawn by pair of mettlesome
"pied" ponies. saw her every day for
two weeks. One evening on the Military
Plaza she passed me as I was strolling
with friend along the bonquette.
"A pretty woman" observed.
EYES," replied my friend, "that's
Monte Kate. She's been here about
three weeks on a regular SPREE Yester-
day the sheriff attached her ponies and
carriage for debt and she was forced to
give up her apartments at the hotel. She
has friend out at one of the frontier
posts and she has sent for him to come
to her relief. He has to do it every time
she comes to the city. He'll be here to-
morrow, pay her debts and take her back
with him. Next pay day she'll make
another big stake and come here to spend
it. She'll never let up till she's dead
broke and then she'll 60 back to hel
game and drink nothing until she's way
ahead"
"She runs game, then?"
eyes, monte. That's how she got hel
name. She's the slickest dealer ON the
frontier"
The next morning I went down to the
railroad depot to see a friend of: On
the platform at the station was huddled
a little group, a man, evidently German
his sick wife and three little children
the youngest a baby, who was crying
piteously. They were on their way te
New Braunfels and were out of money
They had no friends and no one seemed
to consider it his duty to inquire into Of
attempt to alleviate their suferings. The
woman, who was young and had an in
teresting face, was moaning pitifully ant
the poor husband tried to console her
while great tears rolled down his cheek
and dropped on the wasted hands of hi