The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1884-12-24
Early Days IN Fort Benton.

In the month of November looo' II
will be remembered by many OF u ono
citizens a treaty was made at Fort BEN
ton by Gov. McNamara, Maj. upham
and other government officials with the
different tribes of northern Indians,
viz: Piegans, Bloods, Blackfeet and
Gros Ventres, it being the largest as
sembly of Indians ever known on the
Benton fiat. The country for miles
around was covered by Indian cayuses,
| for at that time the tribes were rich in
| horses, each chief often having many
hundred.
A large train Of the Diamond x trans
portation company was also camped on
the flats. They had transported a four
pound howitzer on the back of a faith
full mule from the steamer Shreveport,
which had unloaded her cargo at Cow
Island or some point near. The how
itzer had been left for the protection OF
the freight, which, on account Oh the
| extremely low stage of water, could not
be brought to the fort by boat. With
the last load of freight came the gum,
l'as above stated.
The immense congregation of Indians
caused the men in charge of the little
gum to conceive the idea of showing
the Indians it's strength by discharging
it from the back of a mule. Many of
the old-timers hearing Of the project
went to witness the experiment.. expect
ing to see the mule turning double SOM
ersaults over the bank of the river. The
howitzer, loaded with grapeshot, was
securely fastened upon the back of a
large, sleepy looking train mule, with
the muzzle pointed toward the tail, and
the patient, unsuspecting animal was
present site of It. G.. Power & Bros
store, and a target set up across h riv-
er. The rear of the mule was turned
toward the target, and arranged in q
semi-circle around that mule were train
men, officers and wondering Indians,
we'll besprinkled by our curious old
timers. A chief of ceremonies having
been appointed, he advanced, and when
all was in readiness, inserted a time
fuse in the touch-hole Of the howitzer,
and retired. In a short time the quiet,
unruf1ed mule heard a fixing just back
of his ears, which made him uneasy.
and he Immediately began to turn his
head to investigate. AS he did so his
body turned and the hoWitzer began to
take in other points of the compass. The
mule became more excited as his curios-
ity became more and more intense,
and in a few seconds he either
had his four feet in a bunch, making
more revolutions in q minute than the
bystanders cared to count, with the
howitzer threatening destruction to eve
rybody within a radius of a quarter of a
mile, or he suddenly would try standing
on his head with his heels and howitzer
at . r'nnarkable angle in thc cir. The
culel was SO eAcIteu he was seen valnIy
trying to climb the flag staff; the train
men and Indians scattered pell NELL
over the flat toward the bluffs, running
as if they thought in fight lay their
only safety, and that, too, at a rate of
speed much greater than grape shot.
Judging from the alacrity with which
Col. Broadwater, 81. A. Kennerly, 10.
Healy and Nose Solomon slid wei the
bank Of the river, they were not opposed
to immersion; Matt. Carroll, George
STEEL and James Arnoux toward the
store, which occupied the present site of
Sullivan's saddlery shop, and the Over
land; Hi. Upham, J.. J. Healy and Bill
Hamilton began to throw up breast
works with their sheath knives Capt.
Nelse rolled p~romiseuously on the
ground and groaned, while [. G. Baker
and one or two of the peace commits
sioners were turning back hand-springs
toward the fort.
While the mule, with his heels in
mid air, was shaken with the most vio-
lent agitation, there was a puff of smoke,
a thud, and the mule-oh, where was
he? Ask of the winds, for not a soul
saw him, and they will tell you a lonely,
forelorn mule might have been seen
turning over and Over until finally he
tumbled over the bank with his hoWitz-
er and cast anchor in the river. while
the shot went toward the fort, striking
the figure of a buffalo that was used as
an advertisement at the fort, and which
hung there until within the last two or
three years, and which many of the
citizens of Fort Benton will remember