Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1888-04-12
ROCKY AND FORKY.
Enoch Hodson Makes Answer to the
Romancing of Sam Word.

JEFFERSON, M. T., April 2.-EDIToR
HERALD Allow me space to reply to the
false representations of one Sammy Word
in the Independent, in which he speaks of
me personally as having failed to fulfill
my contract with Dennis Ryan or his duly
authorized agent.
! / supposed that / made q contract
with Ryan on the first of last October to
furnish the Rocky Fork road a certain
number of ties according to the usual
| specifications, said ties to be delivered on
cars at any point from Bozeman east as far
as the point where the road that the said
Ryan was supposed to be constructing at
Laurel station, Ryan furnishing transpor-
.atiOn, ties to be inspected at place
of loading by inspectors of the company,
commenced work in October, and de-
livered large number of ties at Mountain
Side during the months following, and the
company or Ryan, sent an inspector, who
spotted up" some of my ties, but said that
the company could not get cars to ship
them that they would shortly have a
train for that purpose; that 1 would get
pay for the ties, and that it should make
no difference, as l was ready to load them
Cooper, who signed himself agent for Ryan,
as also general manager and treasurer of
the Rocky Fork railway, and had signed
the contract for Ryan as agent, wrote me
letters, stating that they could not ship,
but that he would pay for them where they
were. In November Cooper sent me a
check for $200O which was about enough
to pay for my horse feed, and promised to
send me good sum on December 18th,
which failed to arrive. About
the Goth l paid Cooper a visit
and asked him why the money did not
come, and he said that he had sent me
check for one thousand dollars and that he
would have more money in a short time
and would see that l was provided with
all the money needed, but could not fur
nish me with transportation that l must
find room to pile them and if it increased
the expense of loading they would pay
extra. At this interview Mr.. Cooper
promised he would send me five thousand
dollars By the 1st of January. came to
Helena and saw Sam Word and asked
about the money matter of his company
and he answered that the money was in
the bank to pay for the entire work as
fast as it was completed. In the mean
time my men were working away and l
could give them no answer as to pay day
About January 18th 1 went to Billings
and found about sixty of the laborers from
the road living at the expense of Yellow
stone county. could get no satisfaction
from Ryan's (so-called) duly authorized
agent Cooper. 1 returned to my camp,
and told my employees that l
could not find anything encouraging,
but would 90 to St. Paul, " here went
and found Ryan, and after some parley he
(Ryan) directed his clerk to write on the
face of the contract under the signature of
''Denis Ryan by Walter Cooper, agent" as
follows:
"To whom it may concern: This is to
certify that never authorized Mr.. Walter
Cooper to sign or make any contracts what
ever"
Ryan placed his signature to this certifi-
cate. Now l have over eighty thousand
ties made and ready to load, which | have
never refuse to deliver to the RF.& .& Ger Co.
if they have anything to pay for them, but
their stock in trade is wind and that is not
an equivalent for my ties, even if they
could get the needed transportation, which
they cannot. l have to say further that
the company's engineers, who have had no
wages for five months, have been furnished
with the pecessaries of life through the kind
ness of the company's bridge contractor.
These are exact facts known to hundreds
of our people. do not wish to be under
stood to say that Sammy lies, for the mean
ing of lie is to deceive, and he cannot de-
ceive any one. ENoCH HoDsON.