The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-01-21
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LIVED ON PINE U G
The Experience of Ltver-Eating johnson
in Gallatin Many Years Ago.

The Experience of Livsr-Eating johnson
in Gallatin Many Years Ago.
"Liver-Eating Johnson" was in Judge
McAnnelly's Office. down in Red Lodge,
the other day, and he entertained the boys
for an hour or moro by detailing some Of
his experiences in the eatly days. 1t is
probable he did not intend they should
ever be printed, but Harry II. Howe was
present. In the current issue of the
Bczenan Courier tho latter had one story
published. When l struck Bozsnnan,''
said johnson, many years ago, Twas dead
broke, and as the place had only a name
and nothing else to speak of, you bet it
lookeuGa little rocky to a man with my at
tenuated exchequer. However, Tracy had
aftater patch jast about where the heart OF
the town now is, and l struck him for a
lob, It was the harvest time for taters.
% he gave mo a contract by theday to yank
out The. tubers. Folks didn't work for
nothing those days, SO when the job was
finished l had some dust In my buckskin
purse.
.Winter came early that year. SO I made
M nv mind to get out on the trail and
hunt game for the Camp Sam turner, OF
the East Gallatin, and some others wanted
me to 90 with them, and, as they claimed
to be old mountain men from way back, [
concluded to Join my forces with thairs.
Well, We startsd. and had just got fairly
into the mountains when on come the
biggest snowstorm l ever saw. We had
oniy one sack OF flour, and | toll you that
went mighty fast. We wore on twenty-five
Yard creek when our -four gave out, and |
made up my mind to strike back for the
ssttlements. We were three days without
ANYTHING to eat, and Oh tho eysning of the
fourth made camp In q big quaking asp
grove. | got the boys started to make a
n. -I.~ {rJI Than, uNul1 nO ont and
get some game if theirs was q hoof left in
the country.
Now, i did not e1neot to get any big
zane. for they wsrs all showed under, but
! Travelled around about twenty miles and
brought back six of the biggest jack rabbits
I ever saw. OF course, | was q little tired,
for the snow was breast high and l couldn't
keep my usual gait. When | got back to
camp. you ought to have seen that fire! 1t
wasn't big enough to cover the bottom Of a
small frying pan, and the beys were hud-
dlad over i: with their heads touching.
They would have frozen to death, sure, in
twenty minutes. i'll had not come. | put
them to work skinnlng the rsbbits, while |
pat on four or five cords of wood, and you
bet | had 4 fire. | cooked tho rabbits and
let them have every bit OF them. for | knew
how to live for a while without cooked
grub. That night while they were sleeping
in the grove, | vent to work to keep the
AL0 koIIip, aAa ~ " v wv d ilbeAo SAGlSlSs,
ami / Was never more surprised in my life
when morning came and showed that | had
cleaned up all the trees in z nine acre
grove. just to keep ono camp fire burning.
lyon bet, when I make q fire it is Il fire.
"Well, for two waoks | kept the boys in
rabbits and the free a-going, IL never cat
q bit of cooked grub. How did / live!
Why, ns / walked along / would just grah
pine boughs right and left and eat.tkem on
the jump. Tbs great objection to this kind
of fodder is. the general samenesa OF flavor
and then, too, a fellow has to keep APP Il
continual MUNICH, but it's somewhat film
xnd keeps ono spry Oh his feet. However
! can't aay l pine for this sort Of fodder.
did I experience any bad effects. Judge,
from these rations of Mother Nature
None that l can recall at this late date, onl,
that Dutch John, who kept tho restau AN
at Bozeman. charged me for Ave meall
when / had only taken ono, and-oh yess il
seems that | ate moro of those boughs thar
/ imagined. for when l changed my logger,
1foundt that my shirt. from its northernmos
point to its MISUNDERSTANDING was tn
lovsliest and loudest green ever seen OF
Canvas or in nRture.S