The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-12-03
OLD MONTANA DAYS.
eRTM HUMoR AND READY PISTOL
TOUCH OF THE PIONEERS.

Stories ToIa ~ the Montsns Ciub OF Helena
| nsspsradoes who Achieved Their Anbt-
t,on for Faupe by Dyingwith Their Roots on
The Montana Club OF Helena is famous
home for good fellows and good cheer There
ia n corner known as the " Brain Room In
the new house-the costlest and most luxuri-
Gus club house west OF the Mississppi-and
here OF an evening may be found as choice a
lot OF genial and interesting men as one cares
to meet. There are pioneer miners. bankers
and lawyers nearly all OF whom fought their
way through Indians and road agents to the
country. and among these there lie none more
interesting than Hugh McQuaid. Lord Hugh
as he is called by hundreds OF warm friends
because he spends a part OF the year hobnob-
| bling in London, where he Is very well known.
| He has seen many a good Indian fight and no
Montanian knows more OF that strange mining
camp life that is so RAPIDLY fading into history.
Not long ago q few Eastern visitors were gath
erod in the brain Room" when the talk
turned to Bret Hartes fiction, and McQuaid
was turned to as an authority.
| II never knew but one who reminded me OF
Jack Oakhurst." he said. that Is with the
same characteristics. I mean polite. and
| we'll dressed always we'll dressed and ready
| 10 fight, and tight fair-not looking for fights,
you understand. but always ready. have
seen lots OF gamblers who would fight You
see. they had to fight to stay In the business In
the old days. but always looking for the best
| OF the fight. the same as In cards. oakhurst
! and John Pine were pretty much alike, Judge
that ia. good gamblers and fair always fair.
| but devils. regular devils. when aroused.
"The fret time saw Pine was In Alder
| aulch in 'G.I-yes. in '63 the year OF the Por-
tenefH massacre. That was in Beaver Canon:
supposed to be by road agents. you under
stand. but guess more Mormons than road
agents. II was hell. Just hell for us then. More
| chances to be dead the end OF trip east than
| alive. Mormons looking for blood at one end OF
| the canon and road agents for dust at another.
Well one night was in the FL sol with
| Harry Connors. Ned Hyde. and more now
! dead. watching the games, and a great sight
| II was Women dealing faro-that Is tough
! women, mostly Spanish women who had dealt
| monte. q game. you understand. like faro.
only played harder In the South. They say
| that chips don't count In monte. only knivea
| Every woman dealer had gun by the layout.
and knew how to use II, too. l guess more
EN- were killed in the FL Sol by women than
by men. Well. here was tho crowd-miners
| mostly, but freighters and merchants and
| tenderieet all armed with long Colts. and all
cussin and swearin'. The women were yell
ing. 'Gonts. make your game! and George
| johnson. the owner standing by the bar
keeping order. and hard work it was There
| was always one gun fight a night, and some
times more. and tough fights. too. was stick
| ing type on the Montana Post across the street.
and we used to keep standing the headline.
| Ell Sol Furnishes q Man for Breakfast. the
same now. you understand. as Johnny Read
keeps that head In the Buae Inter- Aou"'d"'
We'll, We was there watching the games
come two men. and heard one Of them say to
gohnson: na lis Hugh Mcousid herr an. and
the the man / noticed one man fIrst-that was
| Pine-as learned later: He says to me: Do
S dd Tom Law ten years. HIM
| first at Green River crossing when the Omaha
stage was held M and we both got relieved
home Well. the SMALLEST Of these men says;
We have letters from Tom Law to you and
mSThe little fellow struck me first in look.
bui and With BLACK hair and a smooth face
and thin. but nervous-like. Then he bad
and well dressed-wors a clean. white shirt
the first / saw in Alder; and / guessed then
whore they was washed. And he had . cor,
duroy suit. clean and nice. and pair of fine
we'll blacEed. He had a big black hat beaver:
81 course p and d soSldn,t be bought west OF
there his 'DsfG not
-aId nothing loud a. FL In his looks Quiet
esnsd to Ike sm rst sance sn edn
like his partner much-too loud talking and
too fresh.seemed too anxious 20 get ac-
many fellows like him in the camp.
everybody couldn't call him that. He was a
but the rest learned TO Keep their p aces. Well
we had moro DRINKS but he wouldn't buy
drink nothing else, Said later that man
didn't drink 80 much stuck to wine and
anf fs s aS IN st.
Louis. New Orleans, and Frisco. but never
THE tell rssS bus me S oS
scar rust under his left Jaw which as s9nsed
ihoS Us pn. Soon And
z country VILLAGE every body wants to know
Eect qnsd he knew it Anyhow they never
The first time they walked him was in the
II Sol = week or more, may be later. after
to have lots OF It. and he Ts@bi il ike sky
but you could -nsysr tell from his looks.
seen him lose $4,000 ope night and down to
two tho bsnf aSd tsq S ssys sna
at the end OF the sitting, that he had the first
Wss about that I' fG tim. tina. tn. boys come
which query you'd tways SAY Find out t9r
enough. Well. ike every camp. there was lots
OF fellows that called themselves gun fighters,
| but reckon more In Alder. because that was
the biggest gold placer camp. as well as the
| come from the East and was hot to get rspu-
| tation. which he final ly got-along with an
obituary. for he was hung later by the Wigs
lantss and prosecuted by Senator Sanders now
out OF a political lob in Montana; Then
there was Henry Slade, who was written uD
6y Marx Twain and hung IN virginia
| the Swede because he was the only Swede in
the camp, and whole lot OF tough men. stage
| rDhD6FS and aluipa hON rODbarS and the like
| Sanders that Is the man who was Senator.
! though some SAYS he wasn't elected-Sanders
| made his reputation prosecuting them later,
Only lawyer In camp you know, and stood at
| the end OF wagon box trying them. knowing,
you understand. that every man n the crowd
| had gun for or against him. But here i am
ahead OF my story; only was trying to shcw
| the society of that time.
| Well as i say, seen Pine. but didn't nay
| much attention to him. only as we met
casually, generally In gambling houses, where
We would drink wine and pass tho time OF day,
sometimes he would drop In the office and
read the papers. all same to exchange nend
| now. Iecolleet he used to read the DID Aeo
Or,rdns It1lss regular. but never said much.