The Ravalli Republican. [volume] (Stevensville, Mont.) 1894-1899, 1896-04-08
LEE. AID PATSY.
Clark Tells the Story OF Ills First Meet.
ing With Mantle.

ing With Mantle.
4 couple Of weeks AGO this paper
printed a story from a Baltimore
paper about senator Mantle and Patsy
Clark, in which Mantle claimed that
Clark owed him Il days work chop
ping wood. The rest Of the story is
given where Clark took it up:
eyes, sir.' he answered. "Thcrc
is some truth in it. and l don't mind
giving you the whole story.
sit came about in this way. In
company with four others, Mike Cal
lahan, Pete Dccgan, Morris Terry
and Alexander McLarcn. l left
Utah in the latter part of August,
1876, bound for the new camp Of
Butte, Montana. have said new
camp, but this will admit OF some
qualification: it was an old placer
camp, but new in quartz mining. 1t
may be news to you, but it is Il fact,
that the party OF miners above men
toned and myself started and pulled
with s. Windlas on the first two COM
partmcnt vertical shaft that was
operated in Butte, and were also the
first to put in steam hoisting appar-
atlls and steam pumps. This was in
| the Alice mine, and Marcus DAILY.
now Of Anaconda, was the supcrn-
tcndent. But am DEPRESSING.
The i:carcst railroad point at that
time to Butte was Curinnc, or Frank
! lin, Utah. We started from the
former place with a regular train Of
| four-mulc teams, in charge Of G. y.
Rc2dcr: who is now in the Transvaal
country. We paid him q certain
SUM for carrying our grub, blankets,
etc, and we either walked Or rode,
as we felt like doing. We cooked
our own grub three times a day and
slept in our own blankets. No, [ am
not much Of d wood chopper, but
when it comes to cooking I don't
take a back seat for any one. Every
body had to have blankets and know
how to cook in those days out there,
or 50 hungry ""
"Ihc weather WAS warm and
pleasant, and the country aboundcd
in all kinds Of game and fish, and
everything went well until the after
noon OF the day we reached Pleasant
Valley station, about ten days out.
And right here let me remark that
the above name was not miSnOmer
by any means, for it was the best
kept as we'll us the ncatcst station in
the west. 1t was kept by Mrs. Man
tie and her son Lee, now United
States senator from Montana.
con that afternoon, while some Of
the tcanstcrs were collecting sage
brush, etc. to cook with, they ran
across Il bundle Of clothes, boots,
shirts, hats, ctc., living on the prairie,
and Immediately proceeded to dress
up in them, and just about the time
they were conyratulatiuy one an
other Oh their good luck, Il man rode
into camp on d roam horse, l nC;cr
will forget that horse or rider. lie
1 nj lfI l,o b.+ ali f,t y *,
were the property Of his partner,
who had just died with small poX at
6 o'clock that morning: and pointing
to Il newly made grave about 200
yards distant, he informed us he had
buried him there about three hours
ago: and that after proceeding on his
journey q few miles he decided he
would return to burn the clothes SO
that innocent parties might not suf
fer. With this he left us.
"Wc1l, you ought to have seen the
scattering Of old clothes, boots flying
in Chi; direction, old coats, and hats
in the other, and there was Just
about as wide Il scattering Of the
party. Nobody would 60 within POO
yards Of any Of the unfortunatcs who
had donned any of the dead man s
clothes.
"My party hastily called a meeting
to consider the best plan Of proceed
uic and it Was quickly decided that
in order to escape the dread disease.
and in the absence Of medical adviS-
CTS. as we were 25O miles from any.
the most practical thing to do was
| 10 make Il bee line for the nearest
stage station and fill up with sage
| brush whisky as !; sort Of autitoXinc.
SO to speak. The nearest point PROV
cd to be Pleasant Valley, about ten
miles away: which we made that
aftcrnoon. and went into camp about
Il quarter Of q milo from the station
After II short rest we went to the
station and there found the genial
| Lee Mantle. and at once commenced
to load mp. and il | do say it myself.
we made short work Of all the whisky
1,.. 4 1 r 4 3D.