The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-05-29
SHOULD Be CLOSED
Leading Men Say the Four Mile House
Has Run Long Enough.
THE PROPRIETORs DEFIANT
1t Is Now Said That the Number of
Murders ommitted here is
More Than oeven-A men,
ace to the Community.

Missoula, May 2S.-Tnere is no dis
senting opinion in the matter of fbe
abatement of the nuisance known as
the -Four Mile house and in the pas
few days there have been scores of mon
who have said to the Standard reporter
that the nuisance has continued long
enough unchecked and that IL is hieh
time that some attention is paid to it.
While ii is probably not possible to en-
tlrely eliminate the class of people that
make the place what IL is, from the
region of the post, IT is a necessity that
the evils that prevail in the vicinity of
the Four Mile house be checked at
once and, IL they must continue, be re-
moved to some more secluded spot and
the management of the dive be taken
from the men who do not care what
goes on at their place as long as they
are not molested. An ofrlcer from Fort
Missoula said to a Standard reporter
last evening:
''The people of this place say and say
openly that they will not be touched as
they have things fixed What they
mean by fixed l do not know. but
do know that they are as fearless of
the authorities as they are reckless of
human life and that is in a great de-
gree. The place is a nuisance and
ought to be declared so by the author
tiles at once"
A well-known member of the legal
profession said to the reporter today:
I'm addition to the seven murders that
your paper states have been committed
at the Four Mile house among the SOL
diers. there have been at least three
or four others, in which the victims
were civilians. There may have been
even more than this, but of this many
am sure. think that the matter has
gone far enough and that 1t is time TO
call a halt out there. The matter could
be easily accomplished, think, If the
place is declared a nuisance. 1t would
then be the duty of the officers to sup
press it,"
bar said: 'T am with you on any prop
osition that will close the place There
is no doubt in the world that ii is a
nuisance and ought to be abolished"
Mayor Keith said: 1T is a shame
that the thing has gone on so long I'M
checked. / have had occasion to drive
past the place two or three times lately
and l have been ashamed that such
things as ! saw there were allowed to
go on in this county. l am willing to
do anything that l can to assist in |
up the place. II has been open |
too long now"
The ranchmen who live in the vicin- |
ity of the place and beyond it are all !
anxious to have the house closed and
have it done for a long time. Their
wives and children have to pass the !
place when they come to town and
many of the children are compelled to .
pass II four times a day, when they
are attending school. 1t is no wonder
that these people want the place
closed 1t is the most depraving in
fuence that could exist in any neigh .
borhood. 1t would be bad enough any
way, but it is doubly bad when it is so
near a school house.
1t is stated by attorneys that there
is no provision in the codes that for
bids the existence of a saloon in the
of a school house In
most states there is limit fixed with
In which no saloon can be opened. This
line is drawn around every school
house and 1t ought to be so in Mon
tana. No man wants his girls and
boys to see the things that are to be
seen daily by all who pass the Four
Mile house and Ii is even worse than
that to have them become familiar
with these sights by constant repeti-
ton of them. No man or woman in the
county who has children will hesitate
for a moment in expressing an opinion
In favor of the closing of the place.
The authorities should take the matter
up at once.