The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-01-10
CHANCE HARRIS IS DEAD
The Well-Known Pioneer Sud-
denly Expires in His Room.
EVERYBODY is SURPRISED
Probably the Result Of Wrenching He
Received While Walking on the Icy
Pavement He Was an Old
Time Newspaper Man.

4
dertaking rooms Up to an hour and
half before his death he had not COM
planned of an ache pain and seemed
to be as hearty and robust as any man
| in Butte. In fact, he used to pride him
self on his health and on the morning
before his death he walked into the
Standard Office beating his breast with
his fist and declaring that he was the
healthiest man in Butte. 1t was a few
days before that that he offered to bet
Standard reporter a box of cigars
that he would live to be 100 years of
age.
Chance Harris had scorn of drugs
and medicines and boosted that he
| never took any. Every morning on
getting out of bed he would take
cold shower bath. He would let the
full cold stream from the faucet run
on his head and down over his body.
| Then he would rub himself Driskly. He
declared that his cold morning bath
was the secret of his youthful appear
| ance. He never had a cold and used
to laugh at people who had colds He
would tell them that if they followed
his system they would never have a
| cold.
| The people who saw Chance Harris
about the streets day after day consd-
| cred him to be man of from so to 90
years of age. His niece. who was in
| Butte year ago, said at that time
that he was 81 years old, which would
! make him IS at the time of his death.
Chance himself said recently that he
| was 50 years old, but he did not look
| anything like that old. He walked
/ about the streets as erect as young
soldier. He invariably carried a cane,
| but he never used it, Those who We're
! with Chance in the closing moments of
his life attribute his death to "a strain
he experienced during the afternoon
/ Mr.. Harris was walking down the
street and slipped on the icy walk. He
| did not fall but in recovering his foot
ing he wrenched himself, and said he
| felt sharp pain in his chest and for
the moment could not breathe Then
| he recovered himself and seemed to be
as well as ever He was around town
during the evening and sat in Gallog-
/ ly,s drug store chatting with friends
/ until after IL o'clock. lie made no
complaint then and seemed as well as
ever. Soon after reaching Richards
undertaking rooms. where he slept.
! Undertaken Richards was called out by
the accident in the Pennsylvania mine,
and Harris said he would keep shop"
until he returned. Harris went to bed.
| Sometime between i and . o'clock a
Standard reporter called up Richards
undertaking rooms to inquire about the
accident, and the familiar voice OF
! Chance Harris was then heard over
| the phone for the last time.
Undertaken Richards and his assist
ant, Mr.. knight, returned to the I'M
| dertaking rooms with the body of the
man killed in the Pennsylvania about
2 O'Clock. About half an hour after
| that Mr.. Harris complained to Mr..
Knight that he was suffering great
pain in his chest. He was rubbed and
/ hot cloths We're laid on his chest.
! That feels good, said Harris. Il am
awful glad you We're here" Then he
| ted of the wrench he got in slipping
| hn at ~
thought he must have hurt something
/ inside. He seemed to get better, but
about 3 o'clock complained again and
a messenger was sent to Galiogly's
drug store for some mustard plasters.
| 1t was suggested that a physician be
sent for, but Harris would not have it.
lie secuted the idea of anything serious
being the matter with him. More hot
cloths We're laid on his chest. and more
We're being prepared when to the ut
most surprise of everyone there. Har-
ris ceased to breathe. A physician was
sent for but all efforts to resuscitate
him proved unayailing. He died at
3:45 O'clock
While all Butte knew Chance Harris.
/ no one seems to know much of his his
| tory. He wrote more obituaries about
! oid-timers than anyone else in Butte,
/ but while so we'll known to all, the sur
| NiNing old timers who We're seen yes
! terday could tell but little definite about
| his history. He talked little about him
| self. and all that is known of him is
what he told occasionally in giving
some "reminiscences. In the local news
| paper offices he was frequent and ia
| miliar visitor old Captain Shepherd
| used to be, yet little was known of his
| personal history. He is believed to have
| been born in New York state probably
/ at Rochester. He used to tell of his
service in the war of the rebellion. but
| he never joined the q. A. r. saying he
had never Joined it for political reasons
| He also often told of having engaged
| in indian wars. II is not known just
| when he came to Montana. but il was
very early. and some remember of his
! telling about being in Northern Mon
/ tana Is early as 1859 or so. He was iii
| Alder gulch and come from there to
/ Butte, but in just what year is not
| known. but the old-timers think it was
about quarter of century ago.
Mr.. Harris was the first editor of the
| Butte Miner. which was started in 1876.
| The paper was small at that time and
| one man did all the editorial and repor-
! torial work. He was with the Miner
] two or three years. Before that he had
often worked on newspapers in the East
| and the West. but his last regular
| newspaper work Was on the Miner. He
went to WGodville and for several years
was engaged in hauling wood into
| Butte. He worked with Sam Robertson
/ on his paper at Boulder for long time
| and frequently came into Butte and
| wrote up articles for local papers on
| mining operations in various outlying
| camps. For several years about this
| time Harris was a very heavy drinker.
] Five or six years ago he suddenly
| stopped drinking. declared he was CO.
| ing to make a man of himself once
| more. and from that time to the day of
| his death never touched a drop of
/ liquor. He gained the respect Of every
i one in Butte by his reformation and
] his strict adherence to the resolve he
/ had taken.
/ Mr.. Harris probably sat In more cor
ener's inauests than any other man in
America. He was an assistant Ia Tom
+ Porter when coroner and acted often as
ttteman Of the Jury and clerk During
f the terms Of Porter and Richards as
coroner, there was scarcely an inquest
+ hat he Was not foreman IF. When Mr.
! Il.