Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-11-11
Short Stories of Interest to
MOntanianS.
W.A.CLARK ASAS0LDlER
Was Major Of a Battalion of Indian
Fighters in the Early
Days.

"W. A. Clark, senator-elect from Mon
tana,' said Geo. Crawford of Silver Bow,
Mont, who is at the Waldorf-Astoria,
"has had military experience, and
through his service is entitled to be adj
dressed as Major Clark. In July of 1876
Chief Joseph and his Indian braves were
on the warpath, and rumor had it that
Butte was to be attacked by them. Gov
ernor Potts, who then ruled over that
spalsely settled country, issued a call
for every able-bodied man to take arms
against the foe. Three hundred respond
ed, and We're organized into a battalion,
of which w. A. Clark was elected major
and chief says the Chicago Inter Ocean.
"Chas. S. Warren had nominated Clark
for the position to which the battalion
elected him, but Clark, being as desti-
tute of military knowledge as was Des-
demona previous to the instruction she
received from Othello, promptly chose
Warren as his chief of staff, and, with
the keen judgment of men which is one
of his chief characteristics, left to War;
rem, a veteran of the civil war, the entire
charge of things. Warren soon had the
battalion finely mounted, and an ambu-
lance and commissar lat sufficient for an
army corps. He had no money, but he
issued warrants signed c. S. Warren, ad-
jutant, ana as they marched through the
Deer Lodge valley these warrants were
exchanged with the ranchers for supplies
and luxuries which the chief of staff
believed We're necessary for the susie
nance of his men.
"Giraud's liquor store at Warm Springs
was looted from cellar to garnet, it was
said, to supply the medicine chest and it
is still a legend there that Phil Sheridan's
famous report after his raid through the
Shenandoah valley thai IF a crow ira
versed the same route he had
best carry his provisions with
him." was equally applicable to
Deer Lodge valley, Montana, after
Clark's battalion had passed through
it. The battalion did actually take pos
session Of the pass in the Bitter Root
mountains, through which Chief Joseph
came ten days later, but there an order
from Governor Potts overlook them, and
they We're compelled to return to Butte
and digband. 1t is twenty-three years
since that order was issued, but General
Warren still RACES about it, for had it
not been sent Warren would have achiev-
ed the deathless fame that was General
JOIN Gibbons When, two weeks later, he
met and defeated Chief Joseph at the SAN
culinary battle of the Big Hole. Today
w i > LII i
and Northeastern Oregon, while Clark is
about to take his seat in the United
States senate, and is the reputed owner
of one of the richest mines in the world,
the great United Verde of Arizona"
Some little time ago the writer was in
with Tor F. C. Partridge, for
mer minister to Venezuela, who is visit
ing in Montana, and the conversation
turned on the recent revolution in Vene-
zuela. Mr.. Partridge, who, of course, is
exceedingly we'll posted on the country,
said that most of the revolutions We're
bloodless. 1t was just a case of one
man having held the presidency long
enough and having to give way to anoth-
err. There is in Venezuela a certain class
of politicians who are in office continual
ly, no matter who is president. During
a revolution, when they see there is no
longer hope for the government, they go
over to the insurgents. Mr.. Partridge
relates a rather humorous story of the
way military matters are carried on
there.
While he was minister. a man called
upon him one day who afteTWard became
prominent in the Cuban revolution. This
man was a Cuban himself, but had be-
come a citizen of the United States. He
wanted to ask the minister if he would
forfeit any of his rights as a citizen of
our country if he should accept a COM
oS IN ~ NAA1 -
army. Mr.. Partridge informed him th,t
he would not and the embryo general
left.
1t was some time afterward before the
minister found out the reason for the
question and it turned out to be a very
peculiar one. It seems that the old sal-
eral. as he afterward became under the
Venezuelan government, was the man.
ager of a large plantation and had been
very much annoyed, in evolutionary
times, by having government officers
come to his place and impress the work
men into the army to go and fight for
their country. Revolutions became so
numerous that this thing became a nui-
sance. and the old general thought of a
way 10 stop it. He stood in with the
president and had himself appointed a
general. Then when the colonies ca cap
tains came along looking for recruits, he
merely pulled his commission as general
On them, told them that the men on his
plantation were in his command and or
dered them, as their superior officer, to go
elsewhere and look for men. The scheme
worked to perfection and the general had