Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-07-18
Bishop Brewers Talk to the
Pioneers.
OLD-TIME STORIES
How the First Episcopal Church in
the Territory Was Built--Some
Early Day Stage Drivers.

rum last night and listened to the MARIA
ton of stirring vents which took place
when Montana was young. In the audi
ence there was quite a sprinkling of
trail-blazing men and women, and seated
on the stage were a number of the promi-
nent pioneers of the state, including Col.
w. f. Sanders, Senator w. A. Clark, ex-
Senator Lee Mantle, G. w. Stapleton,
Judge II. N. Blake, j. II. Curtis, j. H.
Lynch, j. H. Leyson, A. H. Barrett, Pat
Conlon, G. H. Moore, Charles Curtis,
Father N~ennenan, George w. Irwin, John
Mcguire, John Caplice and D. w. Tilton.
Senate Clark presided and Colonel
Sanders introduced the guest of the even
ing.
The colonel spoke of the Kind and win
ming nature Of Bishop futile and Of the
esteem and affection the people Of the
state had for him. He then introduced
the bishop, who said, in part:
II was called bishop of Montana for 13
years and 1 feel proud of it. 1 left here
| and Went to Utah in 1881 and Bishop
Brewer came here. Later | went to Mis-
souri,. l found them good, generous peo-
| pie, and there are some of them here, l
see. i = y = Men constitute a state
~high-minded men, men who do their
| duty, men who know their rights, and,
knowing, perform them. / look for grand
developments Of the future. God bless
this state.
Nov Well go back to the territory.
Here l am at home. l came to Montana
in July, 1867, by the way of Sinking
! Water valley. I entered the state on the
18th of July in a snow storm. Many of
our good Catholic brethren came here
years ago and spread their influences
=, n +hn Indians Whnc nm hnra
a parson was looked upon as an odd mix
ture.'
Then the bishop told a story. He said
when he arrived at Virginia City a little
boy asked him:
Are you the ~bishop-man?'
Yes; I'm a bishop
"'Well, expected to see the elephants
and the lions and the monkeys and the
rest of them. Why, you're a man."
"There were some wicked men there,
to be sure, but they respected women and
preachers, and would assist a preacher in
every way but being good. They used to
say:
ooh, Wen leave this country as soon
as we make a stake. Well go back to
Gods country
Nov they look at this grand and great
state as Gods country. We remember
that in these days there were few good
women and children in Montana. They
were not 'here-had not come west. We
missed their influence. We lived in our
cabins with our cats and dogs. l had a
white cat baby.
w had stage coaches to trave in and
used to pay 50 for bacon and beans. The
stage drivers of the early days We're the
most faithful men in the world. They
carried the United States mail and they
did their duty in getting mail and pas
enger through to their destination.
Their difficulties Were manifold. We held
up our hands in admiration for those old
stage drivers. Where. l wonder, are
those good, faithful men,? I say the trib-
ute of n mans gratitude goes to the
old stage drive of Montana"
Then he told another story:
Ret Wiler was an early day stage
driver, and later the bishop met him in an
Idaho mining camp, where he was con-
Quoting a saloon. He asked the bishop
if he was going to preach there that after
noon, and the bishop replied that he pro-
posed to do so.
A right, bishop: I'm going to hear
you, and, more than that, I'm going to
close the saloon at 4 o'clock and take the
boys up to church"
Then there was another stage driver.
1t seems that on the day the bishop ar
rived in this town a circus was billed to
give a show. The stage driver came to
him and said, handing him an envelopes:
Say, bishop" the driver argued, there
is a circus in town today and Tve got to
see 1T. I can't go to church today, but I
want you to put this in the hat when you
see it passed around"
There was a 500 gold piece in the en-
velope.
Then he told the story of the building
of ST. Pauls church at Virginia City,
which was the first Episcopal church
erected in the territory, and which was
begun as a Methodist place of worship
and changed it's faith during the build
ing.
81 had been in Virginia City about 20
months before 1 succeeded in building a
church. I did not want to go in debt. One
day a young Methodist minister named
King came to town. He thought it was a
shame that we had no church. l was
holding services in Tootle, Leach & Co.'S
store, and sometimes they used to dance
in that room. In those days we had to
pay our bills every week. But Mr.. King
soon found after he had built his church
that the debts were larger han the
church, SO one day Mr.. King flew from
the liens that We're on that church. 1
went to Mr.. Hotter and talked to him
about raising the lien. My good friends
helped me. Colonel Sanders helped me,
Major Boyce helped me; oh, they all
helped me. The church cost 81, 900 and
when l first held services in it there was
not a dollar of debt on it. Indeed, we had
$36 in the bank. That is ST. Pauls
church,
He then told Of holding services in
Bannack, on one occasion, when the floor
gave way slightly and a panic resulted.
Il think it was instinct said the
bishop. Il hope it was instinct in the
robes I wore. At any rate those robes
We're flying out of the window just back
of the table where I stood. I was inside
Of those robes. AS soon as I struck the
ground l looked up at the crowd trying to
| get out. and cried at the top of my
/ Nynfon.