The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1901-08-24

Were in on the secret and it was his in
tention to join the stampede as soon as it
started. By some means one of the men
succeeded in tanning doc" Safely's
horse. Some say he slipped into the barn
and buckled q strap tight around his leg
and left 1t there until the stampede be-
san and others give different explana-
zion. At any rate DOC" was not able
to keep up with the procession and he
was ten miles in the rear when the
Atampeding party rushed into the West
Gallatin, dismounted from their tired
Eshprses and began to stake out claims He
Ecame on the scene after every man in the
hrty had posted his location notice along
Hthe creek, and had begun to figure on
liking out nuggets from the gravel.
Il" Keep off the grass" yelled one of the
named Sackett as soon as
spuc'' rode up. '"These claims are all
Ken and we don't want you riding over
lNAem. Do you Aear?"
SE 'sThen Safely swore at his neighbors
and friends and called them a gang of
pirates.
ls.s Any outfit that would stake out all the
ground along this creek would steal
sheep said he. You're pack of rob-
hers.
you'd be robber yourself was the un-
| kind reply of one of Docs" friends, who
! had choice claim right near the water
edge. You wouldn't have taken a claim
II you'd been here in time, of course. he
! added with fine sarcasm.
=" I wouldn't make hog of myself just
because 1 happened to be here ahead of
some one else said Doc believe in
fair play, I do
But the prospectors hooted and derid-
! ed Doc, until he left them and went fur
| Their up the creek, out of the reach of
their jeers. Then the strange turn of for
tunes wheel gave him the advantage.
You see all the ground that could pos
! sihly be gold bearing placer was situated
along little creek and here the two hun
! dred prospectors had located their claims.
| Farther down the creek there was wash
ing that looked like placer gravel and
! when Doc" Safely rode away toward the
mouth of the stream, the crowd yelled
| and hooted him in good natured dersion.
In about an hour he came back.
i" Here you felows!' he said, you let
that water alone. I've filed on all the
water in this creek and don't want any
! placer mines run with the water pro-
tected by my water rights
| thing. He had taken advantage of the
law as it existed al that time and located
ali the water of the creek leaving rip
arian owners who had no water rights as
helpless as if they were in the midst of a
| desert.
=" You would be a hog, would YOU
doc, said one Of the men who had been
Il denounced by Safely only an hour be-
fore.
Hi" "A man who would work a trick OF
that kind, would steal sheep said an
!. other, who remembered Docs" rebuke
when he arrived too late.
Il II" L believe in fair play, don't you
"Doc?" said another appealing to Safel,
who had disnounted from his foundered
horse and was the center Of a panic
stricken crowd.
L want to tell you right here, sale
N Safely. THAT have changed my MINI
about lot of things since found gu
the kind Of outfit had to deal with. am
Ezgme out to win now. I've got the waite
right and you've got the placer claims
I who do you think has the best of tn
| deal?
1T was plain that DOC had the hes
of it and the enthusiasm over the place
mines soon died out. One by one thu
stampeding prospectors returned to tow
and finally others came in to report tina
they believed there was not color o
, | gold to be found in any part of the creek
1 So the West Gallatin placer mines wer
never worked"
What about the nuggets the tender
{ foot showed the stockman?' asked tn
/ reporter.
ooh, we found out afterward that h
) stole them from a mine over in Madison
county. where he had been camping" sal
Mr. Luce.