The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1901-12-17
REPORTED FREEzINF OF HERD
ERs NOT TRUE.
STRING FIENDs LURlD TALE
Space Writer Works His Imagination
for a Cold Weather
Yarn.

Such a trit1e as regard for truth
does not stand in the way of the
average String fiend," when he thinks
that by disregarding the virtue he
can add a little to the stipend doled
out to him monthly by the sheet from
which he may hold credentials.
or both, as it often happens, are made
to suffer because of his naughty in
difference to facts, is something for
which he absolutely cares nothing.
Just so that it is a STORY" OF tale
that the news editor is likely to let
pass and he gets his rate. For the
place and town are to be found speci-
mems of the "fend" and almost every
newspaper is at times imposed upon
by him. Billings is not exempt from
the affliction of his presence and
some weird and fantastic fabrics
of a lively imagination does
IN VI W A10 poPOls l. OA1C VI tl1O
yarns sent out by a representative of
the taking tribe made the rounds of
the Associated Press last Saturday
night and was printed all over the
country. Forwarded from here. as a
special to a Butte paper, it was
given out there to the Associated
Press and reproduced by some of the
state papers who either lacked the
forethought to send a query and as
certain the facts or did not care to
incur the expense that veriication of
the report would have entailed upon
them.
The story was that two sheep herd
ers had frozen to death on the range
south of this city. Friday night. For
a wonder the author of the fake did
not go into particulars. and the alb
sence Of these made his yarn so short
that he made up for this by adding
that stock on the ranges was suffering
and great losses were feared by stock
men. The Gazette, printed near the
locality where the tragedy of the ele-
ments is said to have been enacted
and in.the city from which the report
was sent. would naturally be one of
the first to hear of the occurrence had
it the element of %actuality in it. But
it heard nothing concerning the mat
ter and can safely pronounce the
whole thing a fraud. The only founda-
ton to the report was furnished by
the fact that a herder named johnson,
employed by Thomas Snidow, whose
sheep range on Pryor creek, left his
flock at about the time the storm. be-
gan presumably to seek shelter at
some Indian camp and sleep off the
effects of a protracted spree on which
he had been Immediately before.
Johnson had been in the city for a
couple of weeks, during which time
he very industriously applied himself
to the task of drinking all the whiskey
the town afforded and finding himself
unequal to the job he had undertaken,
returned to his sheep. Having spent
all his money for liquor, he had none
with which to buy clothes and when
he got back to the range was not pre-
pared for the cold weather he knew
was coming on. With the first ap-
prOach of the storm he disappeared
and left his flock to get along with
out his care or supervision. But that
he became lost and persisted is not
supposed for a moment by those who
know him or the circumstances of his
disappearance. They say that he went
to some other camp or else billeted
himself on n of the Indian families
of the many that live in that section.
AS far as the condition of stock is
concerned, owners of herds are not
in the least alarmed. They say the
storm was just what was needed and
instead of regarding it with fear or
apprehension, look upon it as a
blessing. The snow insures a plenti-
~ ooPpi VI "oSSAS NAiAS IL ~
of last Sunday barred the higher
ground and grazing is now as good as
it has been at any time during the
season. The snow has drifted into
draws and coulees, where it will re-
main until the spring thaws shall melt
it, when it will fill streams and creek
beds and assure an abundance of
water.
But the ''string fiend," as the craft
expresses it. fired in a good story"
and his next check will be larger just
in proportion to the amount of space
he filed than it would have been had
he ignored the opportunity to "ire
it in"
For Sale.
~