The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-11-14
THE MOST EXPENSIVE BUTTER
ON RECORD.
SOMETHING new TO BUTTE
Eastern Montana Sheepherder and
His Wagon Cause a commotion
Cyclone Story.

RECALLING the arrival of more recent
times with stories of the
high prices they were com
PEELED to pay for some OF
the necessaries during the days when
gold dust "a about the only circulat-
ing medium of exchange and when
two bits" was the smallest sum
recognized by either buyer or seller,
but none of them is able to recall the
time when butter was quite SO expen-
sive an article as it proved to be to
a man at Helena a few days ago. 1t
wasn't fancy OF highgrade butter,
either; just common, Canadian ranch
butter. What makes the transaction
all the more remarkable is the fact
that the owner of the oleagenous
compound was the one who had to
pay and that, too, after he had vainly
tried to give it away.
Sometime last summer Richard
Vadnais, who is a Canadian farmer,
came across the line and went onto
the Blackfoot Indian reservation. He
had SO pounds Of butter of his own
make with him. AS there is a tariff
of II cents a pound on butter brought
from Canada and as Vadnais had neg
lected the formality of allowing his
butter to pass through a custom
house he was arrested for smuggling
and bound over to the federal grand
jury. An Indictment containing three
counts was returned against him. In
it he was charged with smuggling,
being on an Indian reservation as a
foreigner without proper permission
and attempting to sell goods on a res
ervation without a permit.
On this he was arraigned last Mon
day and entered a plea of guilty to
the count charging him with snug
Cling the butter across the line. His
lawyer informed the court that Vad-
nails had taken the butter onto the
reservation with the intention of Civ
ing it to an old, blind chief, a friend
OF his. Failing to find the Indian,
Vadnais had offered the butter for
sale, ignorant of the fact that he was
violating the law in doing so.
The prosecuting attorney consent
ed to withdraw the remaining charges
against the Canadian, whereupon
Judge Knowles finded Vadnais $500,
or at the rate of 1888 13 a pound. AS
he attorney who defended the man
probably also Was paid, and counting
the expenses the defendant incurred
in travelling back and forth and the
l~ncidentals, it is safe to say that this
particular lot of butter is the most
expensive CT which there is knowledge
in Montana.
Butte is so thoroughly cosmopoli-
Ian thai one can see there about al
most everything and anything that's
to be seen anywhere and nothing at
tracts unusual attention, not even a
prizefight at which the chief of police
oficiates as timekeeper. But for all
this an eastern Montana s]heepherder
created a commotion there a few DAYS
ago by driving into town with a COM
mon, everyday sheep wagon. The
Butteites had never seer or heard of
n of those institutions and wagon
and man proved a curiosity to them.
The man had driven across the state
and wanted to sell his outfit.
Among those who saw the e
va a reporter and he wrote a COM
plete description of it, but he evil
IDENTIFY did no fully understand all
THAI the owner said concerning it.
for he gravely added: During the
winter months sheepherders live in
these wagons"
l A wagon that proved almost as
much of a curiosity to the people of
these parts as did the sheepherder's
portable home to the folks at Butte
passed through the city not long ago..
IT was painted red and was drawn by
four horses. Instead of having a can
vas cover, it was rooted over with
boards. But this was not all that
made it remarkable as a
The vehicle was divided into two
rooms and it's floor. was carpeted.
In the front room was the kitchen,
which contained a cupboard. a sink
and a gasoline stove. The back room
was the parlor, dining room library
and bathroom, all in one. 1t held a
sofa and two rocking chairs. The
sofa could be unfolded and converted
into a comfortable bed. On the oppo-
site side swung a bunk that could be
against the wall and mt ont