The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1903-12-11

center lis Uncle Billy Hamilton, the
veteran scout, guide, trapper, hunter
and all-around frontiersman. He has
than lifetime spent amid the scenes
and surroundings of the west. going
tack to the days before many OF the
ni:ddle aged men now living were
born. His work will soon be issued
and it promises to be valuable con.
tribu;ion to the other works OF like ,
nature that have been written, in ad-
d.tion to possessing the rare merit
of having been written by TN actual
Participant in and observer Of the
events with which he deals.
Should another man attemr. to in.
duce the merchants Of Bozeman to
become parties to one Of those doubt
full advertising schemes known as
"voting contests he may prepare him.
self for warm reception. They were
inveigled into one of the things and
have all they want. A piano was Of
fered by them aus prize for the So
ciety receiving the largest number OF
votes, votes to be issued on the basis
of purchases made by the voters. 1t
happened that two organizations dis
tanced all the others and each is now
claiming the instrument. Both make
charges of fraud against each other
and the merchants are in despair.
That the charge of "stuffng' is not
without ground is apparent from the
fact that the totals of both votes
amount to more than the entire busi-
ness done by the merchants who Of
fered the piano. Although they have
paid for it several times over, the
dealers do not know what to do with
| it, being fearful of offending one OF
| the societies by giving the box OF
wires and ivory to the other. They
have about decided to risk their lives
once more by calling the whole con-
test off and beginning anew. There
| are men in Billings who can sympa-
/ thize with them.
Before they had one the people OF
Lewistown were a unit in the belief
that with railroad in their "midst"
| the sum total of all worldly happi-
ness would be theirs. Now that one
of the combinations of steel rails and
mortgages connects them with the
rest of the world they are beginning to
think that, after all, they might have
! been mistaken. They have learned
i that, unlike the old fashioned stage
coach. cars and locomotives cannot
), cut across lots and by going around
; them circumvent snowdrifts or Other
: obstacles that interpose to prevent
progress in the usual direction. The
sight of a train has become almOs
as much of curiosity to the Lewis
, townites of late as "bull team" woult
be to the denizens of New York 4
visitor from there says that sine
, winter began in earnest more than ont
, train week in Lewistown has causet
: a sensation and people neglect every
thing and rush to the station to Obtain
). a glimpse of it, fearful that it ma,
;. be the last they will see again unit
}. spring.
~
d Over at Basin, across the Wyomin
: line is man who has had the pleas
|. ure and satisfaction of learning jus
;. exactly in what esteem he is held b
/. his neighbors and friends. He game
t. this knowledgeSa few days ago b
d reading number of obituaries of hin
II self that had been printed in some
II the daily newspapers Of this and hi
It own state. The gentleman is a deput
q sheriff and ,veracious Basin cOrrespol
" dents sent out sensational accound
o of his mysterious disappearance
II limiting that he had been made wa
with by the leaders of the mob th'
ldSL SuuuuuCI ~ ACAOu q SOuPAS ~ ---S
Is derers and killed an officer. 1t mao
e. excellent "stuff" and no doubt w
is gladly received by the papers to whie
" it was sent. Now the dead man hs
,e returned and is spending his spa
en- moments reading all the nice thln'
of that were printed about him. Inste'
ay OF having been put under the sod
n those presumably thirsting for n
ne gore, he had quietly left Basin ON t
he trail of a. horsethief and followed hi
tie to Bridger, where he arrested him a
~ -..:ok1,x ,,r%,,rnod auifh hi q nriS0n