The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1903-10-23
HEIRS THAT WILL BE SADLY
DISAPPOINTED.
JUDGE MANN is HONORED
Postmaster eabcock's Earnest Appeal
to Patrons Of His otfice-wasn't
in the Picture.

Way back east they still believe i
that everyone who has come west is !
rich. They can't conceive ssuch a !,
thing as poor man west of the Mis-
souri, They have heard all about |!
the fortunes that have been made in
the twinlxling OF an eye by the men
who hav. discovered mines in which
chunks OF gold as large as farmers
wife's doughnuts gistened and flashed
in the seams and cracks of the rock.
Every man who dies in that vague
country known to the fasteners as
"out west is croesus, who leaves
thousands to. expectant heirs. Cen
orally there are plenty of the latter
and usually it does not require much
search to find them. Consequently
when it happens that occasionally an
estate cannot be divided because OF
e : n,ss,ns nsss heir it is so7g'h'ns worthy
According to telegram from Bos-
ton, printed a few Jays ago in one OF
the state papers, just such case ex-
lists here in Billings. The dispatch
states that fortune of no less than
$35O,OOO, left by the late Michael
Michael O'Connell, is tied up in the
courts because one of the beneficiar-
les manned in the will cannot be
found, although known to be alive and
somewhere in Massachusetts,. The
story is pretty and touching one,
but it lacks whole lot of being true.
In the first place O'Connell died in
testate and the fortune he left is
not $35O,0O0. 1t comprises only a
small fraction OF that amOunt-some.
thing less than $1,000, and already
six or seven heirs have been found,
leaving Cnly a very modest sum for
the missing one, for the estate has
still to be probated and the costs OF
court and the funeral expenses as
we'll remain to be paid
A yeraciOus informant is RESPONSE
BILE for story that tells OF the re-
nowned Buffalo Jones'" method OF
getting rid of troublesome bears. AS
| he tells the tale last summer par
ticularly aggressive and thievish
member OF the ursus family made a
practice OF rrowling about Fort Vel
lowstone at night and helping himself
to whatever struck his fancy Jones
was finally appealed to and promised
relief He arranged trap and one
morning had the satisfaction of hold.
4 ing brllin a prisoner The bears neck
was fastened into a moose and then
the soldiers and employees OF the post
| were called to take their revenge
| They were given a club of good weight
4 and convenient size and told to lay on
until they got tired. They responded
cheerfully and when the last man de.
clared himself satisfied the bear was
released, Jones by way OF a parting
salute administering hearty kick as
the bear sneaked off. Since then he
has not been seen near the fort His
pride was humiliated and the insult
he received was too much for any
self-respecting bear to forgive.
Because Billings is free delivery
postoffice all letters intended for loca
] distribution must bear the same rate
of postage as those destined for other
places. Some people seemingly have
not learned this yet, for the postmas
ter has written a stirring appeal OF
the blackboard in the lobby for com
! pliance with that part of the posta
regulations. 1t is possible that some
of those who live in parts of the city
where the free delivery service doe:
not extend are the offenders, reason
ing that as long as they do not ge
the benefit of the carriers they shoult
not be compelled to pay, but Uncl
J Sam refuses to make any exception
and will not carry letters anywher
in the city, unless the freight is pai
on them. 'Kicks" are useless an,
growls at the postmaster avail moth