The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1904-03-11

WlA1NlNEK
tainly knows something that not very
many people ever learned, and she Is
not mistaken in her belief that hone
of the Benders will ever be see again
and that the supposed Oregon cowboy
who was discovered to be a woman
was not Kate Bender. l lived in Kan
a at the time the Benders did, and
not SO very far from where they kept
their murderous den. l knew Doctor
York, one Of the men murdered by the
gang, also his brother, Cap York,
who headed the party that afterward
gave. assurances that the Benders
would never trouble any one any more.
Cap York is evidently the Judge of
whom the lady spoke; she simply
made a mistake in the title, that's all.
The captain and his posse overlook
the Benders after they got into the
Indian country and they were. the
last ones that ever saw any one of the
family alive. Things were different
those days than they now are. People
were not so inquisitive and as every
n knew that Captain York had a
just grievance against the outfit not
many questions were asked after the
posse said the Benders would not
bother people any more. That was
all any n wanted to know"
This year will probably be produc-
tive of the greatest number of visitors
the Yellowstone National park has
had in any one season since the big
play ground has been dedicated to the
people. In addition to the increased
number of tourists expected because
of the st. Louis exposition, the North
ern Pacific is making special efforts
to attract traffic in that direction by
a material reduction in it's rates. A
new schedule issued by the passenger
department shows a rate of $3.50 for
the round trip from Minneapolis. II
hotel accommodations and stage trans
portation through the park are desir-
ed the rate will be SIS, a reduction
of 81 from last seasons cost of such
a trip. Proportionate reductions have
been made in the rates from points
east of the Mississippi.
UNLESS they soon get a chinook,
and a good, long one, down that way
there will be fewer cattle barons'
around Belle Fourche than there we're
last fall" So said a travelling man
who was in the city a day or two and
who had just arrived from that sec
ton. when l left it was the prevail
ing belief that this season would be a
repetition of the awful winter of
1857. At any rate there has not
been as much suffering on the range
any year since that winter as was to
be seer when l vas there. The great
trouble was the lack of water. Be-
cause of the excessively cold weather
cattle were lining them in vain en-
deavor to quench their thirst. 1t may
seem like a tall story, but it's a fact
that in many places the ice was COW
cred with blood from the tongues of
animals, where they had been licking
the ice. Dead ones? You bet; by the
hundreds. In spots they actually GOV
cred the prairie and others, by the
dozen, were dying daily. No one could
estimate the probable loss, but every
man who spoke of it felt weak in
the knees. The big concerns will be
the losers, for the small fellows have
cared for their herds and their losses
will amount to nothing. Many of the
cattle whereabouts, l was told, belong
ed in Montana and North Dakota, hav.
ing drifted there with the storms.
While the winter was bad enough
since it began, things became worse
during the last, few weeks, when
heavy snowfalls were frequent and the
little grass that could have been had
was covered with snow to such a
depth that stock could not get at it.
l tell you, some of the big fellows
down that way were willing to sell out
mighty cheap when l left"