Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1907-12-14
SIXTEEN YEARS AGO
Joe Warren Drops in and Talks of
Early Days.

Joel f. Warren, detective, former
chief of Spokane police, and gen
eral terror to evil doors, was in
Boomers Ferry a few lays this
week. He, with party of friends,
came over from Spokane for duck
shoot, and while here dropped in
to visit the editor of the Herald
and talk over the thrilling times in
this region sixteen years ago.
In 1891 the Great Northern was
being constructed through this
country. There was little or no
settlement along the line from De-
marsville, on the Flathead, to KOo-
tenai station, on the N. P, the lat
ter being one of the liveliest rail
road camps in the northwest. 1t
was supply point for over 100
miles of construction. Kalispell
was then unknown and Bonners
Ferry had a few scattered houses.
Crossport was headquarters camp
for about 1000 people. Gamblers
and tOughs flocked to these camps
from the four quarters of the globe,
and the country was about as wild
and woolly as it could be made.
Burns & Chapman were the big
contractors on this part of the line.
Cyrus W. Burns of Burns Spur,
six miles west of town, was the
senior member Of the firm. They
employed no less than 1000 men.
There were labor troubles in those
days, as now, and one fine summer
day they found themselves up
against a strike. One thousand da-
goes laid down their picks and
shOvels and took up their fire arms,
and they were nearly all armed
They would march up and down
the line, driving white laborers off
the work and raid boarding houses
1t was at this stage that Joe War
rem appeared on the scene. Burn:
& Chapman employed him tc
take charge of the defense. He
came out with seven picked men
and did not have long to wait foI
business. The next morning after
his arrival the dagoes prepared to
raid the company commissary al
Crossport. The band was 200
strong, in command of "Red Shirt, y
a boss dago. They carried "a flag
OF red, with blue and yellow trim
mings. They had a drum corps,
only they beat coal oil cans in
stead of the real article. Warren
had sent half his force up the riv-
err, but with his other three men
prepared to meet the attack
Armed to the teeth, they secreted
themselves behind big trees and
waited until the head of the army
was within a few ieet of them
Then they sprang into action and
covered the leaders with ugly look
ing guns and commanded them tC
surrender. The dagoes in front
lost no time in dropping their guns
and getting their hands up, but
cred Shirts" rear guard behaved
in manner not at all c.editable &C
their chief. Their hasty retreat
without orders became a route, and
logs and under brush were no OBJ
stacles to their getting as far away
as possible, and in the least time.
Their appetite for a feast at the
commissary had suddenly left
them. Having no military prison,
Joe turned them all loose but the
ring leaders. These he stood W
against trees, with notice that the
first man that moved would be
shot. "Red Shirt" was similarly
dealt with, except that he was
made to sit on a rock in the broil-
ing sun, close to Il cliff, where the
reflected heat made the place reg
uIar inferno, and he was kept there
throughout the day.
TO make long story short, there