The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1909-06-30
MESSAGE FROM BIG MUDDY.

WcCCHOc TOOW OIO WOOOI
Missouri River Brings Interesting
News From Up The Creek.
There was considerable excitement
in Great Falls newspaper offices the
other day, because somebody found q
bottle floating in the Missouri river.
The remarkable occurrence is related
by the Great Falls Tribune in q news
item which says:
A check for IS, drawn on the First
National bank Of Great Falls and
signed by D. T. Monroe, which was
apparently sealed up in q bottle and
thrown into the Madison river in the
Yellowstone park, June 3, 1899, was
found floating In the Missouri river
in Broadwater bay yesterday by J..
Verbesky Of Spokane, WASH, who is
a visitor. On the back of the check,
which is made payable to bearer, Is
the following notation: This bottle
was cast in the Missouri river June 3,
1899, at Yellowstone park. Any one
finding and notifying me will receive
Is reward. J.. T. Monroe"
An incident OF this kind may be
considered worthy of newspaper mem
ton in Great Falls, but in this local.
ity q bottle containing q worthless
check is passed up as q confidence game
that has been played to the limit, and
no longer excites the least attention.
A full sized squadron of bottles float
ing in the Missouri river is q familiar
spectacle, and is permitted to proceed
unmolested to lower river points where
the business of collecting such Aotsam
has developed into q lucrative indus.
try.
The assortment of brio. a.brac that
comes down the Missouri is of q mis-.
c~ellaneous char acter, and in addition
to bottles includes wearing apparel,
chicken coops, household furniture,
saw logs and other articles of more
or less value. During the food of q
year ago, the procession of debris was
unusually varied and numerous, full
sized haystscks and portions Of resi-
dences and farm buildings being the
more prominent objects. They told q
story of financial loss to settlers along
the upper river, additional disasters
being contributed as the merciless
torrent continued the work of destruc.
ton down stream.
The bottle incident that recently
caused so much excitement at Great
Falls suggests reference t something
that happened here last week, and
which has q more or less remote con.
nection with early day history. Among
the debris floating down the Missouri
river was a Derby hat, and as soon
IS the strange looking object was dis.
covered it vas surmised that it was
evidence of a drowning and that the
body of the unfortunat ate victim was
being carried down by the current.
An alarm to that effect was given, and
c. w. Morrison and w. F. MILFORD
made a record breaking foot a to
the lower levee, where the gasoline
launch "Diamond Joe" was moored,
with the purpose of intercepting the
mute evidence of a supposed tragedy.
AS is frequently the case in such
emergencies, the gasoline motive
power baked, and the launch did not
get under way for three or four min
utes.
In the meantime the fugitive hat
went dancing along with the swiftly
flowing current, which seemed TO have
accumulated double speed for the oc.
casion. II had disappeared from sight
when the launch started in pursuit,
but the rescuers set the lever to the
limit and after the object of their
search at a 80. mile gait.
The hat was overhauled near the
L. D. Sharp ranch, about four miles
below town, but no trace of its owner
was found. An examin alton of the
dilapidated headgear, however, IT.
vealed folded piece of paper under
the inside leather band, and upon re-.
turning to town this portion of the
find was carefully dried and submitted
to close scrutiny. Its exposure to the
elements had almost oblitera ted the
message which the writer intended to
convey, and as it appeared to be writ.
ten in Indian characters Messrs. Nor
rison and MILFORD were unable to de-
cipher any portion of it.
The document was finally submitted
to Norris Gray and Omar Gregg. two
we'll known local experts on Indian
lore and hieroglyphics, but they failed
to agree upon the purport of the com.
munic alton which they said bore the
signature of "Sacajewa." If their
diagnosis of the mystery is correct,
the hat undoubtedly belonged TO a
member of the Lewis and Clark ex-
petition, and has been buffeted around
bV wind and water for the noot n