Judith Gap journal. [volume] (Judith Gap, Mont.) 1908-19??, 1909-03-26
A BAD BEGINNING
A Bunch Of Iowa Boys Looking for
nomesteads Have Exciting Time.


nomesteads Have Exciting Time.
Last Thursday afternoon II party Of
gentlemen from Malvern, Iowa, con-
sisting Of W. :. Bell, W. j. smith,
Harry Smith. Carl IIurtz, {. f. CaHf
and Edw. Califf, arrived in Judith
Gap in search of hOmesteads. In or
der to get ahead of the eNcursionists
the next day, they decided to drive to
Hedges that same evening and thus
he able to get an early start from
there to the open government land
early the next morning. SccAring
two livery rigs with drivers the party
set out in good spirits. The thaw of
several days before filled all the
streams and made travelling after
dark very dangerous. All went well
until night fall when they were APP
preaching their destination. One
driver didn't keep to the road. as he
found better going on the benches.
They came to the crossing Of one Of
the streams that was partly filled
with ice and snow and halted to find
crossing. Carl IIurtz, the largest
man III the party, weighing over geo
pounds, insisted on walking out on
the ice to see il it would hold the
team. lie was advised not to do SO
as they were not going to cross at
that point, but before he could be
stopped he rushed out on the ice and
almost disappeared in the water. 1t
was a chilly night and Carl was al
ready suffering from severe cold.
The teams crossed the stream ut
another point an was going along at
ii good clip when another stream was
encountered. The teams were on the
road ut this point, but the rushing
waters had carried the temporary
bridge away, which fact was not dis
covered until too late. The horses
went into the water all right, but
when in the center of the stream the
front wheels Of the buggy dropped in
to the hole where the bridge had
been, and there was general spiiling
out. Men and seats went into the
stream all in Il bunch. Hurtz was
thrown into the deepest part Of the
water and the buggy seat came down
Oh top Of him. He thought his last
day had come. but managed to reach
shore without any help. Everybody
scrambled out drenc,ed to the bone.
The team got away from the driver
and took across the prairie in the
darkness, and there was nothing to
do but to walk to McKay's at Hedges.
This the party did, discouraged and
disgusted. The next day while the
driver was looking for the runaway
team the entire party took the train
for Judith Gap, and would no. stay
to look at any land. They had had
enough of Montana. Upon their ar
rival here the liveryman would not
let them leave town until the team
had been found dead or alive, and
they were compelled to stay over un-
til Monday. Sunday the team was
run down and the horses and buggy
turned up without scratch. In the
miNup it is almost miracle someone
was not hurt, but all escaped without
injnry. Even lIurtz was cured of his
cold by the two drenclings he re-
ceived. The Iowa boys like the ETH
cacious waters and climate of Mon
tana, but you couldn't run fast
enough to give them any land, and
they had seen the Basin and Gap dis
tricts and the Yellowstone valley.
Their mishans poisoned their minds
against the soil. They didn't care !
whether we could or not raise 50
bushels Of winter wheat to the acre
they We're willing to take every
body's word for it and let it go ut
that. But they are a good bunch of
boys, nevertheless.