The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1914-03-23
Days in the Badlands
Viyidly Brought to Memory by
dad" Foley, a Slope Pioneer

Bixby took a letter from the back bar
which he proceeded to read to Mack
as follows:
Bismarck, N. D., June - 1891.
Messrs. Barnard & BiXby, Medora, n.
D.
Dear Sirs: 1 expect to hold a term
Of court in your city this month, and
as understand that you are keeping a
saloon there I ask that the same be
kept closed during my presence in
town. Yours truly,
w. H. Winchester, Judge.
Mack said that he had received no
such letter. Bixby said that the judge
must hav overlooked him; but that
he was going to keep his place closed
and advised Mack to do the same.
Sunday came and found Bixby out of
beer. During the day a party was
made up to visit the west side to in
terview Mack. I think Leslie was OF
the party. I well remember that
there was a clean cut young lawyer
from Mandan, Che is there yeti with
the party. When we entered the place
both Mack n the room were found
Ito be. rather dirty. There was dirt
everywhere. I don't think u friend
from Mandan had ever visited such a.
place. He was looking for a place to
sit down and then would look at his
OhoCI p NLLISiI "C4S SPoIlCSSs I1S DIP
| peared very much embarrassed, but
we told him that he would get used
to such things If he remained in the
! west. We called for beer but Mack
said he could not sell us any as the
judge had written BiXby a letter to
close during court, and that out Of
respect for the court he had done so.
1t required some of Leslie's finest ora
tory to convince him that no such
l 4 L-5 L~~- -. -. 49, 1---
that he would not compromise himself
in such a way. that Bixby had been
selling by the back door, and only
wanted Mack to close so he (Bixby)
| could get all the trade. LeSlie's argu-
ment and the expectation Of cash from
the crowd was too much for Mack
to Withstand. Soon we had beer in
plenty.
Mack had deserted a family in Still
water in the early sos. He came west
as cook on a boarding car. He next
went into the restaurant business, and
then went cooking on Johnnie
Goodhall's roud-up. He was a very
dissipated person and once when in
toxicated Mitch tied him in a knot
and fastened him to a sage brush.
When he had slept off his jag he swore
off drinking and commenced to save.
He died in 1912, at Saltwater, Mimi,
where he had gone when Ill expecting
to find his children. When the admin
istrator searched his house, $6, 900 in
certificate Of deposits were found in
an old trunk. It's only right and prop
err that we say no i'll of the dead. In
this case I must say that I consider
Old Mack to have been one of the, most
inhuman of men. He lived for thirty
years within one days travel of his
family and never made an effort to
visit them or ascertain if they were
dead or alive. None of his children
has ever been located by the
administrator.
Just what year the first stock was
placed in the ranges in Billings county,
or by whom, I do not now to a GER
tainty. If I am not mistaken, s. M.
Ferris, one of the ranch managers, told
me that H. B. Wadsworth shipped in
the first cattle and the year was 1881.
1t could not have been much sooner
for the Indian wars were not over UNI
til about this year. J. w. Follis, one
of the old range foremen, tells me that
the Berry Boice Cattle Co. and Towers
& Gudgell brought small herds Of mix
ed stock here from Colorado in 1888.
I am satisfied that Ferris & Merriield
were holding cattle at the Chimney
Butte ranch as early as that year. and
that Theodore Roosevelt and Gregor
Lang shipped in stock the same year.
In q copy Of The Bad Lands Cow
Boy of october, 1884, I find the follow