Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1916-10-05
Joe and 1.-THE Manager
at Last Exhaust Twenty "
Thousand Dollars
BY J. w. Foley

BY J. w. Foley
.Medora, N. D., Oct. 3.-For years
after the closing of the packing plant,
Medora was a quiet town OF only
about three families; one store and
no hotel. While it was the county
seat, seldom more than one official
remained in town ;even the sheriff
had to work on a ranch to make ex.
penses. Court would convene twice
each year but only the Judge and
stenographer would be present, who
would open court and adjourn. The
commissioners would meet quarterly,
but the business would be completed
in day or two. Winters would be
a most lonesome time, when to see
q stranger would be curiosity. The
only loafing place was "Joes," where,
when business justified a fire, few
and only a few would congregate to
swap hunting stories, and talk of the
times when champagne at IS per
bottle would be drunk at breakfast
in the old brick hotel.
Joe was a good story teller; he had
arrived at the Little Missouri year
after the railroad, when the town was
on the west side near the Military
Cantonment then under command OF
my dear old friend, Major Comba.
Joe often served as guide to tourists.
showing the show places in the Bad
Lands. 1t was las a hunters guide
that he guided Mr.. Roosevelt to Pref
ty Butte, where Teddy shot the last
buffalo nthe fba4 LANDS Up to this
time Joe had never been success as
a hunter, but from this time his repu-
tation was made! He often told me
how he told Roosevelt to aim at the
red spot behind the four legs; and
red spot behind the fore legs; and
how the head was brought to town
in triumph.
Once when alone with Joe and he
was in a, reminiscent state of mind,
he told me the, story Of 1.-THE Man
Who Had Twenty Thousand Dollars
to Spend"
The story is so typical of the time
that it should be recorded in the
early history Of the state.
While Joe may have exaggerated
little, there is little doubt but the
story is in the main true.
A party in Europe who had visited
the Bad Lands decided to start a
stock ranch; he brought manager
from Europe, selected location, and
returned home telling the manager
that he would deposit twenty thous
and dollars to the managers credit
in a st. Paul bank, where it should
be by certain time; to get the
money and purchase stock for the
ranch. >tE t
When the time arrived for. the
money to reach St. Paul, the manager
taking Joe as assistant, proceeded
to St. Paul, and after registering at
the Merchants hatel, visited the bank
to see If the money was there. He
was informed that the funds had not
arrived. The bank was visited from
day to day with the same result. AS
the time passed Joe thought that the
hotel clerks were looking upon him
and the manager with suspicion, as
the board had not been paid. AS Joe
had funds of his own he paid the bill.
when things we're more pleasant
Finally one day on visiting the bank
1t was found the money had arrived
The manager said to the cashier,
"Well, I will take it" But the cashier
replied: II don't know YOU; you will
have to be identified; am not the
manager, and was the money not sent
for me-? He was Informed that as
manager or anyother man he was un'
known to the bank, even II he had
been visiting the place for days. That
someone to identify him as absolute
ly necessary. The only party known
to the manager was a clerk in a
clothing store in which he had made
some small purchases. This clerk
he took along to the bank; when the
cashier told them he did not know
the man; that it must be some re-
sponsible person known to the bank
before the $4,000 was allowed to
be taken out.
they then thought OF q lawyer IN
Minneapolis, who had been at Medora
and whom they had met. They visit.
ed Minneapolis and met the lawyer,
who gave them a letter of introduc.
ton to the Major of St. Paul, who
introduced them to the cashier. Once
this was done, the manager said:
"Now, will take the money" The
cashier replied: Il suppose you want
it deposited to your credit to check
OUT the manager said. II want moth
ing of the kind, want the money"
Being now satisfied that the cash was
wanted, though the transaction ap.
peared strange. the cash was counted
out and handed over to the manager.
The manager knew that many
things besides cattle were required