The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1916-10-26

OF the encounters, but they were raj
lied by their logging foreman, known
as Miles. Coombs and his men were
showed back.
Coombs, in high dudgeon, retreated,
meeting Corbett and his two com
panions, he demanded to know why
they had not come to his aid.
~ told him. said Corbett in re-
lating the incident," that it seemed
to be about man for man as they
lined up then and man that wanted
anything better than that was a poor
fighter.'
The next moment Corbett was look
ing down the barrel of a revolver. One
of the other two bridge workers, a
man named Clark, grabbed a peevey
and rushed up.
"lf you shoot, N stick this peevey
through you,'' he said.
Coombs lowered the revolver.
10 meet the emergency a lumber
man named Bill Harris, who had pre-
viously routed the Thompson forces.
was imported from Rock Creek to
take charge Of the Hammond forces
in Cramer gulch. He had orders to
tire Corbett and Clark. Instead he
conciliated the two men and when he
started out with his gang he armed
the bridge builders with axes and told
them to come along. He made Cor
bett and Clark his bodyguard and all
thew had to do the entire winter was
to follow him through the timber,
axes in hand, and ready to support
him in his encounters with the enemy.
When Coombs had met the invad-
ers, the Thompson foreman had offer
ed to fight him or any one of his
men to decide the ownership of the
timber in the gulch. Bill Harris, as
soon as he confronted the Thompson
foreman, demanded to know whether
that offer held good.
"I will fight anyone in your crowd,
the winner to have the TIMBER" he
shouted as he doubled his fist and
glared at his arch opponent.
There was no reply.
~ will fight any two OF you," he
called out.
The Thompsonites held their peace.
~ will fight any three of you,"
came the final def. :
Still no reply. Both sides, how
ever, held their ground. .
"The war developed into BUSH !
contest after that" writes i,
Stone. cit was case of get all the
ogs possible and get them fast. AS =
'oon as tree was felled, it was :
branded either with the Hammond or :,
he Thompson brand and theoretically {
became the property of the outfit {
which had branded it. But some :
INES the theory didn't work. Bill =
Harris and his two companions, Cor
'ett and Clark, would come upon a &
'ang OF the Thompson crowd loading =
. log. The Frenchmen would put :
heir peeveys on it and roll it up the =
kids. Harris would knock off the :
'eeveys. The opposition foreman T
Would replace the peeveys and tell .
is men to roll her up" Clark was a y
chap and he would say to q
1arris, 'Tear his head off, y,
"Perhaps there would be some =
hoving; maybe there would be a y
low or two struck. All sorts of "
ricks were played. Chains were :,
and loads dumped. It be = ),
anne contest Of petty annoyances. y
In the mixup Of some of these fights q, .,
avs Corbett, I have seen excited men +
~ to cut log chains with their axes. =,
hey would act like crazy men, ~ ~
"All through that period Bob ~ ~
combs and Bill O'Connell of the " "
onita force would make trips up the = =
ulch, each wearing big gun on his = :.
ip." !! u
Ultimately truce was patched up ~ -,
nder which each side agreed to let 81
'e other use its roads, with the tim !,
or of whoever should cut it. VI VI
M. n. A.-WK-1O-23-16 " "