Cut Bank pioneer press. [volume] (Cut Bank, Mont.) 1909-current, 1916-09-29
ROARING DAYS
OF FORT BENTON
HOW MONTANA NEWSPAPER
MAN HELPED TO STOP
WHISKEY RUNNING.
f.. A. Campbell, Now Of Billings Ga
zette, Brought Joy to the Thirsty
of Fort Macleod and Lost His
Smuggler Partner.

Billings, Mont.-These days when
the liquor question furnishes an abb
sorbing theme for much discussion,
recalls the time when Fort Benton
was the mecca of the whiskey runner,
who piled in a thriving trade with the
thirsty Canadians just across the
border. Whiskey Gap, an opening
through the Sweetgrass hills, was the
route taken by the whiskey smuggler
into what is now the province of Al
berta, and was then broadly desig-
mated as the Northwest Territory.
Whiskey was then taboo north of
the line, and the red coated ''guard-
ians of the plains" kept ward and
watch. Woe unto the luckless
whiskey runner whom they caught
smuggling liquid oy across the boun-
dairy. Only nervy and adventurous
men undertook the work, which was,
of course both profitable and precar-
ious.
Everybody Knows Campbell.
Thousands of people in Montana
know A. A. Campbell. For years he
has solicited subscriptions for the Hell
ena Independent, the Anaconda STAN
dard, the old Butte er-Mountain.
Now he is with the Billings Gazette.
He is a smooth, sauve gentleman of
, southern breeding and gentle man.
nerism. Years ago, in the roaring
days of old Fort Benton, he was a
l bold whiskey runner. Then he saw a
great light and reformed. He went
} into the newspaper business.
l One day, approaching the Christ
mas season, word came to Campbell
e at Fort Benton that Fort Macleod's
: supply of whiskey was very short, and
d was selling for $15 per gallon.
S Campbell loaded up a four horse
S wagon with 300 gallons of forty rod
0 and, with his partner, drove boldly
f across the border. They arranged
their route so that the last ten hours
of travel would be at night, and in
d the gray Of one morning drove to
their rendezvous, a barn on the out
e skirts of the town, and cached their
f kegs of whiskey in an old well inside
the barn, holding out one keg for
emergencies.
d "Horse Feed Famine.
Il In all Macleod there was no for
age for their horses, except a slen-
der supply over which the command
ant of the Mounted Police stood
watch. They had enough whiskey for
all of southern Alberta, but without
"horse feed" they could not move
" about and sell it. In their despair
they went to the commandant.
"You fellows are Americans" he
said, "and l an half inclined to be-
lieve you are whiskey runners"
= Both made loud and violent pro-
test.
q "Ill tell you what | viii do,' said
the cammandant. of one of you will
N take me to Whiskey Gap, and give me
+ some idea of the underground route
,e of the whiskey runners, 1 will see that
q. you have plenty of forage for your
70 horses
n The runners consulted. They were
10 in a desperate situation. They had
to have forage. Finally a brilliant
idea came to Campbell.
k Campbell's Brilliant Scheme.
~ will take the old fellow down
and when he is gone and the coast
K is clear, you peddle the w~hiskey." 1t
le was about two days trip each way
a, to the Gap, and with a little delay
If it meant that the commandant would
j., h. oryo,, fo. ,,o,bonC fiva lauc
lie So Campbell and the commandant
he departed fort the Gap. In "a hours
IF they were calling each other by their
first Finally Campbell in
lie troduced the mounted policeman to
,e a quart of very fine whiskey which
~ he had taken along with him. When
he was mellow under it's potent in
10 fluence Campbell told him of the
in whiskey cache at Macleod, spoke of
IS the Christmas season, of the short
90 age of whiskey, and of the liquid needs
of the men of Macleod, who were
ID blazing the trail for civilization, and
asked and obtained his permission to
20 sell the whiskey. The commandment
a told him he would make it a point to
stay away from the Macleod country
+ until all the whiskey was sold. But
1e he insisted that this should be Camp
re BELLS last trip into Canada as a
whiskey runner. Campbell promised.
g Lost Smuggling Partner.
ry Then, in high glee, Campbell went
la back to Macleod. He found practi-
I'd cally evryone in the little outpost
town drunk. His partner had dis
e. appeared. Finally he a across a
err hotel man whose talk was fairly
e. lucid mad was told that his partner
lis had sold the whiskey for something
r. over $4,000, traded Campbell's team
D. for a fast saddle horse, and had rid
den in the direction of the border.
ia Campbell never heard from him again,