The Ekalaka eagle. [volume] (Ekalaka, Mont.) 1909-1920, 1916-10-27

Of the encounters, but they were raj
lied by their logging foreman, known
as Miles. Coomhs 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.
II told him. said Corbett in re-
lating the incident.' that it seemed
to be about man for man as they
lined up then and a 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 Il peevey
and rushed up.
eff you shoot, IN stick this peevey
through you," he said.
Coombs lowered the revolver.
To 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
fire 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 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 whethe,
that offer held good.
II 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 wal developed into a bush
whacking contest after that" writes
Stone. "It was a case Of get all the
logs possible and get them fast. As
soon as a tree was felled, it was
branded either with the Hammond OF
the Thompson brand and theoretically
became the property of the outfit
which had branded it. But some
times the theory didn't work. Bill
Harris and his two companions, Cor
bett and Clark, would come upon q
gang of the Thompson crowd loading
a log. The Frenchmen would put
their peeveys on it and roll it up the
skids. Harris would knock off the
peeveys. The opposition foreman
would replace the peeveys and tel
. his men to roll her up" Clark was ;
combative chap and he would say t.
Harris, Tear his head off,
"Perhaps there would be some
> showing; maybe there would be q
blow or two struck. All sorts o.
I tricks were played. Chains wcr'
4 loosened and loads dumped. It b.
Y came a contest Of petty annoyances
Tn the mixup of some of these fights,
says Corbett, Il have seen excited mel
Y try to cut log chains with their axes
A They would act like crazy men,
1 "All through that period Boz
: Coombs and Bill O'Connell of tn
0 Bonita force would make trips up tn
: gulch, each wearing a big gun on hi
hip"
e Ultimately a truce was patched III
b under which each side agreed to lie
the other use its roads, with the tim
f Der Of whoever should cut it.