The Ronan pioneer. [volume] (Ronan, Mont.) 1910-1970, 1917-03-09
RUSSELL, THE COWBOY ARTIST, WRITES
OF MONTANA PREwAR0GAT@R$ HE HAS MET
BY Charles Nj. Russell.

EN- imam any Othei land under the |
sun. The mountains and plains
seemed to bring forth this quality.
A man in the states might have been
a very small story teller, but in the
air of the plains and mountains,
where ranges a hundred miles away
seemed within touching distance and
streams ran uphill, even nature lied,
and why would not men who lived
with her take lessons.
These men were seldom vicious
liars. 1t was the love of romance,
the lack of literature and the desire
to entertain that stimulated the gift
OF story telling. Jack MCGOWAN, a
we'll known old timer who is now liv
ing in Great Falls. tells of a man
known as Lying Jack" who was
notorious from Mexico to the Arctic
sea.
One of Lying Jacks favorite tales
was of an elk he'd killed, which
measured Is feet spread be-
tween the antlers. He used to tell
that he kept these horns in the loft
of his cabin. zone time l hadn't
seen Jack for years" said MCGOWAN,
"when he showed up in Benton. The
crowd were all glad to see Jack, and
after round or two of drinks, asked
him to tell them a yarn.
"No, boys" says Jack, "Tm
through. For years I've been tellin'
these les-told 'em so often I got
to believin' 'em myself. That story
of mine about the elk with the IS
about that elk so often that
T. III
night even lit candle and crawled
up in the loft to view the horns
and I'm damned if they was there. y
Some Regular Liars.
Once up in Yogo, Bill Cameron
pointed out Old Man Babcock and an
other old-timer, Patrick, sayin'
there's three of the biggest liars in
the world"
"Who's the third?" inquired d
vystander.
"Patrick's one an old Bab's the
other two," says Cameron.
This Babcock one night is telling
about getting jumped by SO hostile
Sioux, war party, that's giving him
close run. The bullets and arrows
are tearin' the dirt all around, when
he hits the mouth of a deep canyon.
He thinks he's safe, but after ridin'
up it way, discovers it's a box
guch, with walls straight up from
600 to 1000 feet. His only get
away's where he come in, and the
ponies into it.
Right here old Bah rears back in
his chair, closes his eyes and starts
fondlin' his whisllers. This seems TIC
be the end of the story, when one OF
the listeners asks:
what happened them"
Old Bah, with his eyes Still
closed, takin' fresh chew, Wits
pered: "They killed me, be God!"
One of X. Bcidlers.
The upper Missouri river steam
boats, it used to be said, would ru1
on light dew, and certainly they
used to get by where there was
mighty little water. x. Beidler anG
his friend, Major Reed. were travel
ing by boat to Fort Benton. One
night they drank more than they
should. x. was awakened in the
morning by the cries Of Reed. On
entering his stateroom, X. found
Reed begging for water, as he was
dying of thirst.
x. stepped to the bedside. and TAX
ing his friends hand, said: "Tm sor-
ry, Major, l can't do anything fo1
you. That damned pilot got drunk
too, last night, and we're eight miles
up a dry coulee!'
Saved the Wagon.
"Some say rattlers amt pizen,
said Buckskin Williams, an ole
freighter, but l know different
I'm pullin' out of Milk river one day
with IA, when / notice my line hos:
swing out, an every boss on the neal
side crowds the chain. My neal
wheel boss, that I'm ridin', rares VI
an straddles the tongue It's then
see what the trouble is-a big rattle
has struck, misses my boss an hit
the tongue The tongue starts tt
swell up. I have to chop it off tt
save the wagon, an I'm damn quicl
doin' it, tool"
cap" Nelse, a we'll known OLE
timer around Benton in the earl,
days. tells of coming south from Ed
monitor with string Of half-breet
carts. They were travelling through
big herds of buffalo. 1t was sprin|
and there were many calves. The
had no trouble with the full-growl
buffalo, Cap said, but were forced tt
stop often to take the calves from
between the spokes of the cart
wheels!
Some Bufaflo!
A travelling man in White Sulphu
Springs makes bet of drinks for tn
| town with Coates, saloon keeper
that Coates couldn't find a man tina
would hold up his hand and take hi
= oath that he had seen 10000
= buffalo at one sight. When tn
bet was decided, it was agreed t.
} ring the triangle at the hotel, which
would call the town to their drinks
Many old-timers said they ha
seen that many buffalo, but refuse
: to swear to it, and it looked Xix
, Coates would lose his bet until Mil
: Crowthers showed up. Then smll
of confidence spread over Coates
i -