The Ronan pioneer. [volume] (Ronan, Mont.) 1910-1970, 1917-11-30
R@EA@HER, WHO MET DEATH DIN MISSOURI, WOULD
TAKE NO GIFT FROM INDIANS FOR DOING DUTY

coming intoxicated. When offended
by some meaningless remark he grew
angry and excited and charged some
of the gentlemen present with de-
string to take his life. The party fin
ally broke up and laboring under the
effects of the evenings dissipation,
the governor retired.
Seen in Water by Watchman.
About 10 O'Clock that night Mr..
Bakers Waterman at the landing dis
covered man struggling in the river
and shouting for assistance as he was
borne rapidly down the stream by
the swift current. The Waterman ran
with the tiding to Mr.. Baker, who
was still employed in his office. In
a moment number of persons were
gathered upon the shore opposite the
scene of occurrence. A boat was i'm
mediately launched and search was
instituted. Mr.. Baker and several
others walked for a considerable dis
lance along the shore down stream
looking and listening for further
traces of the drowning man, but in
vain.
In the meantime the watch on the
G. A. Thompson had repeated the
alarm on board, and the stateroom of
the governor was found unoccupied.
He could be found nowhere and no
one else being missing, it was evident
that the unfortunate man seen strug-
Cling in the water had been General
Meagher.
steamer was lying at the levee
only about SO yards below the G.. A.
Thompson and it was the general i'm
preston that he was almost instantly
swept by the current under her bot
tom and drowned beyond chance of
rescue. Efforts to recover the body
were for some time continued but
without disclosing a trace of it.
The swift current of the Upper
Missouri does not surrender it's luck
less victims. Tidings came the next
summer that late in the season a body
had been found and buried far down
the river, by an ascending steamer,
but it is not known whether it was
that Of MOntana's unfortunate gov
ernor Such was the miserable fate
of this brilliant but dissipated man.
Death Greatly Lamented.
Notwithstanding his faults the gov
ernor's good qualities had won him
general esteem throughout the ter
ritory he governed and his death was
universally lamented. His name is
preserved in one of the counties OF
Montana and his sad end forms one
of the enduring tragedies of her his,
tory.
He has been charged by the I'M
generous with suicide, but with no
ground of probability. His dispair-
ing cries for the help, that could not
be offered, while he was struggling
in the water precludes such an as
sumption for General Meagher was
not a man to have been frightened
into such demonstrations had he per-
sonally courted a watery grave,
His stateroom opened upon a mar
row strip of deck without guards
quite favorable for an accidental fall
had he passed out in a fit of sleep
walking, or in the state of unsteadi-
ness induced by the evenings dissi-
patton.
Refused Present From Indians.
Interesting incidents illustrative of
his character might be chronicled. In
1866 in his capacity of territorial SUI
perintendent of Indian affairs, he Wis.,
tied Fort Benton to meet the Piegan
Indians. While the conference was
in progress, a pile of choice buffalo
robes was gathered near by, each
warrior contributing one, when the
head man of the assembled Piegans
in speech to the COVER
nor, that it was their custom when
visited by one of their white faith
ers" to make them a present of such
things as they had in testimony of
their good will and esteem, begging
his acceptance of the buffalo robes
and of a choice horse that had been
sent for.
Much to the surprise of the old