Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-01-17
OF
RANCH LIFE
" t
Former Local Man Relates
Mutual Experiences With
Roosevelt.

Some of the experiences Of the late
Colonel Theodore Roosevelt in the
wild and woody" days of North Da-
kota first hand from Frank
Greene, who is one of the veteran off,
Gals Of the Northern Pacific railroad
and in the early days was superin-
tendent of the Missouri division Of
the Northern Pacific railway. Frank
Greene formerly resided in Grand
Forks and was a personal friend Of
George B. Winship. Mr.. Greene's sis
ter, Mrs. Ernest Fox. is now residing
in this city. t>
The account given by MI. Greene
appeared in the Seattle Sunday, Times
for January ~. and in it he recalls
many of the experiences which Col
onel Roosevelt and himself exper.
that the colonel was ranching in
North Dakota. Mr.. Greene writes:
"It was during my term on the Mis-
souri, division that Theodore Roose-
welt had established himself on a cat
tie ranch in the Bad Lands near Lit
tie Missouri and where I had a pass
ing acquaintance with him." p
He continues to relate: "One day
I was making a trip over the division
with my pay car. We pulled out of
Mingusville, Mont. (now called Wi
baux) and upon arrival in Glendive,
Mont, 1 received a telegram from
the agent at Mingusville saying "the
cowboys had held the Overland pas
senger train fifteen minutes trying to
make the conductor (Joe Clark)
dance. Clark did not dance and they
finally gave the job up and let the
train proceed"
This performance cooked their
goose" with me. I sent an engine out
with a caboose and about a dozen
deputy .sheriffs to Mingusville, and
they captured the whole bunch in
bed at Mrs. Nolan's house, which was
the only hotel in the place. I after
wards employed one of them, a man
named Jack Tisdale.
about three years ago I was read
ing chapters of an autobiography by
Colonel Roosevelt in which he related
an incident in a Montana Gov town,
not naming the place. He had been
riding all day n went to the only
hotel in the place, seeking lodging
The woman Of the house said h had
only two beds upstairs, that there
were two men in n bed and one
man in the other. II he wanted to
bunk with the one, that was the best
she could do.
HE went up and gave the n a
close inspection and found that he
knew him and decided to bunk with
him. He said, several men came In
with lanterns and looked him (Col.
onel Roosevelt) yer and said: This
amt one of them Then said. Here
is one.' They told him not to ge,
funny but to come along and the Eel.
low got up and rubbed his eyes and
said he wouldn't get funny. The
other two were also wanted. So they
took the three out and Colonel Roose'
welt had the. loft to himself for the
balance of the night. He said wher
he arose the next morning. he learned
that these. men had been on a foot
for some days in town and had at
tempted to make the con
luctor Of the overland passenger
train dance on the platform. 1t ap'
peared that the officials of the North
ern Pacific failed to appreciate theil
style Of humor and caused the whole
bunch to be arrested. and taken tt
Glendive. =
"Of course I recognized the Incl
dent at once and wrote Colonel Roose'
welt stating hat I was interested II
his story Of the incident, especially
for the reason that I had known
until I read his article that I hat