The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1920-04-30
By A. X. YERKEs

ado, in more than the word now con-
veys Crafty, cruel, vengeful, not a
single act creditable can condone his
name "Big Nose" was his only
known cognomen, even to his init
mates. This label evidently came
from the Indian method of describ-
ing man by attributes, characteristics
or surroundings. Kelly, he of the
long hair, like Custer, to indicate to
the Indian that he was chief and
brave, was yellowstone Kelly" be-
cause he was a scout identified with
that region. Bulldog George"
was so designated for the reason that
he possessed white bull dog, de-
cidedly unique distinction in that
remote part of the country in the
70's. TRAILER Jack" was a scout or
Indian trailer; Splitter Jack" and
CHECK Boehme" were gamblers, as
their nick-names signified, while
"Tapeworm Charley" the hayward
son of rich New Yorker attained
titled distinction by remarkable re-
peat performances at the grub pile.
The Indian had a limited vocabul-
airy with an exhaustive sign language
and the white man readily learned
the use of signs. Thus it was that
familiarity of address came about in
the far west. 1t was in response to
the entente cordiale; the highest
type of citizen was brevetted "col-
onel," the Pledged and unfledged
lawyer invariable tagged a Judge"
So, it is not strange that the bap-
tismal name of big Nose" was to
many unknown.
big Nose George" was familiar
with the lower Yellowstone valley
long before the inception of the can
Torment of FIT. Keogh, named in
honor of lieutenant killed by Ind
ians. big Nose' and his band of
freebooters had followed down the
Tongue river to the Yellowstone on
forays from "Jackson's Hole" to the
British line with stolen horses. He
was striking figure in that noto
rious company which "holed up" in |
this mountain fastness during the |
winter, to gamble, race horses, to |
feast and to fatten the stock, safe |
in the impenetrable natural fortress |
which for years defied the daring of |
even a posse comitatus. When the |
snow melted, these men, under I'M !
disputed leadership, divided into
small bands and descended to the low
lands to take toll of the horse herds /
far to the south. This stock was
marketed in remote points as far
north as British Columbia. Miles
City was located on the trail of this
activity.
In 1873 the authorities of Wyom-
ing bent every effort to capture this
murderous renegade, for he had but
lately added to his string the life of
a popular deputy sheriff. 1ured into
ambush and deliberately killed. Just
how many men "Big Nose" killed
during his eventful career will never
be known. But the estimate is high L
He was especially resentful toward
all officers of the law and seemed to |
take unusual delight in adding one
of these to his mortuary list.
In 1873 he found town at the |
mouth of the Powder river. 1t was
a town to his liking, free from the |
effete conventionalities free from
the restraints of Mrs. Grundy, reli-
gion or moral reaction. The orderly /
of Miles City today Il
cannot sense the latitude of its in
FAINT license and liberalism. 1t was II
an outpost far beyond the farthest | II
boundaries of No Mans Land. The II
in the full flood of sum- II
mer, with great difficulty negotiated II
the sand bars of the Missouri and II
the rapids of the Yellowstone. Bis II
then on the very edge of the II
world, and town composed largely II
Of tents, was only few days away HI
by returning boat, but it often took II
"a days to make the trip upstream. II
The bull trains we're often a month II
On the road Miles City was indeed II
1 long way from nowhere. HI
During the day time "Milestown," II
after the general who was H
better known as Paddy" Miles, was II
sleepy, jaded, dead tired. Like a H
lrowsy village of the east it showed III
,ut few signs of life. It's inhabitants III
o a considerable extent were asleep. l.
But at nightfaHi What a differ
nee! There was suddenly sound =,
# reve1ry. The saloons, the gamb-
ing and the dance hall awoke in a "
'laze of light. The blare of music OF
illed the air. The raucous laughter to
# the bedecked, and paint besmear- 70
d female charmers as they gathered
t the corners or even in the middle "a
f the street to inyeigle the "swad- be
lie" of that period, or sought to fas- tn
mate the buffalo hunter, was strik- a,
ngly in the picture. Rich with his &,
lonth's pay, the. soldier, or the hum VI
er, flush after the disposal of his in
ides, gave to Miles City a wide til
peness that no mining camp ever av
ttained. This was due to large pu
overnment payroll, and the soldier, m;
objected at the post to strict mill mi
iry discipline, sought the unbridled of
berty that the nearby town present ial
d. The hunter, killing and skinning to-
for weeks at a stretch, en- m;
uring hardships in the cold and co
low, as the hides were not of COM of
lercial value in the summer, eagerly ms
ought the delights of the town for tn,
short time. And it was usually an tn,
limited period. Three wo
ays very often saw him broke, ex- tar
,pt for the supply of lead for bull sci
is and the necessary grub which ter
Id been advanced by the hide con- loo
actors, who came from many of the sol