The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1920-03-18


Brought Him a Fortune.
Owen Wister has sold the jack
son Hole ranch on which he wrote
"The V~irginian," and in which
Montanans are interested because
of the fac hat Wister, in writing
his great book, started 'Missou"
Hines, a former Montana cowboy,
on the road to fortune. How it all
I came about is an interesting
story.
Twenty-Five years ago Wister
came west to die of consumption.
He bought for himself a little ranch
up in the Jackson Hole country, and
because he was possessed of SPLEEN
did energy began to study the cow
boy and gather local color for the
Virginian.
Nilsson" Hines, then a rollicking
cowboy who had drifted in from the
Miles City country, attracted the at
tention of the novelist by n of his
practical jokes. There was a dance
at a ranch house, which was attend
ed by the cattlemen and their wives
for miles around. From 40 miles
one way rode a young couple, who
brought with them their beautiful
girl baby, about two years old. From
40 miles the other way came an
other couple with a baby boy.
Separated Babies and Parents
The babies were left to play by
themselves while the young couples
danced. "Missou," in a mild state
of inebriation, conceived the idea
of obopn ; m fhn oInthino of fhn ho-I
bies. The next day when the par
ents had time to give their darlings
the once over they found that their
babies had been changed. The cou-
pie that had the boy had taken the
girl home and vice versa. Eighty
miles separated children and par
ents.
Wister heard of the story, as did
all Wyoming. 1t appealed to him as
so funny hat he incorporated it in
his book. The book had IN immense
sale and nilsson" became famous.
He would be pointed out to tourists
as one of the show things of Wyom-
ing.
All this attention went to the
young cowboys head. He became a
gunman. In a short time he had earn
ed a reputation, through several
shooting scrapes, that he considered
in keeping with the notoriety Wister
had given him.
The Wyoming Cattle War
Then came the war between the
cattle rustlers that infested the Cas-
per country and the cattle barons of
the state. The rustlers had become
so powerful that they dominated the
central section of the state. The
cattlemen organized a large force of I
the fiercest gunner in. Wyoming and
sent them into the ruStlers' country 3
exterminate them. "Missou," be- !
ing quick On the trigger, went along. {
sustained his reputation and 2
to drive the cattle thieves out !
of the state. 6
After that there was always plenty q
of work for him and his gun. When t
the Midwest Oil company needed a \
trustworthy gunman to guard oil
holdings, the title to which was in y
question, "Missou' got the job. He a
such effective work that the f
management promised him a lease. a
Made Fortune in Oil v
There was a tract of land in what f
was known as the big Muddy" It's +
as oil land was in question, but il
Nilsson" had to have something, so "
t was turned over to him. A year
alter a we'll was brought in and the
Big Muddy" became one of the t;
great oil producing sections of Wy j,
G
Now "M~issou,'' the former Miles D
Jity cowboy, with dividends coming d
o him from his Big Muddy oil wells a
very few minutes, sits in a gilded
lotel at Denver, and dreams of the W
,lories of the past. W
The gun fighting days are over. fl
With them have gone the tarantula al
uice that made every Wyoming Sc
light a cowboys holiday. There is al
10 more gambling or horse racing. b;
'oor "Missou," helpless, in the mat OF
of getting rid of his money, which B
lmost smothers him, considers life tt
.ull and prosaic. He would give all al
e possesses to live the days of his
7onderful yesteryears over again.