The Powder River County examiner and the Broadus independent. [volume] (Broadus, Mont.) 1919-1935, 1922-01-13
WHEN BUTTE men
FOUGHT TO DEATH
FIERCE DUEL RETWEEN TIN.
HORNS IN BUTTE GAMBLING
HOUSE 20 YEARS AGO.

WINS 1F1AC1pss4 xSV00C Oh O0t13tm6S
Season Of That Year; Bystanslers
and Mirrors Suffered ~ Bullcts
Flew About; When Men Shot First
and Temporised After.
Forty years ago Christmas day, &C.
cording to an old-time Butte man,
the gambling fraternity of Montana
staged battle to the death at King
& Lowry's gambling house on Main
street, when "Bodie Joe" and Joe
Campbell, two "tinhorns," fought It
out with six-shooters across the width
Of q poker table, says the Christmas
edition Of The Anaconda Standard.
Campbell was pumped full Of lead
but lived through 1t. "Bodie Joe"
was shot through the abdomen when,
his gun empty and Campbell drawing
a bead on him, he dashed for the
back door In q vain hope of making
his escape, only to fall in his tracks
as Campbell pressed the gun against
his abdomen and fired.
The French Kid was shot
through his hand and was crippled
for life, pedestrian passing Bro
phys store on the opposite side Of the
street, had a piece Clipped out of his
cheek, and "Pie-Eyed Mike" narrow
ly escaped death by burning when he
made a wild plunge into the open
doorway of huge cordwood stove,
in his mad effort to escape the range
Of the bullets.
Bodie, though frightfully wound
ed, lived for eight hours after his
wound. He died in DR.. Holmes hos
pital where the colored church now
stands at the corner of Idaho and
Mercury streets.
II remember the circumstances
WE'LL" said the old timer, who was
born in VAUDEVILLE. Il was then a
shaver and had a shaver's memory.
Montana was still territory. Tom
Carter was the delegate to congress,
and Lew Smith was sheriff. The
town was full of gamblers. In those
days men shot first and invited the
innocent bystander to get out of the
way afterwards.
There was bad blood between
Bodie and Campbell. The men on
Christmas day. 1881, engaged in a
poker game in King & Lowry's, which
was then located on the west side
of Main street midway between the
Clark bank and the Lizzie block.
"A big crowd had gathered in the
place, whether attracted by the game
or because of the holiday, don't
know. Probably on account of both.
The game had gone on for some time
when liar was passed.
"Quick as flash both men grab
bed their guns and the fusillade COM
menced. The spectators rushed for
safety. Out through doors and win
dows they went like stampeded cattle,
while two six-shooters were roaring
their messages of death within. There
wasn't a door or window left after
the gun battle. The crowd had
smashed them.
I'm the middle of the room stood a
huge cordwood stove filled with
Goals, its great door standing wide
open to lessen its heat.
''Pie-Eyed" Terror
'Pie-Eyed Nike felt the whizz
Of bullet past his head and without
thought OF the blazing fire within,
made plunge into the stove. Men
who kept their heads grabbed him
and pulled him back. He fell, crawl
ed to the counter, where he hid un-
til bullet hit the bar mirror square
in the center, sending cracks radiat-
ing like a sunburst. Mike, with a
whine of terror, wriggled across the
floor to the outer door and fled
whimpering.
Meanwhile Bodie and Campbell
had been doing execution on each
other Bodie shot the gun out of
Campbell's right hand. It fell on
the floor. With his right hand hang
ing helpless, Campbell picked up his
gun with his left hand, put 1t be-
tween his knees and cooked 1t with
his left thumb.
"Bodie had emptied his gun into
and at Campbell, not all of his bull
lets taking effect. Campbell drew
a bead on him with his left hand.
Bodie lost his head and dashed for
the back door. Afraid to shoot at
distance. for fear Of missing. Camp
bell followed him. As Bodie strug-
gled with the door Campbell press
ed the gun against his abdomen and
fired. Bodie crumpled to the floor
and Campbell staggered to the bar
and called for q drink.
"Dr. Holmes had the only hospital
in Butte. Bodie was moved there,
where he died.
Campbell was arrested, but was
acquitted at the preliminary examina-
ton on a plea of self-defense. A re-
markable feature Of the fight was
that despite the shower Of bullets, the
two principals, the French Kid and
the unknown man across the street
were the only ones hit.
THAT was one way we had of
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