The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1923-06-14

49, 49,
enty something"
Smith: Yes that Is correct. Any
thing that he says, I'll swear t.
When l came here there were thre
houses, the hotel on the track, tn
depot and Mester's saloon. 1t wa
not this fellow-Marcus Mester:
vas his brother. But Marcus wa
there. He was around there. l dom
know whether he ever went ava.
or not. / generally saw him arount
there. The cowboys used to rid
into Billy's place, all Of them fol
that matter, ride five or six horse,
in around the pool tables and hav,
q good time. They would shoot III
the place but seldom hurt anyone.
used to sleep with Dave Biethan
then. He was in business in thos<
days right where he is now, and hi
has never moved, have you Dave:
But Dave got married and SETTLED
1 down. They tell me he IL getting
wild>now. How about 1t Dave?
when l came here Bergman 4
4 Rogers were Tho big men. of : the
country. They had the freight con-
tract for years, and that was the key
to everything. Judge Andersen said
Bergman brought in slaves. and
that Is correct. Mules were the
standard slaves; l bought eight hun
| dred dollars worth of them one day
and gave him freight checks for
them, didn't / Charlie? / didn't
know then that you stole the mules
or / might not have been willing to
pay you so much for them"
Bergman: you go. the mules
Smith: you got my dough-
Smith: well, boys, l am no
speaker, but 1 am mighty glad to be
here tonight. l have met many a
wild harem-scarem bunch in my
time, and l may have met a rougher
bunch than this; maybe not"
Judge: Il want to tell you about
Ike and Bill Wickersham. They
had little clash of opinion one
night. Now Bill was a big fellow.
and as you see, Ike is not very large.
Well. Ike looked up at him and said,
We are supposed to have been
created equal, but that is purely
fiction. The Lords Intentions were
all right, but it took Mr.. Colt to
finish the job and at that instant
Ike poked Colts against his tummy
and established a friendship!
81 want to introduce another one
of our friends, man who is larger
of stature. He came here when the
country was all fiat; the three buttes
on the desert were not here then, .
and the whole fiat was hot and dry /
He came from a corn country and
he knew there would be need of
oh 10 ho cannnad a
three buttes while he was resting.
l refer to Mr.. Biethan."
Biethan: 81 came here in 1882,
and it was late spring. 1t was
not so warm at that time The
stages were crossing Snake river on
Ice foot and a half thick, to avoid
the payment of tolls over the bridge.
Mr.. Bergman was a director in the
bridge company, and the weather
worked in his favor later. 1t was
/ cold morning when l arrived and
met Mr.. Bergman, and he was
both cross and jubilant; he had to
get out and run around in the night
@ get doctor the night before, and
lie was jubilant over a visit of the :;
tork.
II have been thinking it over and :
an only recall eleven people now
living in the country who were here :,
hen, and among them are Mr.. Ber- t.
yman and wife. William Kirkpat-i =
lex, Mrs. F. S. Stevens, Mrs. w. C. !;
ohnson and her son T. J. Johnson, e
irs. Emma Just and her sons James y
nd Fred, Leon Misslen and Robert :
'sborn. There was one house across :, y
ne river, and some business houses y
here the town stands, mostly .
aloons. Bergman and Rogers were ?
he chief rulers, and were hauling
lie freight to nearly all central =
laho. One day when the stage "
ame in from Arco, Mr.. Bergman W
as on board, coming in for repairs %
he story is that he had a difference a.
it'll one of his drivers, and the a.
river hit him with a singletree o.
ven at that, they say Bergman ~
,ked him and made him spot the
agon where he told him to-
Smith: Eyes, that is true, I was "a
ere." a
Biethan: "They tell a good many ar
Dries about Ike and his temper. he
ley say that althO Ike had a fine fl
tiff, his lead mule did not always "a
ind him, and it used to make him In,
mad he would jump out of the hill
ddle and run forward and grab 20
e leaders ear and pull it down and we
e it, 90
Smith: "That is correct" III,
Biethan: 81 was talking over these ms
ltters with Senator Dubois few etc
hrs ago, and l said I thought we as
4 some pretty good times in those of
VS., and he said the preferred fat
I'm to the later days. 1t is true
IRE was brush in the streets, but is
re was freedom and cordially
)ut our relations that l look back to
with appreciation and pleasure COY
Bergman: Amen" so
Smith: "Me too" *
When there were two stores in car
IN there were ten saloons, be- 81.
zen Bunting's store and the Curtis mo
rdware where the Standrod Bank raj
low. And they were all gambling az,
ces. They were all run wide wei
n, everybody played or kept out Sc:
the games as he liked, everybody s5E
money anu tnere was no want ing
paupeIs. $50