The Kevin review. [volume] (Kevin, Mont.) 1922-1929, 1923-01-04
BY HON. LEW. L. CALLAWAY
Chief Justice Montana Supreme Court

Chief Justice Montana Supreme Court
HISTORY has a curious way
of magnifying one of her
characters and minimizing
another. She projects n upon
her screen in bold relief, while the
other she loses in a "fade-away."
Almost lost to history is the
story of James Williams, leader Of
the Vigilantes.
In this publication some two and
a half years ago you said: Little
has ever been made known about
the life of the captain of the Vigi-
lantes." On the other hand that
many-sided character ]. "A. Slade,
the DR.. Jekyll and Mr.. Hyde Of the
early west enjoyed the fierce lime
light of his day and his spectacular
end has been told by the magic pen
of Mark Twain. The information
is that soon his wild last days are
to be depicted on the silent screen.
Presumably Williams will be omit
ted from the list of characters.
James Williams, who seemed to
court the oblivion which is all but
his, rendered signal service to his
country and deserves better than to
have his fame suffer complete ex-
tlnction. He was a modest man, reti-
cent regarding himself but generous
In praising the actions of others. At
his W request his name was omit
ted from Dimsdale's Vigilantes of
Montana. <
James Williams was born on a
farm nine miles from Greensburg,
Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania,
Welsh, his mother Irish. Young
Williams was a born pioneer and
the year 1855 found him at Leaven-
worth, Kansas. He took an active
part in the serious troubles known
to history as the Border War. His
brother John said Of him: "He went
through many very exciting and
seemingly desperate adventures. He
was what was called in those days
a Free State man. If ever he had
any personal fear he never showed
1T by word or action"
In appearance James Williams was
five feet, ten and a half inches tall.
and heavily built. The chest was
deep and full, the shoulders some-l
what rounded; the neck was short,
supporting a leonine head covered
with plentiful black hair with beard
of the same color. The eyes were his
most striking feature, being blue and
deep set. They looked straight at
you. When he was in good humor
the eyes carried a merry twinkle,i
but when he was in earnest they
seemed to go jet black, and in anger
or excitement they blazed with a
black intensity that was fearful. He
was a natural leader; those magnet
ic, compelling eyes told you to go
and you went. He was a rare judge
human nature. Deliberate in what
he did, he was so in his judy
ment of men, yet after he studied
a stranger for a brief period he SEEM
ed to ascertain all he cared to know
forming an estimate of him and
was hardly aver mistaken.
He was in at the very beginning
of the "Pike's Peak or Bust stam-
pede, his party being among the first
If not the first, to addive at the
mouth of Cherry Creek, where the
city of Denver now is.
Encounter With Slade
In a new mining region one of the
first necessities is lumber. In his
eagerness to get it the miner will
pay sums of money apparently out
Of reason; indeed, while camps are
aew and rich the people who supply
The miners get the cream of the prof
it's. Williams was good at seeing |
opportunities but was not successful
rs a business man. He lasted in this !
-ich lumber industry about a year; {
hen mined two years; then, in COM