The Kevin review. [volume] (Kevin, Mont.) 1922-1929, 1923-02-01
PRINTING IN THE
FRONTIER DAYS
LETTER FROM MISSOULA EDITOR
WRITTEN A MONTH BEFORE
BIG HOLE BATTLE
"6ettlers Scared; Printers Drunk"
His Message to Brother Publisher
Al Beer Lodge; Old Missives Tell
Of Conditions Before Chief Joseph
and Gibbon Met in Bloody Fight.

In the early days of Montana, pub
fishing . newspaper was not without
its difficulties, as will be atteSted by
some OF the men who have welded
the editorial pen in this state since
the times of slow freighting by bull
teams, when a rush order for ink or
paper had to be filled by stage coach
express, perhaps after a lapse of
weeks.
The atmosphere OF an old Montana
print-shop clings to a letter which
was discovered in the office of the
Deer Lodge Silver State, a successor
to the New Northwest, n of the
best known of the pioneer Montana
newspapers, which was founded and
edited for some years by Captain
James H. Mills.
This letter was written by Chaun-
cey Barbour, then editor of the
Weekly, Muscular of Missoula, and
q character who is remembered by
many cid timers. It bears date of 40
years ago, and gives IN insight into
some of the obstacles which had to
be overcome by a publisher of that
day. The "cart" referred to In this
letter, which follows, was the stage
coach:
Missoula, M. T., July 6, 1877.
Captain James H. Mills,
Deer Lodge, M. T.
Dear Sir:-I wish you would send
me another oyster can of ink by the
carry freight, but see the agent and
tell him I have no ink for my next
inside. The freight that we passed
at McCarthy's got in today. By some
mistake of Mccormick and Harden
brooks, my ink was not shipped I'M
til fifteen days after my paper. /
do not know how we stand on our ink
trades; maybe you do. / was intend
ing, If I had not rushed from Deer
Lodge so rapidly, to have looked into
the matter of Jul dealings with each
other.
All is quiet along the Bitter Root.
The people were under a panic when
you were here, but a reaction has set
in and many of the people are laugh
ing at their scare. We are, perhaps,
in as great danger yet as We ever
were. The danger is that the Nez
Perces may come or be driven into
this country, and 1t is almost a sure
thing that a large number of our In
dams Will Join them in such case. III
do not think there is much danger
OF an Independent outbreak among
our Indians, although they have been
saucy for the past two or three years.
There is no doubt that they have
threatened violence.
NV last paper was yery unSatiSfac-
tory to nae, and must have been to
outsiders who were looking for a
of the feeling among our
and their movements in this
emergency.
Fraternally yours,
CHAUNCEY BARBOUR.
P. S.-Printers drunk.
The above letter was written just
"a days before the bloody battle of
he Big Hole, between Chiefs Joseph
Ind Looking Glass, commanding the
.ez Perces warriors, and General
Gibbons command. More than 40
Dor cent Of the soldiers and citizens
Engaged In the fight were killed or
wounded, and the Nez Perces left 80
lead warriors on the field, besides 1
hose carried away. The soldiers at
dissOula when this letter was written
ook part in the battle, and had 1t not
for Chariot, chief of the Selfish j
rfbe of the Flatheads, who was a
rue friend to the whites and defied {
It is probable that every set
Ter Ia the Bitter Root valley would