The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1924-09-11

A resident Of Montana before it
had ever a name, let alone an indie
pendent political status, Jimmy
Austin of Cascade county paid his
first visit to Butte after 81 years
of residence in the state, in attend
ance at the recent convention
Montana Pioneers.
Austin came to Montana in 1863
with Sidney Edgerton of Akron, Ohio,
appointed by President Lincoln as
governor of Montana. While admit
ting that Governor Edgerton came
not as a trail blazer, but as a holder
of political appointment, Austin is an
admirer of Edgerton.
Sidney Edgerton was a fine fell
low" Austin insists. He also de-
clares that Jim Slade was unjustly
hanged, because Slade didn't kill
anybody around here,'' as Jimmy
puts it.
"Of course Slade killed Jules BENZ,
that Frenchman that Julesburg,
Colo, is named after, but didn't they
declare wal on each other land
wasn't it a fair killing? Course it
was, and a Denver jury said so.
Course Slade cut off Jules ears for
souvenirs after shootin' him, but
that was just what you might call a
little pleasantly"
Jimmy Austin was working on
SHADES claim in Virginia City when
the former stage boss who shot and
hanged men right and left in the ap-
parent belief that he was himself
the law, was hanged by the Vigi-
lantes. 81 often wondered why they
didn't hang me up too," Jimmy says,
81 was pretty close to Slade, you
know"
Hardly A Square Deal.
Coming back to Sidney Edgerton.
Austin said: ''They didn't give him
exactly a square deal. Lots of the
first arrivals in Virginia City were
Confederates. With them came a lot
of scrubs, toughs from Texas, Geor-
gia, Missouri and other places, loud
wanted to fight the battle of the
South in Alder Gulch diggin's. They
went about hollerin' for Davis and
Lee the two best men America ever
and when f. George Heidi
aO4SICQ JuO An1Cl 1CdI lld5 OlO Jul III
of July those ra%pscallions tore it
down. That's the bunch that Edger-
ton, an Ohio man, and Colonel San
ders went up against.
"You know they named a county
Edgerton county, but when the 9TH
er bunch got in they changed the
name to Lewis and Clark.
but, what I wanted to tell you
xroz HI. NJ -
I'd governor of Montana in the first
place. He vas governor of the Ter
'itory of Idaho. Idaho ran clear to
he Missouri river. He was figuring
IN making Lewiston, Idaho, his CAPT :
He changed his mind. Edgerton is
IL families in his ox train.
oined them on the Sweetwater.
Costly Towage. W
81 came west in 1859 and went to Il
Denver. Say, Denver was put under R
law in 1863 on account of u
he rebels. I remember that we had
o pay Sc a wagon for towage across W
he river-and the cattle and mules a.
ad to swim. r
well, anyway, after Edgerton 6,
ave up the idea of going to Lew s,
'ton, he Joined us at Bannack. The II
were booming. The boys 90
ere taking out gold by the pound. ia
ldgerton got the idea in his head f.
bout creating Montana Territory st
nd he went back east, taking a gold 60
1ipment with him. He put it over,
back and was governor of the
,rritory for some months" al
Austin left Denver with a train of hs
90 Mormons. When he met the as
dgerton party he changed his mind pa
bout going to Utah and decided on
lie "gold diggings." tn
The Ives Hanging. HI
wilbur Sanders practically con-
oiled Alder Gulch," says Austin. ar
mind the time that George Ives sa
as hanged. The miners wanted to TT
nch him. Sanders said: mo. la
him a fair and impartial trial. ha
ne way to do that is to have a
fmmittee hear the evidence. 20
mt know that crowd, but I'll pick To
It 25 of the boys who are known to
square to try Ives. Are you