The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1924-02-15
WHEN Islanders
AND MANTLE MET
1T WAS BACK IN THE OVERLAND
STAGE DAYS; MANTLE WAS
TELEGRAPH OPERATOR
Senator Mantle Tells of His Initial
Meeting With the Famous Prosecu-
toro of the Vigilantes, and Senator
Il. @. Power.

One wintry afternoon many
years ago lonely telegraph oper-
ator at Pleasant Valley, station
not far from the Idaho line on the
road from Butte to Salt Lake,
watched for the overland stage as
marooned mariner scans the hori-
zon for a sail, says Richard II.
Kilroy in the Anaconda Standard.
A blizzard had set in and it was
long past the hour when the south
bound stage should have arrived,
according to the report telegraphed
from the nearest agent to the
north.
1t was dark when the big Concord
coach drawn by six horses, covered
with ice, pulled up and lone pas
senger emerged. AS he stood in the
freight before the roaring stove he
turned to the operator to ask If he
could find food and shelter for the
stage-driver and himself for the
night.
Judging by the storm, you'll be
here several nights" was the reply.
There's plenty of grub, lots of blan-
kets and in the barn you'll find hay
and grain for your horses"
my name is Sanders" said the
passenger brusquely as he pulled off
a big buffalo overcoat-"Wilbur F.
Sanders"
my name is Lee Mantle" replied
the youth at the ticking instrument.
Thus did two men, destined to be
United States senators for what was
later the state of Montana, meet for
the first time.
This high light in an absorbing
string of anecdotes was told me last
night at the Silver Bow club by Sena-
tor Lee Mantle, whom 1 found in one
of his delightful reminiscent moods.
1.-THE next day the storm increased
in violence" he continued and three
days later Sanders was still my guest.
I had no idea who he was, no ink
ling that he was one of the leaders
of the Vigilantes, the scourge and
terror of the lawless gangs that then
infested the territory. l could only
see that I had met man of enter
tanning and unusual talent. was
sorry when the blizzard abated and
he went on his way to the outside.
MANY time in later campaigns |
when we split on great national ques-
tions, he flayed me from the rostrum,
but I never resented it, for nobody |
who knew him could fail to fall un-
der the spell of his fascinating and
even dominating personality.
"a few days after he left l was
out along the trail on one of my sin
gular duties. I had the job of cut
ting willows and marking the course
of the stage road by sticking the will
lows in the deep snQ%. Without them
no driver could find his way from
one station to another. AS l was
hurrying home with my little jack
rabbit team and skeleton of sled
was overtaken by another stage .
with a man, his wife and small son
as passengers. The man was suf-
fering from rheumatism and, despite
my protest, he persisted in going
through that evening to the next sta ,
ton.
Late that night the stage-driver ;
afoot. He had run into a J
i0-foot snowbank, had burrowed a :.
1ugout for his passengers, another
Tor his horses and was looking for c
1elp. l hitched up my team and set :
put for the spot, easily described to :
me, for I knew every inch of the :
road. I found them safe and fairly !,
warm, but badly scared. The snow :
had drifted over their improvised =
shelter until it took some digging to T
get them out. :,
when we got back to the warmth q
If my shack and introductions were 9
n order, I found that my storm -
pound friends were T. C. Power, af- :
United States senator, and h
lis family. The boy was Charles B. q
Power, now one of Montana's pros n
porous and leading citizens" =
Among those who listened with :,
more than usual interest to the story
vas Capt. Lou Sanders, son of the =
ate Senator Sanders. He verified a a
tory 1 told of his father, which n
hough not new to many of the old p,
liners, is worth repeating. .,
Senator (then Colonel) Sanders a,
lad been nominated for congress in f.