The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1925-11-06

1850 e@1 $500 AANaAA
covered with her gun. The man
oodged behind his counter, as his
hands, and the hands of those about
hlm, went up.
Jane glanced quickly about, threw
the sack over her shoulders and
packed out Of the store. Once out
side, she dashed toward her small
pox cabin in the distant hills. The
groceryman was about to give chase
but was prevailed upon by his neigh
bOrs to refrain.
Calamity Jane" they said, twas
in action and dangerous"
James reputation as a deadshOt
brought her many unusual commits
s1Ons. In 1875 she met "Wild Bill'
Hlckock at Fort Laramie and carried
one of the most dangerous Pony Ex-
press routes, a route over which
many daring men had been robbed
and shot.
Gangs Of bandits infested that re-
gion, a wild road between Custer and
DeadwoOd. In this case, as well as
in others, Calamity's reputation at
a deadshOt saved her from attacks
by robbers, and the mails went
through safely and promptly.
Indians fell before James unerr-
ing fire as serpents crossing her
path. Once in the spring of II, she
saved the lives of six passengers on
a stagecoach after it had been at
tackled by redskins. The wagon was
rambling along from DeadWOod to
Wild Birch, after the driver had been
killed by Indians, when Calamity
sighted it. Her own account of the
adventure follows:
Zone morning I saddled my horse
and rode toward Crook City. 1 had
gone about IL miles from DeadwOOd,
at the mouth Of WhitewOOd creek,
when I met the Overland mail run
ming from Cheyenne to DeadwOod.
The horses were on the run and were
about 200 yards from the station.
upon looking closely I saw that
they we're pursued by Indians. The
horses a to the barn, as was their
custom, and as they stopped I rode
alongside the coach and found the
driver, Johnny Slaughter, lying face
down on the boot Of the stage.
HE had been shot by Indians.
When the stage got to the station the
Indians hid in the bushes. I removed
all the baggage from the coach ex-
cept the mail. Then I took the driv-
er's seat and with all speed drove
to DeadwoOd carrying six passengers
: and the dead driver"
At another time she was out riding
with "Buckskin" Frank, otherwise
known as Antelope" Frank, a fam.
Gus western character, when the two
suddenly found themselves surround
e ed by Indians. The pair rode for it.,
but Buckskin Frank let his horse
8 8 fall into a ditch where the ANNA
F broke its foreleg.
e ride for your life," said Buck
e skin, II can take care Of myself"
Damned if I will, Buck" replied
Calamity, 'I stay right here witt
v you and we'll see how many Of thes
redskins we can drop"
They opened fire on the band an
were able to battle them to a retrea
with a loss of five of their number
Jane having done a gOOdly share o
the killing.
= Product Of Her Time
N While brave and kind, her mora
q side left much that was to be desired
If Calamity Jane was to a certain e1
N tent a social Outcast it was not en-
a tirely her fault. AS one of the Cl
ID western ballads so admirably state
IN the philosophy Of the day:
1t hear there's to be a grand round-u
Where cowboys with others mus
stand,
To be cut by the riders of Judgmen
IN Who are posted and know ever
d brand.
The trail to the great mystic regio
he Is narrow and dim, so they say,
If While the n that leads to perditio
Is posted and blazed all the way.
gs
he Whose fault is it, then, that so mar
Go astray, on this wild range the
fail,
er Who might have been rich and ha
plenty
ea Had they known Of that dim, mario
If trail.
So it was with Calamity. She vi
Ala product of her time.
ID In her intimate life it is know
0y that she was legally married at lea
three times and that sOme childr'
were sent to an O~rphanage. Whe
m ever she married it was said Of h
husband that he had welded "calaI
M ity" for sure, and such seems to ha'
by been the case, for any pe~acefulne
,he in her marital life is not discOve
--Ss11 able.
ing In her last years Calamity ia.
was compelled to request admissiu
ID to the pOOrhOuse in Gallatin count
tes For a considerable time she su
ported herself by selling a handbOI
rT- Of her eventful life; and on the
~ trips she was exhibited here a.
is there. She was variOEsly referred
nd as a highway woman" a "thrt
~ card monte sharp" and a "ministe
the daughter" Jane said that the
.m- statements were all false, althOu
the last is authentic.
With the passing Of gre
border characters, Calamity Jane {
the serves a place among the best.
her death, August 2, 1903, she bC
the~scars OF q dozen bullets from
nay dians and highWaymen, but she k,
"a hnw ufrr-A mDrewn ga and her ma