Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1927-06-24
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~ and Murder We Most DESPERATE and Resurcelo If An lad Men, The MouncoB Bank Robbers uUU


dispute which eliminated in a grudge.
About this time two other Curry broth
ers arrived in the Little Rockies
Johnnie m Loney. Johnnie. it is said,
was naturally a bad man at heart. He
carried a gun for no other reason than
that he wanted to be considered a des-
perado.
A man by the name OF Winters oper-
ated a ranch in partnership With one
Gill. There also resided close by a man
and wife. Johnnie became interested In
this wife and she left her husband, the
latter disposing OF the ranch property to
Winters. The wife insisted that half OF
the ranch belonged to her and Johnnie
took up her quarrel, going so far as to
approach Winters and inform the ranch
err that he was going to drive him out OF
the country.
Death of Johnnie Curry
Winters prepared for trouble, for he
did not trust the Curry boys. One day
when he stepped from his cabin. he saw
Johnnie Curry approaching. Quietly he
secured his double-barreled shotgun and
stood 1t beside the door. Johnnie called
to him. Just as Winters opened the door,
Johnnie fired, the shot going wild This
gave Winters his opportunity. Picking
up his concealed weapon, he shot John
ME Curry through the heart.
Dad" Marsh says that Hank was the
brains of the Curry family and, with con-
siderable difficulty, he managed to keep
his brothers fairly within the bounds in
a country where it was very easy for the
devil in a man to assert itself. But.
shortly after the death of Johnnie, Hank
died. and Loney and the Kid simply
stepped from one trouble into another
during the remainder of their sojourn
in the Little Rockies.
Killing of Pix Landusky
On numerous occasions, the Kid, who
seemed the more aggressive of the twain.
found himself in the hands OF the law
which had Just begun to assert itself,
(one-time metropolis of Gne Little
Rockies). On n occasion after he had
committed some depreciation. he was
arrested, and the sheriff III him over
to his deputy who was none other than
the Kids old enemy-Pike Landusky.
Landusky, 1t is said, chained the Kid to
q log for safe keeping and abused him.
This aroused all the demons that had
been subdued in the Kids inner self, and
he sWore that he would get even with
Landusky. The Kid was taken to Fort
Benton for trial; M when he was re-
leased after paying a I'M which had
been imposed, he Immediately started
back toward Landusky, informing some
OF his friends that he was going at once
W cAddAC WAI any, q
at Landusky. the Kid n a very close
friend by the name Of Jim Thornhill,
made their way to Jew Jake's saloon.
was there.
II came here to thrash Pike Landusky."
said the Kid, handing his gun to Thorn
hill.
Walking up to where Pike was stand
ing, the Kid slapped him and in the
fight that followed Curry seemed to have
all the best of it. When Pike, who was
bleeding from the nose and mouth, in
timated hat he had enough, he pulled
a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe
off his face. Thornhill, evidently con-
STRUNG Pixies move as a draw" snapped
the gun into the Kids hand, Inc in an
a bullet had bored its way
through Landusky's forehead. This was
the Kids first killing, and is said to
have been the act which launched him
forth on his career as a real desperate.
twenty-five years ago." said Dad"
Marsh (speaRing In 1910; conditions
were much different than they are today.
We were on h border. There were
occasional brushes with Indians; the
squaw man was as common as he now
is scarce; we lived life in the raw II a
killed another and got away with
1t, he became a gunnan (unless he hap
pened to be possessed with plenty Of
good horse sense)."
AL LIE tlule Vi tlt ulQIQtI, pQbilC
opinion in and around the town Of
~Landusky justified the killing OF Pike. 1t
was known that he had abused the Kid.
Men were supposed to fight square; and
there WAS always a question as to what
was the real intent OF Pike when he
for his handkerchief. With the
majority, 1t was q tossup as to whether
intended to draw or not. He had
been pretty we'll beaten up and was I'M
in a "ktllinQ mood" So. but
few blamed the Kid for taking no
las they expressed it,.
Had he remained to face trial, young
Curry would undoubtedly have been
acquitted. Thornhill, who had handed
him the gun was arraigned as an Access
sorry and acquitted. In the course OF the
trial of Thornhill, Judge DuBoise told
the jury that If they did not bring In q
Of not guilty, the case would go
to a higher court and be thrown out, be-
cause the evidence showed thai Kid
Curry had killed Landusky in self de-
Conscience doth make
towards OF us ALL" VA
Kid Curry seemed to hold the law
court in horror. Ee felt, he said, that
1t was a pretty easy matter for justice
to go astray. So he elected to become
an outlaw and rode way into the wilds.
One step after another threw him into
n out and out career of banditry which
terrorized the northwestern
and southern states and gave many de-
~tecttves and sheriffs q real opportunity
to earn their salaries.
The Great Northern HOldup
One of the Kids most famous exploits
his road to fame In the field of
banditry was when, on July 3, 1901. he