Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1929-01-17

Another of the few surviving from
tiersmen OF western Montana died. with
the passing of Henry F. Henkey, better
Known to old timers by his nickname
of Joe Butch"
Butch" was born in Germany about
80 years ago and came to the United
States as a young boy. He enlisted in
the Union army n in about the first
engagement he served In was captured
by the ConfederateS, going to Libby
prison and later to Salisbury. N. G. After
he was exchanged and later DISCHARGED
from the army, he wandered from Ohio
down river as far as New Orleans, eventu-
ally taking passage on the steamboat,
Laura May. at ST. Louis, for the upper
Missouri. After entering the Indian coun-
try, the Laura May travelled in company
with the Columbia. another boat, for
mutual protection.
When wooding up, the passengers were
given Springfield rifles from the arms
rack in the forward end OF n saloon
and stood guard while the deck hands
and roustabouts rustled the wood: AT
Fort Peck, where he landed In 1853, he
hired out to Abel Farwell Of the old trad
ing firm of Durfee g. Peck. Early day
whites mostly called bourgeois "busha-
way"
For several years Butch" was in the
most dangerous part OF the whole Sioux
country, and knew all the historical char
acters of that day and region, n OF the
last of whom has Just died. Yellowstone
Kelly. Infrequent mails used to come up
river on the boats until 1869, after which
they were routed west via San Francisco,
Butch" used to say.
Indian Is Ousted
Butch" said that after the Mussel-
shell fight in 1869, Hairy Bear, chief OF
the wal party that jumped the post at
the mouth of the Musselshell n was
almost exterminated by the whites, at
which time Liver Eating johnson got
his name, and Jennie Smith, whom
George Bird Grinnell called the lady OF
watery fame" vas scalped, this Sioux
Hairy Bear, was discredited by his people
and run out. He n his squaW went tc
Fort Peck and after the woman had made
camp he came into the post and said TIC
Farwell.
yellow Hair, we went up the river tc
| clean that post and they killed most
of us. The other Sioux say 1 STOOD III
with the whites and they lave driven us
out. I want to stay with you" To which
FarWell consented N Hairy Bear stayeo
around Fort Peck. Later, after WORKING
around various posts, at the Pouchett<
and along MILK river as far west as ole
Fort Belknap, Butch drifted into the
capital of up river country, Fort Benton
from which center he operated Tor many
years.
Caught With
In the Whoop-Up country he was with
one of the first whisky trading outfits
held up by the mounted police on Willow
creek Just north of Fort Mcleod. He sale
the late Col. James Stanford OF Grea'
Falls was one of the buck policemen
Their trade was seized and what was lef'
OF their whisky was poured on thu
ground, that country being dry then
Colonel Macleod Inc them heavily an
they got the money from Charley Con
rad to make atonement to the offendet
that region, he decided to take a tril
law. With some rough adventurers II
west.
In 1874, they left Horse Plains ant
came on to Camas Prairie, where the.
noticed many hive lii ovens and Wer'
told that the Indians had gone t.
(hunt) buffalo," and had left thei
camas roots in the ovens.
Jack Demers put them on an IndiaI
trail which eventually took them up thu
North fork of the Flathead, over thu
K%isheneen to the summit and down t.
st. Mary's lake. They at no time say
Flathead lake and must have went vi
the Little Bitter Root n down Smiti
valley to the Upper Flathead. Returning
O Fort Benton, he engaged in the butche
business, hunted for hides In the judith
basin, ~prospected around Yogo ant
ranched on the Upper Shonkin. Thel
he located on st. Mary's lake at the ZOO
of it in 1890 and lived there for 80 years
He went to Kalispell. where he lived unit
about three months ago, when he re
turned to Babb for a short stay. There
after an attack OF flu, his heart weak
ened and he died,