Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1929-08-22

0hdrley Taylor S eOltOTldl III ASH cOlllOl
of the Producers News reminded us very much of what the
fellow said who sheared the hog-"There was plenty of
squeal, but not much wool"
He painted a picture of conditions in Sheridan county
that made Dante's Inferno seem like a refined summer resort
in comparison.
According to him everything was lovely in Sheridan
county until last fall wher, as a result OF a whispering cam
paign' Rodney Salisbury was defeated as sheriff and Hans
Madsen stepped into his place.
Eve are not exactly clear as to what Mr.. Taylor meant
by Whispering Campaign for if we are any judge of cam
paigns. it was a rather noisy one. Very likely he refers to the
alleged higher and more platonic relations" of the ex-sherif
outside Of his own family circle which was whispered and
even talked about then-and is now, for that matter)
But anyway-Mr. Taylor tells us that since Sheriff Mad
sen has taken charge, crime and corruption has tlourished
and grown fat. Every coulee in the county has its nest OF
stills, b~ootleggers chase up and down the alleys and are so
persistent in plying their wares that one has to be rude to
them. immortality has taken a dreadful turn for the worse.
The placid little community of Archer has become a brothel
and bids fair to become a second Reno, and the tired bust
ness men of Plentywood have forsaken their fresides and
loved ones to chase after fourteen year old girls.
1t was truly a terrible picture he painted, but like
Dante's Inferno, it was merely a flight of fancy and not bas-
ed upon real facts. When his whole TRADE was simmered
down the only thing he had to kick about was the fact that
and his deputies have been unable to find out who the party
was who ran down the child at Brush Lake last fourth Of
July.
Of course Mr.. Taylor was very brave when he mention
ed Mig Collins for at the time of writing, that certain indi-
vidual was out of town. 1t is hardly likely that he would
have dared to stir up "Nigs animosity had he been close at
hand.
AS to the case of the child being run over, Taylor hurls
maldictions upon the head of Undersherif Robert Smith for
not having been right at the scene of the tragedy and taken
the number of the drivers car. Has MIR. Taylor anything
to offer other than half-baked criticism, as to how to bring
the guilty party to justice?
Mr.. Taylor says that he has yet to hear a good word on
behalf Of the present sheriffs administration. That's a ter
ible criticism, ism it? Now would you really expect any,
one to come down to the Producers News office and tell Mr..
Taylor that he approved of Sheriff Madsen and his admins
tration9 One would Just a soon expect a man to go into a
pasture and wave a red flag in front of a bull. No doubt ne
has heard Sheriff Madsen cussed and discussed. Mr.. Taylor's
boolegger friends have had a lot to say about the sheriff and
it isn't complimentary. Mr.. Taylor's tin horn friends no
doubt have said a lot about the sheriff in his presence and it
hasnt been complimentary. Certain it is that MIR. Taylors
prostitute friends wouldn't say anything complimentary
about the sheriff. The trouble with Taylor is that he Judges
everything by his immediate surroundings. Like the muck
1aker OF the fable, he has been scratching around in filth and
muck so long that he can't look up and around and see the
decent things of life.
There is one cheerful thing about ninety-hve per cent of
what Taylor says and that is that it ISM so.
We repeat that there are some halfway decent people
living in this town, and drunkenness is not common in Plenty
wood. There are more kicks locally because the lid is on too
tight than because it isn't on tight enough.
What we fail to understand is why Taylor can coniure
up visions Of hords of bo~oleggers and truckloads of booze
now while his political clique is out of politics, but couldn
see a thing when Rodney was sheriff, although the booze
joints were running unmolestd right in the Producer News
back yard. - s,|
The present sherif's administration ISM fast enough to
catch cold he says, all because Mig Collins hasn't been run
out OF town and because the hit and run driver is still at
large.
We will say this for Rodney Salisbury when he was
sheriff. He sure split the wind when ever crimes were COM
mitted, in Sheridan county, but always in making tracks in
the opposite direction.
For instance:
Packey Russell held up the Stadig pool hall and made
away with $500. Rodney gave chase in his high powered
Car, while Packey hit out on foot and finally made his geta-
way in a patch of buckbrush about the size of a baseball da-
mond. Rodney nearly got pneumonia that time.
A vegetable merchant operating in the sample room of the
Grand View Hotel was robbed in broad day light, but Rod
ney was so busy getting mileage that he never got a clue to
the culprit. |,
Michael Kennedy was murdered in cold blood. Butt
Rodney was SO busy trying to get a fellow out Of Jail that had