Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1930-10-16

tiiCiA ullOSA NOlloll uCtlOll, din lC 4ldI
started overland for the mines at
Maiden, looking for work. Afterward
sitting around in the bunkhouse with
the men on the ranch, he was asked
about the news of the outside world,
The nearest post Office was at Olden,
at the David Frat ranch, where a stage
stopped and strangers were expected
to be the purveyor OF news.
Have you heard of the great prize
flght?" The coWhands hadn't. In fact,
most of them had a rather hazy idea
of what a prize fight was like.
Another Yankee, Sullivan, has come
to the front" the narrator continued
and then he related the incidents of
the Sullivan-Kilrain battle, one of the
early day arena classics, in great de-
tail.
Then Sullivan hit him in the neck
and shut his puff off," the chronicler
climaxed his tale. The expression shut
his puff off" struck Collins funny-bone
and he fell out of his chair in a fit
of laughter, while the rest of the coW-
boys rOared. Their visitor looked as
If he thought he had fallen in with a
bunch of lunatics. The next day some
of the boys took the lad over to Fish
creek where some men were trapping
and headed him for the Snowy noun
tains. For months afterward I'll shut
your puff off" was a genial expression
among the cowboys.
At one time Murphy had a relative,
a pensioner, who looked after the sup
plies at the Seventy-Nine ranch. 1t
has been reported that he was quite
stingy in dealing out supplies to the
men, He had a wagon OF his own
during the roundups in which he kept
canned goods for his own use. The
boys, OF course, resented his ways and
found means Of getting even by pilfer-
ing some of his special treats when the
opportunity presented itself. One time
after the men had been paid off in
the fall, a severe snow storm came
up, and they fingered around waiting
for the weather to clear up. AS they
showed no signs Of starting, the old
man became more and more fidgety
and finally exclaimed, IF I was going
somewhere, I wouldn't let a little storm
stop me-" This also became quite a
by-word on the ranch.
David Fratt was one Of the early
Musselshell cattlemen. He was a mem
Der in the cary days of the firm Of
Montgomery, Suddith and Frat, who
owned the Horseshoe Bar outfit al
Oden's place, nov Cushman. Frat was
opposed to the railroad and the influ,
OF settlers. He had also taken a very
active part in the state stockmen's as
ISOLATION in the prosecution of cattle
thieves.
Early in Roosevelt's administration
Frat, Murphy, and other prominent
cattlemen were arrested for illega
fencing. They were taken to Helena
and were sentenced to serve "a hours
in Jail and pay a fine of $500. A we'll
known man, whom Frat and his fellow
stockmen had tried several times un-
successfully to convict on cattle steal.
ing charges, met Fratt at Miles City
while he was attending a stockmen's
convention soon afterward. Putting
his fingers before his face to convey
the meaning OF looking through the
bars, he said, We'll, Dave, 1 see that
they got you first"
Bob Nix, who had been a cowmar
in Wyoming, but who was then run.
ming a saloon in Billings, and XII
Parkerson, who had worked for Fratt
sent him a telegram, I'VE are sending
you some horse-hair to make bride.
with. We will be glad to rattle then
of for you," referring to a custom o.
friends OF convictS. Frat was SO cha
grined that he went to Milwaukee anc
stayed there some time before ventur-
ing back among friends.
MI. Drums first venture as an in
dependent stOckman was in the sheer
business in the fall Of 1883, when hi
went into partnership with Charles
Barney in the sheep business. They
established a ranch at the head of the
Big Coulee, some miles above the Sew
enty-Nine. There they put up hay
erected cabins and fixed up their ranch
Drum had sufficient capital to buy 900
head OF sheep, which he purchased anc
drove over from Swamp creek above
Big Timber.
Barney Was financed sufficiently BY
Jim Snail, a prominent cattleman, who
was ~venturing like many others intf
the sheep business, to purchase l,l0(