Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1931-09-03
William j. Bryan Was ON a
Fishing "Trip Inn Montana
When He Was Nominated

cut off from. telephone communica-
tons.
Meadowbrook Inn, where he arrived
at midnight, was still more inaccessible.
AT 8 O'Clock the next morning Bryan
and his party had breakfast and an
hour later they were out on the placid
waters Of the little lake formed in
the Madison river above the lower
dam at Manchester. All that morning
Bryan forgot the outside world and
angled for trout. The young women
OF the party took turns as his guests.
in the boat. BY II o'clock he had a
big string of fine mountain trout.
And still a nation waited to hear
what he planned to do.
A few minutes after II, a messenger
who had been sent by James Bole,
editor of the Bozeman Chronicle, ar
rived at Meadowbrook Inn with a mes
sage to Stevens. 1t told of the nomi-
nation of Bryan and the messenger
also brought more than 100 kilograms
that had been sent to the Bozeman
Chronicle asking for Bryan,s decision.
Stevens attempted to get the atten-
ton of Bryan. The latter was up near
the head of the little lake. Just as
the shouts reached Bryan, he had
hauled in the biggest trout of the
morning. He thought he was being
congratulated on the catch and he
waved back a CHEEKY answer.
A little later he was reached and
told that he was wanted on shore. As
he stepped from the boat in his fish
ing outfit on to the sandy beach, Moore
and Stevens greeted him.
I'VE have a very important message
for you, Mr.. Bryan" said Stevens. 1T
is my great pleasure to inform you
that you have been nominated for the
presidency for the fourth time by q
convention of your fellow citizens in
your home town of Lincoln, Nebraska.
I sat on the floor of the convention in
the old coliseum in Chicago "a years,
ago when you were nominated for the
presidency the first time, but I never
expected then that it would be up to
me to act as your notification COM
mittee nearly a quarter Of a century
later"
The Bryan smile greeted the news.
This is SO sudden and SO unexpected"
said Bryan. II am quite overcome.
I suppose I should be used to it by
this time"
The kilograms were delivered and
Bryan agreed to think 1t over and give
his answer after reading the kilograms
and considering the situation. On the
ride to Norris, Bryan decided that he
would not make the race. At Norris
the telegraph operator stated the wires
were still out Of commission, but he
took q message to get through later.
The entire party then kept IN to Boze-
man, which was reached about six
O'Clock. The effort to locate the miss
ing Bryan was still on. A Thousand
kilograms were handed to him. Urgent
requests for him to answer long dis
| lance calls from New York, Chicago,
Washington, San Francisco and other
/, points we're waiting. Three minutes
after they arrived in Bozeman, the As
I, ISOLATED Press was sending his decfina-
: ton over the wires to its great net
} work Of papers.
, Montana is dear to me" said Bryan
THE people Of this state were my
t friends when I needed them. I would
! rather spend the summer fishing ir
its wonderful mountain streams ano
lakes with my Montana friends thar
: to run again for the presidency of the
: United States"
The memories Of that morning or
e the Madison fingered with him unit
that night that he crossed the Great
9 Divide. His visit is still recalled BY
t the thousands Of Montana people who
heard him in Pony, in Ennis, in Boze.
man and other points on those Jul.
: days in 1920.