Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1931-03-19

daredevil. Little Mack" as he was
called, was a man to whom routine
was irksome. Carrying the mail was
good sport for him only when the In
dams were making things so lively it
couldn't be carried. AS soon as they
quoted down SO the mail could go
through, Little Mack forgot all about
delivering it and went wolfing.
The late G. w. Cook complained of
Little Mack's instability as a miner at
Diamond City. He was always on the
go. He led the soldiers down into the
Judith basin when Camp Lewis wa
established in 1874; and Mcdonald
creek, east of LewistoWn, was named
for him. Later he went into the stock
business in the upper Musselshell, but
accomplished little at that. He was at
Smith Brothers ranch, now the Inger-
soil property, for a time, and w. w.
Flat knew and liked him, and speaks
OF him with a twinkle of amusement.
1t was not until Little Mack became a
world traveller and newspaper man that
he found his job. Mrs. John Potter of
White Sulphur Springs knew him well
and states that her family often heard
from him, even after 1900. To her
knowledge he made seven separate
trips around the world while working
as a news writer, and sent many pres
ents to Mr.. and Mrs. Potter from the
out-of-the-Way places he visited. But
in 1867 he was busy fighting Indians
and eXasperating the man who hired
him, A. E. Bradbury, with his disregard
Of all responsibility.
The pony express contract was let
in the spring and by fall Indian depre-
dations were making banner headlines
in the Territorial press. On Oct. %,
two riders in the vicinity of Black
Butte, two days out from Fort Hawley,
saw coming toward them with great
speed rs Sioux Indians, their horses
all in a foam. The riders were aware
that the Indians were a war party, but
did not suppose they had any hostile
intentions toward themselves, as they
recognized some Of the Indians they
had seen around the fort. When the
Indians held up their hands for them
to stop, they paid no attention to them
~ JO66Io ctlOiiSs 4iAC WAAlbID WHY Oii
jaded horses, SO the Indians had nc
difficulty in ~overtaking and surround
ing them, and compelled them to dis
mount. The robbed them of every
thing but their clothing, then held a
long council as to whether they should
kill them. 1t was decided to let the
riders go, but they were warned, by
significant gestures, that if they ven
tured this way again their hair would
be lifted.
The riders had two horses, provisions
and four sacks of mail. Their saddles,
one gun and horses were returned TO
them-one of the latter, a grey animal,
having been striped with red, Indian
fashion. The Indians demanded the
keys to the sacks, which of course the
riders did not have; SO the savages cut
the letter sacks open, tossing the let
tiers into the wind. They ripped open
a few packages, but found little to in
terest them except some colored silk.
The Indians then left the whites and
the two men, without a pound Of pro-
visions, started on to Fort HOWE. 1t
took them three days to reach it, and
they arrived exhausted, having been
without food for that period.
Fort HOWE was situated west of the
mouth Of Spring creek, opposite the
old Hall ranch. The fort was named
for the intrepid Neil HOWE. 1t guarded
the pass from the Musselshell TO the
Smith river valley and commanded the
crossing from Pig-Eye basin to the
Musselshell. Nothing remains Of 1t but
a few stones that the casual observer