Red Lodge daily news combined with Carbon County news., 1934-11-07
Jim VIRTUE, 83,
RED LODGE OLD
Timer, IS DEAD
Character of Old West Is
Victim of Old Age,
Paralysis

Another of the discriminating
living connections with the old
west and frontier days was served
here Thursday when James A Vir-
tue, cowboy, stage driver, freigh-
ter and cattlemen, died at the
home of his step-daughter, Mrs.
Alice Dake, following a lingering
illness.
An early-day character of Mon
tana and Wyoming frontier towns,
Jim Virtue, as he was Familiarity
known, was perhaps the most wide
ly acquainted oldtimer in this Sec
ton. Death claimed him at the
age Of 83 years and the sturdiness
and ruggedness of the old western
frontier that was part of him,
bore him up to his last hours.
For the past several years Mr..
Virtue had suffered internationally
with a paralytic condition, but I'M
til recent months had always been
active and able to get about, at
tending to affairs at his ranch
west of the city. Mrs. Dake had
cared for him during his last i'll
ness which, complicated by his adj
vanced age, claimed him at GAS p.
m. Thursday.
Born James Albert Virtue at
New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, in
August, 1851, the lure of the west
ern frontier attracted young Vir-
tue at an early age. He worked
his way westward by performing
numerous odd tasks of that day.
One of these was the extension of
the tracks of the Northern Paci-
fic railroad westward and Jim Vir-
tue aided in this construction.
When the tracks approached
Billings, Virtue left the railroad
building to settle in the Yellow
stone country. He soon became a
widely-known character of the
early frontier towns, both in Mon
tana and Wyoming territories. He
worked as a cowhand and later aid
ed in the building Of the Rocky
Fork railroad line between Bill
lings and Red Lodge.
Coming to the Red Lodge region
to settle permanently about so
years ago, Virtues faculty for
making friends and keeping them
soon made him a widely-acquaint-
ed character of the early coal
camp. He acquired a horse herd
throughout his early years and
slowly built this up to one of the
largest of its kind in eastern Mon
tana and northern Wyoming. He
built one. of the city's first livery
stables and operated the old stage
and freight line between this city
and M~eeteetse, Wyo. 1t was dur
ing these years that he became ac-
quainted and a friend of Col. Will
liam F. buffalo Bill Cody, who,
at m time, was in his employ as
a stage driver.
One of the early stages used by
Mr.. Virtue on his line is now To-
Gated at the Virtue ranch west of
here. 1t was often used in the an
nual rodeo celebration on the
Fourth of July and Mr.. Virtue was
sentimentally attached to it, re-
fusing numerous offers to sell it.
Funeral services were conduct
ed Sunday afternoon at 2 o'clock
at the Red Lodge Methodist pis-
copal church. The Rev. H. w.
Woods, pastor, officiated and in
torment was in the Red Lodge
cemetery.
Pallbearers were Charles Bowl
en-, Fred Alden, Lou Tunnicliff,
Dominic Marine Sr., Ed Olcott and
Dominic Castellano.
During the services, a trio, ac-
companied by the Misses Helen
and Margaret Simmons at the or
gan, sang Jesus Savior Pilot Me"
and "Abide With Me-.
Besides his stepdaughter, Mrs.
Dake, of this city, Mr.. Virtue
leaves a son, Fred Virtue, and two
granddaughter in California; an
estranged wife, residing in Lin
coin, Neb.; and a sister, Mrs. Geo.
Knowles, wife of a missionary min
lister in Honolulu, Hawaii, and a
niece, also residing there.