Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1935-11-02


pert veterinarians, for the cooperation
OF railroad officials Grant Smith was
nonplussed. The horses, when he pur-
chased them back In Washington. had
all seemed strong and well. The rail-
road officials came and the veterina-
r1ans, and the latter diagnosed the mys-
FERROUS ailnent as strychnine poison
ing. That pointed TO foul play some
where along the line. Hour after hour
during the six days Of idle. helpless
waiting, Mr.. Smith watched the profits
Of his investment slowly vanish. Then
stomach analysis solved the mystery.
There had been rust in the water and
1t had reacted upon the horses like
strychnine poisoning and the fatalities
increased.
Finally Grant Smith was given per-
mission to continue his journey with
the remnant Of his band, most Of them
sick. He planned another stop-off at
Cut Bank for the rest they sorely need
ed and for nourishing food and clear
water But It CHANGED, in this drama
OF errors, that q wreck ahead, near
Cut Bank, held them IA hours. And so,
at length, the train load Of wild, hum
cry, thirsty, weakened horses was back
ed to Galaddi Galaddf was q ghost
town and MIR. Smith recalls that there
were only two humans there, a man
and his wife, and that there was an
abundance Of water, but no hay. The
horses could not go on without food and
water. He unloaded them but to keep
them corTaled without hay was equally
impossible. There was only one thing
to do-put them out on the range, ana
that meant herding them. And out of
the whole band Grant Smith had only
one saddle horse left.
The man at Galaddi suggested solu-
ton to the problem. There was sheep
camp, he said, about 10 miles away, |
and there was q chance Smith might |
get the loan Of saddle horse there.
Grant Smith took that chance. He had |
to. He rode out to the sheep camp, 4
and, he says, he found the sheep man
"crabby." He was having troubles of
his own. A recent storm had scattered
his sheep and he needed every man
and every horse TO round them up.
However, he eventually consented, sl-
though with obvious reluctance, to lend
Smith one saddle horse. And 50, for
day, the gaunt band was put on grass
already nIbbled close by sheep, to crop
what meagre nourighment they could.
Herding them was no difficult task
for sickness and hunger had success
fully quieted their wild spirits. The
creatures were unanimously intent up
on one airn-acquiring food 70 fiji
empty stonnachs. When night came and
Mr.. Smith began rounding them up tol
drive back TO the Sbockyard corral at
Galaddi he found that somehow 10 OF
them had managed to get mired IN
yumbo along Willow creek. And there
hey wallowed, too weak TO extricate
themselves Mr.. Smith expected q train
49, S49r
precious. He and his herder worked
'rantically, trying to get the horses out
If the alkali nlire, but their efforts were
ruthless To him 1t seemed there was
nothing to do but 60 on and leave them
20 their fate. He rode on ways but
he memory OF the terror In their SUI
ering eyes haunted him until ne
couldn't bear it. So he returned, took
nut his pocket knife-and this, he says,
ook ali the nerve he had-and cut
heir Threats, one after the other,
While they looked up at him with plead
ng eyes.
The poor remnant Of his band he
lrove into the corral ali ready for the
rain ant that niqht IL didn't come.
1or the next morning He received dis
patches informing him that train was
n the way There was unavoidable de-
avs. Every hour he thought that by
he next it would surely arrive. And
o he dared not turn the horses out 70
rass again. For two days, ne says,
here st the ghost town OF Galaddi. ne
moked, and walked the track, UP ana
Town, and watched and waited. AND
or those two days, the horses were
.ept In the corral without food. An
time for man VINO loved
lorses and was helpless 70 do anything
nat watch their torment. Even now
8 he tells the story, his face Is grim.
BY night Of the second day a train
I'D roll in and the lean fragment nf ms
and Of 1000 horses was loaded ana
AIKEN to Havre, where there was an
b1ndance OF feed and water, and from
mere. On through Miles City TO Chi
ago, the trip was pleasantly unevent-
III, At Havre, Grant Smiths story
nds. he concludes with chuckle:
II think I hold the record for having
lore horses die enruute than any other
lan IN the west
His loss In profit must have been
considerable. or that the old pioneer
orsenan hiss little 20 say. That was
asst one OF the things every catsleman
I the west had 70 face nov ax1o then
ust one 0K the experiences woven INTO
be intricate pattern OF the cattle IN
ustrv that has evolved into smooth
Fficseney. Bus back az the laughter. aa
rant Smith tells his story EhsSp g
;ill. after 81 years. vivid memory @K
ng days az stark kKansavs klaa pro