Montana oil and mining journal., 1936-02-01

- EdAlh "a NcAytaAAAs
Two days before the fight arrive,
3 In Billings intent on locating there.
: had said goodbye to Minnesota, wher'
1 spent four years. had signed to pla,
|. basketball with team organized b.
9 Billings business men. The team wal
known as the Tribe BIS and for gi1
years enjoyed a national reputation
was to show up In October, but EOveC
! In several months ahead. I sought en-
5 ployment with the Billings Gazette
= admitting qualifications as printer
and reporter, but would take ON any
thing available. was offered q job IN
the circulation department, as q trav-
cling solicitor. My compensation was
, to be 50 a day and expenses. A solicit
ing crew was at Miles City, and I was
ordered to report TO the head man,
Don Hays, q brother Of Ethel Hays,
creator OF ''F1apper Fanny" whose
full page cartoons decorate the first
page Of the Sunday Standard naga-
zine section. The Gazette gave me q
railroad ticket TO Miles City, and of all
things-a bicycle. Besides working the
towns, was supposed to pedal the
country lanes and do ranch-to-ranch
solicitation job.
i I left Billings at midnight, arriving
/ In Miles City about 2 a. m, woke up
Hayes, Horace EaSton and another bird
named EShelman who were TO be my
partners in soliciting crime. We had
breakfast and my new friends told me
that Billy Morse and Jimmy Potts were
to fight the next night. As I was a
newspaper man (this was their first
venture In the game), they put it up
! to me TO get Annie Oakley's for the
/ four of US After breakfast, which was
the first item entered in the new ex-
pense book, we paraded down the street
| to Harris clothing store. introduced
my cohorts as members Of the Gazette
staff, reServtng my own introduction as
that of sports editor, position ac-
Qufred q lew years later. Our Miles
City visit was for the purpose of re-
porting the fight, or so we told harris.
Harris embraced us as bona fide
members of the Gazette news staff. He
| introduced us TO Billy TrembIay, the
promoter, who fell all over us in ex-
tending invitations to enjoy choice
Billy Morse. Later in the day / ran
across Jimmy Potts, an acquaintance
Of my Minnesota days before I had
abdicated to become a Montanan.
While in the Harris store was asked
to act as master of ceremonies when
the boys were to weigh in on the NOR
row. I recall performing this rite at
the time set when should have been
getting subscriptions.
Well, we saw the fight. wrote some
thing about 1t. Hays suggested that
better not send the story by wire col
lect as the Gazette editor would raise
Cain about the expense. The Gazette
had some circulation in Miles City, so
story was expected. AS wasn't going
to pay several bucks telegraph tolls out |
OF my own pocket, It was decided to |
mail the story, so we gave 1t a two
cent stamp ride. The story was never
printed. 1t may have arrived too late |
to be considered spot news; possibly it |
was poor piece of writing. When the |
story did not appear on the second. day
following the fight our crew thought |
It best to move on to another town |
TO avoid answering embarrassing queS-
tons that Tremblay and Harris might |
pot shot us with.
Glendive was our selected objective.
We bought our tickets and checked our
bicycles. It was county fair time at
Glendive and while there wasn't
boxing match to see there, a scheduled
wrestling bout would intrigue our in
tereSt, AS soon as we got off the train,
the sheriff OF Dawson county placed us
under arrest. Our embarrassment last
ed only a moment. The sheriff ex-
planned why we were detained. We had
walked out Of the Olive hotel at Miles
City instead of checking out.
Hays was supposed to have paid the
matter was Strengthened out imme-
diately. From the depot we moved
across the street TO the Jordan hotel.
but not before had sold a six-month
subscription to the sheriff.
During my stay In Miles City I ran
across several old friends. Joe Scanlan,
publisher of the Star, had located there
some months before. Joe had worked
on the editorial and business Staffs of |
the Grand Forks Herald when / was
setting type at the Times, the opposi-
ton sheet. Joe paid more attention then
to running a newspapr than he did to |
manipulating the destinies of the re-
publican party in Montana, a job he
now enjoys, though 1t isn't so hot to /
be national committeeman of a party
when your party is on the outside
trying to look in.
The late Judge Billy WEIGH another
friend, was conducting an employment
office and serving as justice OF the
peace as a contribution to society and
his pocketbook. The judge at one time
was proprietor to the opposite of a |
dry goods store in Minnesota town.
wnere We both had resided before we
became Montana conscious.
Miles City interested me- Fort Keoph
was a busy place. There was a horse
sale going on that lasted several days.
Automobiles were few. but all parking
cupied by COW ponies, while COWBOYS
arrayed in Stetson hats, chaps, gay COL
ored shirts and scarfS intent on work
and play paraded in and out of the
dry and wet goods stores. Miles Citv
spelled West to me.
When at Billings was ordered To
go to Miles City and had to take a
bicycle with me, wasn't keen o.; the
assignment. Several weeks before. en-
route to Seattle from Minnesota tol
see the A. Y. P. exposition, awakened
early one morning as the train stoned
From my side Of the sleeper all I Could
see was cOrralls, and an occasional
house. was told oy the porter that
we we're at Miles City Imagine nv sir
prise when arrived several weeks later
ON my Gazette Job, to find instead of
jumping-od place, a city of 1000
busy, colorful town. My precious peeu
at the town was from the wrong side
OF the tracks
AS I said before, it was a fair fight