Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1936-01-11
Rr cHARrEs w. HuTToN

BY CHARLES w. HUTTON
In the early days Of Fort Benton. .
river town ON the upper missouri IA
northern Montana, there nveo an e.
DERBY person by the name OF NOSE
COldstein Of whom It had often been
said hv his townspeople that he was
worthy Of veneration only by reason OF
his advanced age, his gray hair, ano
fire Astounding mass of his white beard
ant IL can be said Of Nose that, in
spite Of his age and these personal as
pects, he claimed for himself no ador-
Ing respect whatsoever.
He reminded one Of Bible pictures
one may have seen Of any patriarch
who existed in the antediluvian period
Of Scriptural history. Moreover, Nose
was named $50 he claimed Tor the
urophet and lawgiver, but ne never
rendered in solemn thought over this
fact. for he had no vehement desire
for glory. or anything else that did not
lend or tend to immediate gain SO,
the time for which he lasted as q resi-
dent in this small river town. Nose
fI1nctioned as a dealer in pelts and
f1rs. and his dealings with rappers
who sold to him their seasons catch,
proved him person OF sophisticated
shrewdness.
His business prospered. So much Y
was yielding him Of gains that ne Ieit
the urgent want Of assistance. so IN
letters to his nephew in st LOUIS, ne
begged the young man to come out
and biIv flrs for him from trapperS
and Indians of the outlying frontier.
ssTheu. too" said Nose to himself as
he posted the letter, there Is young
Rachel SmytheStein. and she her fatn-
erss only child. Maybe she and my
nanE,ew Samuel !" In mind ana
bo6v there was with him the readiness
for action In any scheme, be It an IDLE,
or q remuneratiye one, and IN the
event of 8 love affair between THESE
two young people, he hoped to gam
MANY an undeserved favor from the
big shipping merchant, should they De
come united.
Arrived by Boat
He canne-that. the nephew-and the
townspeopie's curiosity was nightly ex-
cited at seeing a young man Win
countenance so handsome, smile SO
engaging. and who, with undisguised
plainness OF speech, announced him
self the nephew Of Nose Goldstein.
The broken tones of q steam whistle,
and the chugging Of the SIDE wheels
Of an upstream river boat heralded
30 the habitually inquisitive (Which IN
CtUUEU EHEIH UC4AALC4 VI e4AS VIVA ~
cent one poor, embittered old SquaW
who had that morning been beaten
soundly by her husband) that steam
boat. after having assembled over 1000
miles I'D a tortuous stream, buffeJed an
ever swift-rolling current, overtoppeo
here and there the formidable rapids,
and veered aside Of many an opposing
sand bar, was now within hailing dis
lance to the frontier river landing, at
which place 1t was to be relieved OF It's
freight and passengers. There was a
rush of people from streets, from doors
of dwellings,, stores, bachelors cabins.
saloons, dance halls and gambling dens
60 the rivers pier below where people
In various conditions of life were min
Cling in confusion, and stirring about
like pieces Of floating wreckage driven
together by breeze or current.
There were bullwhackers and mule
SINNERS who were to receive the boats
merchandise to be freighted by their
teams to the various inland towns
there were merchants and traders,
confidence men, Indians and soldiers
bankers and squaw men, gamblers and
children and dogs.
There were women who we're respect
ed and protected by the rigid customs
Of the country, and women, who, by
reason Of their unhappy lot, were de-
MED the decorum of behavior enjoyed
by their more fortunate sisters.
And now the crowd cheered: women
waved their handkerchiefs; strangers
greeted strangers; children leaped high
and free from the plank floor; dogs
fought, floundered about and rolled
into the river and many other dogs
that we're bystanderS were kicked IN
after them.
The Rachel S
What force or power moved these
people to demonstrate so freely the
exhilaration Of their spirits? 1t was
the month of May and the river was In
its first annual flood, and the steamer
now lying close TO the wharf was the
Rachel S-a boat recently constructed
and owned by the shipping merchant,
MIR. Smythestein, who named it after
his daughter.
So the townspeople were now collect
ed and pressed together upon the
landing, joyfully anticipating the pleas
ITe of meeting with new faces-Strang-
ers who were to be Immediately en-
treated by local residents to become
their guests, TO be entertained with
oAd-fashioned, western nberality, and
that without reward
Make way for the boats pasSen-
gersl" shouted one of the crew. A lane
was cleared and Immediately men,
women and children were escorted to
the wharf, where they at once min
gled with the crowd.
A gambler person Of the hang