The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1936-08-07
By Glendolin Damon Wagner
uthor NJ ss0Id Neutriment."

vast plains ana OtneTS 70 WuOW
fate had been not too KIND VINO
crayed only the mercy of forget
fulneSS.
There was one old rough-clad from
tiersman who lived and died myS.
~teriously. At his death, he was found
to have possessed nal trunks packed
with richly bound classics He had, at
one time, been a professor In HarVard:
The story is told of an old miner stu
Intoxicated, who, when he speaks at al,
speaks the most perfect and beautiful
English. Fifty years ago, In New
York state, he was in love with q beau
tiful and talented girl who preferred 2
career to domestic happiness. She went
to Europe, studied voice culture and
became one of Americas great singers;
drowned himself in forgetfulness and
drink. Among all these types there were
certain to be many oddities, folks who
played out their pygmy dreams with
an artistic balance OF comedy ana
tragedy.
Among these last were Mr. and Mrs.
Dennis Mitten, who, in the late sew:
Gate a few miles below Drummond,
near New Chicago, which Is now little
more than a small graveyard, and with
Bear Gulch their nearest marketing
center. It is important, in view OF the
comedy which led to stark tragedy, to
keep in mind that both Mr.. and Mrs.
Mitten were portly people, each about
six feet tall and weighing, in their
prime, $50 pounds. The fact that Mrs.
Mitten was an aunt of Tommy McTague
who, in about 1873 and 1879 was guard
of the p~enitentiary at Deer Lodge and
later became warden, has some bearing
upon u story.
In the early days, Willis Spear tells
us, Bear Gulch had no wagon road
we're obliged to take their produce to
market by pack horse. Mr.. Spear, now
a prominent Montana rancher, lived In
the gulch at that time with his parents.
Although only a small boy then he
well remembers their neighbor, Tommy
McTague, and also the Mittens. He can
Mrs. Mitten on her putting horse rid
ing up the canyon to Bear Gulch with
her butter and eggs, usually Flooding
soberly along toward town, but ~
evitably returning homeward In the
gayest of spirits with a few groceries
and a plentiful supply of whisky.
There was enough excitement in those
days. Mr. Spear says. to satisfy the
no one event so stirred the entire COM
munity as a funeral. Most of the ranch
ers kept their saddle horses down in
the gulch at the Lanning ranch. When
any one died they all sent for their
horses, placed the corpse on a. mule
and, with it heading the funeral pro-
cession, wendell their way to New Chi
at that time, was made up chiefly OF
Irish miners and so, naturally, 9 burial
was followed by a wake, at which event
Mr.. and Mrs. Dennis Mitten usually
took leading parts.
It CHANGED that about this time, in
1877, the Nez Perez Indians had been
driven out of Oregon and came drift
Root valley. There were only three mil.
itary forts in Montana territory at
that time and the people, SO made:
quately protected, were justly alarmed
by this intrusion Of the bitterly IN
censed Indians or the war path. And so
the government FASTENED to issue q
supply Of needle guns to every pest
ten, who had heard rumorS OF n
Redman's menace, came jogging down
through the canyon with laden pack
horse to do her weekly trading at Bear
Gulch. Having exchanged butter and
eggs for groceries and having
several drinks from her whisky bottle
she went to the postoffice and made
remembers the ludicrouS picture OF h
large woman marching solemnly up
and down Bear Gulch's one street, gun
over her shoulder, wheeling, saluting,
going through every known military
maneuver. At regular intervals h
Fire!" And then, obeying her own
command, she would drop on n knee,
aim carefully and fire at the flags
adjoining the StOckade fort.
Finally, urged by hunger, instinct,
or possibly by a vaguely troubled house,
wifeIy conscience, she went home. At
the ranch she found a pardonab!y lrate
spouse who had been left with all
the chores to do n supper TO ge!.
He demanded to know why she had
3 gun. ITO kill Indians with, of course"
she explained, heatedly. You couldn't
kill an Indian" he scoffed. Nov, If
wa an Indian, what would you do
this minute?" IT'D do this" she said,
and aimed and fired.
The bullet went through Dennis
right ARM, grazed its way across his
arm. The loving wife was frightened
and deeply penitent. No woman could
have proved herself q more devoted
or tender nurse than Mrs. Mitten dur
ing the weeks that followed while
Dennis was slowly creeping back to
health. And Dennis, Of course, har-
bored no i'll will. It was just one of
those things. The two understood each
other whole heartedly.
In 1880 the Northern Pacific started
grading q right of way through that
part Of Montana and brought many
1aborers into Hell Gate canyon. All at
once the quiet canyon which had known
only the occasional click Of q pros
pector's pick in gravel, was alive and
noisy and teemtng with workmen from
to the possibilities thus offered, start
ed q saloon and made money fast. One
day In the winter Of 1880 he and one
Of his customers, q Northern Pacific
employe, got into q dispute rel . poker
game and it CHANGED that young willis
Spear was an eyewitness Of the fight
with its aftermath Of tragedy. The