Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1937-03-06
Murder, Robbery and Other Criminal Activities
Prevailed as Railroads Moved Westward i'm vi

was the famed Kootenai Trail, an
Indian road which had been trod for
centuries by the redman. The trail fol-
lowed closely the north bank Of the
river and beyond the present village
Of NoXon 1t turned north toward
British Columbia. Pack-mule trains
were common on the trail as there
was no accommodation for wagon freight.
In 1871 the railroad through this
region, paralleling in many places the
old Indian trail, was surveyed, but
it was not until 1881 that the actual
building crews arrived. Then came the
bloodieSt years Of the history Of this
historic region. They were years Of
murder, robbery and other criminal
activity as the railroad crews moved |
ever westward. BloOdiest camp in the !
region was the WeekVille camp, called /
Bloody Weekville." In the summer |
Of 1888 about 200 workers Of the rail- |
road were stationed at this point ten
Thompson Falls. The railroad build
ing was temporarily stopped at Week
vile by a series of bold rock promon-
torres OF the Cabinet range which
showed their bulk out into the bed Of
the Clark's Fork river. Extensive blast
ing operations we're necessary and as
this operation went on large camp
sprung up. The work was in charge
Of whites but much Of the labor was
being done by imported Chinese coolies.
Carloads of powder were used as the
crews spent the winter tearing at the
reluctant cliffs to make way for the
rails. Literally hundreds of lives were
lost during the operation and on sew
eral occasions the blasts buried untold
Of coolies under tons Of deb
ris In one such catastrophe many
Chinese were killed or seriously in
jured. Countless foot-deep, pittful
graves appeared along the right-of-
way. Death was an everyday occurrence
and life was cheap. This condition
encouraged lawleSSnesS and strife IN
the camp itself. Gold and silver were
the only medium of exchange and there
we're many deSperadoes to prey on the
railroad crews, who were paid off in
bullion. The camp was a group OF
wooden shacks and tent houses and
turing the course of the winter the :
community came under the control S
If a gang of racketeerS led by certain l
Buzz Sweeney. Sweeney had. no peer in I
and carrying out criminal
activity and before his staggering en- b
rance to Weekyille he had been
Known to a dozen sheriffs' posses, a
rom which, by hook or crook, he Z
always managed to escape. Within a 6
month he gathered q following Of bad ]
nen about him. Among his heuten-
.nts were Dick the Diver, The Barber, t
ohio Dan and Billy the Kid. The Bar o
yer was known in hundred western
amps as a tonsorial expert who could, t.
N occasion, carry out murder with g
leftness and dispatch. Ohio Dan was c
he possessor Of head Of blond, wavy
lair and a golden tenor voice which E
made him the darling Of the ladies. a
Racket Started Within Month y
Within a month after his arrival, n
buzz Sweeny and his gang were ex- y
citing tribute from nearly every saloon Il
q Weekville. The methods employed p
we're the same as those which we're Il
o be used by Al Capone and other b
chicago racketeers third OF a CEN "
ury later.
In Weekville, however, there was II
ne man, at least, who refused to sub n
nit to SWeeny's reign of terror. That 7
nan was a saloon keeper named Cur o.
~ Campbell, and when Sweeney en- g
cred the Campbell saloon to shoot the "
latter out Campbell killed the gang tx
,ader, Campbell shot Sweeney and Il
Tent on with his game Of poker quite W
alnly but his friends induced him g
} leave town within a short time for b
was known that Sweeney's gang IL
Quiz Ouk 10 BEb HILL VI
as taken to a ranch near Horse W
lains for safety and arrangements N
ere made for his trial. n
The charge was murder and II
weeney's gang appeared at the trial
] maSse to see that Campbell got
le works 1t is said that during that bl
,nse session Of court nearly every cC
an in the room held a drawn gun. IL
hen the witnesses were sworn in III
icy laid down their weapons for only &C
Re moment to take the oath. til
Mob Displayed Power tv
The trial had not preceded far be- Sc
ne Campbell began to see that with o.
e Sweeney gang sitting in he would +
sver be given a fair deal so, during 10
lull in the proceedings he slipped sc
it Of the courtroom and escaped on tr
1rseback. The judge later gave a re
.cision of mot guilty" as the prisoner az
ed westward in his escape from the IN
of the Sweeney gang. He az
AIDE good his escape by hiding in La
wagon loaded with grain sacks and &C
IS never heard of again. 81
This display of power In the court
justice by the Sweeney mob caused pc
e organization of a Vigilante band W