The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1937-02-26

outfit, and with the freighting outfit
enough. to buy a ranch, which proved
successful.
Close Friend of Meagher
Bernard Quinn, during the years he
resided at Virginia City became one of
Gen. Thomas Francis Meaghe RS
friends. Meagher was at that time the
was In Fort Benton the morning of
July 4 that General Meagher fell from
a river steamboat into the Missouri and
was drowned, and it fell to him to
carry the news Of the governors death
to Mrs. Meagher at Virginia City.
Mrs. Meagher, receiving the news,
told him that she had had a Fremont
ton of misfortune. On the morning of
was drowned, Mrs. Meagher at the
executive residence in Virginia City
went to haul up the flag on the pole
in front of the house where it was
raised daily and lowered at sunset.
Upon that morning, she told Quinn,
despite the fact that there was a stiff
breeze blowing, the flag would not
float, but chung about the pole as
she said, she tried to make the bunt-
ing catch the breeze, without success.
She told Quinn that at that time she
had a premonition something had hap
pened to her husband.
When I arrived with the news, she
knew what I had to tell her before I
had uttered a word," Quinn said.
Gave Governor Clean Slate
Quinn always denied the report
the effect that General Meagher was
drunk when he fell from the steamer
deck into the Missouri. Meagher had
arrived in Fort Benton on July 8.
Quinn was already there, having come
in with his freighting outfit. Quinn
said he was either with the general
or had him in sight all the remainder
time intoxicated, either that day or
night or the next morning.
When he told Mrs. Meagher that the
report that her husband had been
under the influence of liquor when he
was drowned was untrue, she wanted
to give him General Meagher's saddle,
a gorgeous affair worth at least 5000,
but Quinn refused to take it.
Quinn had two six-mule teams with
Meagher arrived. and had two loads
of marble slabs which were to be taken
to Helena with which to make billiard
tables, awaiting transportation. Be-
fore he loaded the marble he was told
that Meagher wanted his teams to haul
supplies to where the soldiers were
having trouble with the Indians.
He had been chary of the marble
consignment, fearful the costly slabs
would be broken in the trip over the
rough mountainous roads, and took
advantage of this opportunity to leave
the load for someone else. So he Of
fered the use of his teams to General
Meagher, and was engaged at $40 a
day for each team.
1t was this business deal which had
brought him and Meagher into such
close association in Fort Benton and
which, Quinn said, enabled him to say
positively that General Meagher was
not intoxicated either on July 3 or 4,
the day of his death.
One Brush With Indians
The outfit with which the Quinn
brothers Travelled across the plains from
Omaha to Montana was composed of
II wagons and carried in the neigh
borhood of 100 men, women and chill
dren. Other trains in that and pre-
ceding years had had much trouble
with Indians, but the train that the
Quinns Travelled with was fortunate.
They had only n brush with red
skins.
Near Fort Laramie, Wyo., one night,
a band of marauding Indians swept
down upon them and ran off the saddle
horses. With only the draft animals
available for pursuit, the men of the
train were divided, part remaining with
the train to protect the women and
children and the wagons from further
attack, the other trailing the a
They overlook them and after a Skir-