Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1937-03-20

together a few weeks, when Romney
asked j. B. Bishop, now of Butte, and
myself. eX-triple B players, to joir
the club. We did.
The Billings Independents played
teams in all the towns, large or small
adjacent to Billings. All games were
won. We were having a lark-four fell
lows who hated to quit the sport, plus
two youngsters-a nice gang. We played
anywhere at any time, just for the fun
Of playing. Oh yes, we played any
where except Billings. When and wher-
ever we played, we paid our own ex-
penSes. Romney played center; Thorine
and Badgley were at guard and Wick
strom and myself were the forwards.
Both Claimed Victory
A game was arranged at Columbus.
Jimmy Amin, a great Bobcat for
tain of the Columbians. His brother
Bert, q former West Pointer, and a
sweet performer, was center of the
team. Verne Goucher, an old Billings
high star, was playing guard position.
Several fellows, college men from the
middle west, whose names I have for
gotten, working with an engineering
gang on dam project near Columbus,
filled the other positions. Columbus
had a good team-we found that out.
The contest was played in small
hall. The game was hard fought. Each
team scored more than 40 points. When
the contest was over, both teams
claimed victory. The two scorers were
at odds. No overtime periods were
played. There the matter rested-until
a day or two later.
Pool and Gate to Winner
q i'm
Amin asking for another game to be
played on some neutral floor. took it
upon myself to answer Annin's letter
stated that Billings would play Co.
lumbus for 81 900 side, the money to
be deposited by both teams, or their
hackers, with a Billings bank. I sug-
gested that the game be played at
Laurel, a town equi-distant from Bill
lings and Columbus. I proposed that
the admission charge be 81 per head,
and that each team play it's own eX-
penses to Laurel, and that the entire
gate receipts 60 to the winning team.
1 thought was kidding Jimmy An
min. So the letter was mailed. James
wouldn't be kidded. The terms and all
conditions of my letter were accepted.
Big Money PIay-Off Arranged
The next day following the receipt
N1N>9~--N~
Merchants national bank called me up
and said there was on deposit, or in
escrow, the sum of 1000, sent from
Columbus, and that the amount was
to be matched in Billings with like
sum, the entire amount to be paid to
the team winning the game to be
played at Laurel, q week hence.
I conferred with Harry Jacobs, who
operated a sporting goods store and
with Charley (Swede) Olson, who re-
tailed lager beer, light wines and dis
titled liquors: The pair set out TO coll
lect the Billings end Of the bet. And
the money poured in. Jacobs phoned
friends in Columbus that there was
more money to be had in Billings. An
other thousand dollars was Columbus
prompt answer. I know of q $500 bet
made in the hall just before the game
started. Lots of bets were made that I
never heard Of.
DO as Say, NOt as 1 Do"
Our team had a meeting in Romney's
room. a week before the game was to
be played. I told the players not to
bet q cent on the result of the game.
stated that Columbus, as we well
knew, would give us plenty Of trouble,
and it wouldn't help any, if we took
on financial worry. All hands agreed
not to bet. The gang would be content
to split the $500 gate money six ways
if we won. What told the other fell
lows was good advice for them, but
not for me. On the same afternoon, I
had put up $3.50 In the Billings pool.
But that was my personal affair.
Special trains were chartered. Auto
mobiles were not plentiful in those
days, though the distance to Laurel
was short. The boosters from both
cities wanted to ride in mass forma-
ton. Bands from each town provided
noise and pep.
Billy Hartman OF Bozeman was