Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1937-10-16
Early-Day Montana Sheriffs
Had Numerous Tough Jobs
Arresting Thiever, Rustlers

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sometimes found themselves In gun
fights when they started out to
make arrests. There were some
bad men In those days who did not
propose TO be taken by the law,
which was Just getting established
within the borders of the state.
william H Bill Houston, who died
q few days ago at MisSoula at the age
OF 49, sheriff of MiSsoula county when
IT included practically all of western
Montana, was drawn into a gun fight
with Louis Simons, q gambler, on the
streets OF MiSSOula nearly SO years ago.
That was back In 1891 when Houston,
newly elected sheriff, started his cam
paign for law and order In western
Montana. Houston was called out early
one morning to capture Simons, who
had shot William billie" Houtchens, q
policeman called to arrest him.
The gun fight in which Sheriff Hous-
ton killed SimonS was Just 10 days
after the sheriff had been called upon
TO execute four Indians in the Nissoula
courtyard.
The Indians were hanged on the
morning Of Dec. 10, 1890.
Simons was shot on the morning of
Jan. 4, 1891.
Starts Disturbance
Simons, young gambler, had start
ed q disturbance in saloon and
gambling han on West Front street
The street was known In those days
as the row" and was inhabited by
painted women, gamblers and other
characters Of the day. The saloon was
between the business district of the
town and that portion inhabited by the
undesirableS.
simons had lost $3.50 playing faro
at the saloon and walked back of the
bar where he got a revolver.
Mccarthy, the man running the faro
game, saw him and said: Look out /
there young fellow, that thing is load
ed and liable to go off and hurt some /
body"
Simons replied, mo I guess it won't
go Off" Then he fired a shot into the /
floor and said, Look out there, old /
fellow, it's liable to go off again and /
somebody might get hurt"
He then staged a little holdup and /
was behind the bar when HonSinger,
the postmaster and Lynch police
man, walked in TO get a drink. Hearing /
footsteps approach he arose from be-
hind the bar and with drawn revolver I
chased them out of the place.
Then Louie went upstairs to the room
of "Pansy" one of the women OF the
street. The management, of the saloon
called the police to arrest him. After
two other policemen had been chased
away, Policeman billie" HoutchenS
was called HoutchenS, fresh from Ken
lucky, where he had seen more or less
of bad men, appeared in few min
utes and went to "Pansy's" room when
advised that the man had gone up
there.
Louie had told the woman that he
had been raising hell down there and
guessed his brother or someone would
try to have him arrested, but that he
would not let any damn cop take him.
His surmiSe was correct for his broth
er, one of the proprietorS Of the place,
and billie" Houtchens, appeared at
the door.
Houtchens said that unless the door
was opened he would break 1t in. Hear
ing this Simons opened the door, but as
he did so, with drawn revolver said:
1.-The first man that takes step into
this room VIII get killed"
Officer Wounded
Houtchens, the nervy officer who
had arrested more than one LOUD talE-
ing bad man, did not heed the warn
ing, but stepped forward. At the sec
ond step SimonS fired, the bullet strik-
ing the advancing officer in the pit OF
the stomach. Houtchens spun around q
couple of times and rolled unconscious
down the stairway to the street door.
It was then that another victim
came near being added to the list. The
u9u9 puB 5uIu54Bu ISlJB 4u5TI spueq
other business partner in the saloon
went upstairs. He was halted by the
sight of the enraged gambler standing
in the door of "Pansy'S" room with a
smoking revolver in his hand, and he
got out Of the way.
eimons walked downstairs and over
the body of the policeman. He held the
crowd at bay for an hour With Two
drawn revolVers. He would let no one go
near the body, for 1t was evident that !
he thought he had killed Houtchens. !
However, the man was unconscious and
this probably saved him from another
bullet from the gamblers gun. Doctors {
had been called and others we're ready
to 90 to the aid Of the officer, but
were held back by Simons.
The man then again entered the sa-
loon and gambling hall and proceeded
to clear the room. Advancing to the bar
he showed the revolver into the face
Of Ed HIATT, the bartender, and de- Z
manded all of the cartridges in the I
s--