Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1937-07-24

I
for freedom II the opportunity offered.
Break for Freedom
Mile after mile he rode with the
| cavalcade, his head down, apparently
| thoroughly disheartened. But all the
time he was watching his chance. There
came time when there was no one
riding at his left. At an opportune mo-
ment. he dug his spurs into his horse,
/ and the animal bOlted. The police
swung into pursuit, but he outdistanced
all of them but one. Darkness was ap-
preaching, and the policeman, fearing
that he would escape, finally opened
! fire on him. His fourth shot hit Ormon
in the thigh and he tunbled from his
horse.
The other policemen came up and
Ormon was taken on to Fort Mcleod.
The wound proved not serious Ormon,
however, was weak from loss Of blood,
and was placed in the hospital, where
he remained for three weeks In few
days he was able to sit up, and he ire
quently saw, when looking from the
! window, his horse being led to water
! from the stable Just across the street.
One evening when the police were at
supper, Ormon's horse, saddled and
bridled, was brought to the hospital
door and Ormon came down from his
room upstairs and mounted and rode
The escape was mystery which was
never explained.
Made Good His Escape
Members of the police force, alarmed
by the sound of a running horse, ar
rived in the open just in time to see
the half-clad rider disappearing in the
dusk. 1t was some time before it was
ascertained just what had happened
and in the meantime Ormon had
gained several miles start.
At daylight the next morning OrInon
rode up to a trapperS cabin seven
miles south of the Montana line and
tumbled from his horse in a dead
faint. For several years thereafter he
laid OFF smuggling and gave Canada
a wide berth.
He finally decided, however, to make
one more trip into Canada with whisky.
Police were now stationed all along
the line and the crossing was not the
simple night ride it had been in for
mer years. Furthermore, Ormon was
known to the police in the Mcleod dis
trict, and he therefore kept away from
that territory and headed for Leth-
bridge. On this trip he took a four
horse team and wagon, with 20 kegs
200 gallons-some of whisky and some
of brandy He hired man to drive the
team and he himself rode ahead as
scout and guide.
The outfit crossed the line at IL
o'clock in the morning six miles east
of the old Sun river and Fort Mcleod
road and wound their way through the
hills down to St. Mary's river, passing
within a few miles of a police station
which was located on that stream.
At o'clock in the evening they
drove the wagon into coulee, unloaded
and cached the liquor in the high
grass and drove on a short distance
to the ranch house of one of Ormon's
friends, for feed and short rest.
The ranchman invited them to UNI
hitch, and they had just done so when
several mounted policemen rode in.
None of them, however, knew Ormon
and after stopping for a short time
and drinking some milk, they went on
again.
Ormon and his driver remained there
until the moon came up, about 10
o'clock that night, then reloaded and
started on. At point known as Pot
hole coulee the road forked, and the
branches came together again several
miles farther on. Ormon took the right
hand road and had intended the wag-
on behind should also. He was out OF
sight of the driver, however, when he
reached the forks, and the latter swung
into the left hand fork.
Presenting that his driver was fol-
lowing him, Ormon kept on until he
came to the brink of Pothole coulee and
saw a dozen police tents in the bot
tom. He backtracked without attract
ing their attention, found that his
driver had taken the other road, and
finally overlook him. They thus lodged
the police camp and by sunup next
morning pulled in at the ranch OF one
of Ormons friends only seven miles
from Lethbridge, and buried the load OF
liquor In the ranchman's garden.
The ranchman went into Lethbridge
to hunt a market for the liquor and
returning reported that he had found
two concerns willing to buy at Sill q
gallon, the liquor to be delivered In
their cellars. -
After Ormon had left Lethbridge with
his outfit and just before crossing the
line into Montana, he mailed q letter
back to the commanding officer OF the
police barracks at Lethbridge. It said:
Sir have just sold 200 gallons Of
liquor in your pretty little town. There
isn't-or wasn't while / owned it--a
drop of water In it and advise you to
sample It. It's really good stuff. leave
this morning for free Montana with
$1,000 worth of your pale-green cur
rency. Please catch me-h you can
"(Signed ORMON."