Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1937-07-24
Livingston Resident, Nonagenarian, Is Probably
Only Man Living to Recall Vigilante Hangings


AnVNnan VINO was t4EAt
came 10 Montana in 1875. i mink
linn Hourley was the last OF the
Tnen 1 knew there that year. lie
vvas with me prospecting on the
Ciarlx,s Fork before the town OF
Cooke City was thought OF. AND ne
has been dead for some tlnlS;
Joe Keeney speaking. Joe .HSN..s:y,
aar-nonagenarian a western pioneer
IL ,.,cl,,t III birth one of the few men
r,ssrhers the only one-noW living; VINO
ean recall Plummer, George Ives, boolle
HaIr1 and all the other men WIlo WEI i,-
honoed bv the Montana VlgllaIlVes III
1862 and 1864 -,ha,, tho
vt0ilantes marched, but as II
ne late teens he knew just ABOUT an
IF the Vjgilante characters N OREGON
- On the Boise river IN ldano pe
Tore F3annack and Virginia City DooLIlleu
IN on the gold map OF the FSocAi9 %
Toe was born in Oregon aug. az. -.
i847. less than do1eh ysai tha
Columbia river country VIII 'ii0
man party in 1885; .4.o ~, 1878
,,on,aver he knew Just about every man man
Who was then helping 10 IaIIle Slie
vyiIderness outside the then SoatiPe. "a. a
tively tame mining camps anu ny T;od
scoffered settled communities. a. Dleu l-
-. I ivey Eatiu' johnson, YELLOWSTONE
Ter LAs t,s.+ name anv of the well-known
Characters in Montana aIJer 10
i-r1au him Joe will reply, ana more
than likely viii tell some mcloent VI
his association with the man. ,,,,ro
Boone Helm was an u! me- " ,,1arried
q q sister s1si. Of my father in Missouri, ana
deserted her there when ne Kli les. a
man and lit out for the west. 1IleIS
Mere seven of the Helm brothers, ana
on Of them died with their booJS on.
nave Helm was killed in oregon WllSh
a horse fell. throwing MN anu " -
ING his neck. His was the neaIeoe "
- liiS ,c 1r,2 ending to any of them.
boone Helm, it will be recaueo III
Montana history. was the toughest OF
the road agents He did not walt LOT
f1e box under his feet TO De JeIneQ
away by the Vigilante hangmen, puV
Jumped Of his own accord. ne le1L ,, De
hind him a record Of frontier crime
including several instances OF canIl-
balisn, all the way from Missouri 70
CaIifornia. I'D the coast and INTO Can
ODD before reaching Montana, where
he continued his career until the Wig
ilantes brought law and order 10 Ile
mining camps 49,, -o,o+ionshin
uyitE Helm. but mentions it only as an
Incident of his own western NE.
INV father Jonathan keeney, was
. KentlIckian," says Joe. He came up
fhe Missouri river as a trapper " iooo,
and met Kit Carson, who was ille1 Hgl
friend. Father was with carson IN III N VIEW
was 3. captain of western troops IN Inc
RorlIe river Indian war N oregon
No went to California IN 1879
seWhiIe in Missouri father married
nv mother, a woman OF German oe-
scent. and they started for oregon ~
1916. Father was captain q tne WasOn
train on the trip across the plans
ssFather had five brothers with MN.
They an bore large families, ana u
the early days there were heeneys J este
about everywhere you turned In that
country IN the willamette valley To-
dav there are descendants OF the
Keeneys in about every community.
At was born at Lane, Ore, Aug. ~,
l847. and 1 grew up in that new, WIG
Country. the traditions of Kentucky
ancestry and the spirit OF the WHO
frontier nodded my habits ana nave nave
been the moving spirits OF my NE.
Joe does not tell the story in exactly
this language. His education Is the K1no
men acquired in the hard School OF Ine
frontier, and horses ropes ana SIX
guns were more accessible ana more
Convenient as teachers than orthodox
schools. Words do not come easy LOT
him.
"I learned to write my name after
went into business in Bozeman, says
Joe. "Up to that time I had always
made my mark. I surely was proud
when could write my name.
"A rope, a gun and horse were my
work and my hobbies for much OF
my life" he declares. And if 1t wasn't
that I injured my back in California
last winter when fell I'd be pretty
good hand on a horse now, even II l
am almost ninety years old.
Until was thirteen years old
never had a suit of clothes, a pair OF
shoes, or any ordinary garments. My
clothing was nothing but tow shirt |
that came down around my shins. I
remember that in fruit time my mother
would put up a big iron kettle, that
she had brought across the plains, I'M /
der the trees in the orchard, and here /
she and the others made preserves |
and did their canning. One day ] !
climbed into a tree over the kettle
to steal cherries. fell right into that |
kettle of preserves. rolled out yelling !
and lit running, pulling that tow shirt |
away from me so it wouldn't burn my |
hide. I looked back, and my mother /
was right after me, and I tried to run |
faster. Kids got whipped for just about (