Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1937-12-25

People who travelled by stage in
Montana and other western states
from so to 20 years ago, sometimes
carried queer baggage with them.
But Jacob III. Neff, for many years
a sheepman In the Beaverhead
country and in the T0s and 'SOs
a stage driver on numerous famous
western routes, used to claim that
a passenger who rode with him In
the '7O's won the prize by Juggling
along with him as hand baggage
gunnySack Ia which was another
mans head.
The head at one time belonged to a
criminal who had escaped from the
Utah state penitentiary. He had been
killed and q man named Boone had
cut off his head and carried 1t IN q
sack to Hatch Greek, Utah, In an effort
to collect the reward which had been
offered for his capture. The Utah
authorities, however, had refused to
pay the reward on the grounds that
the Identification was not complete.
Neff. during his years as stage
driver, held down some Of the toughest
routes in the west. Driving on the
Cheyenne-B Hills line, his stage
was held up regularly by highwaymen::
He used to say that IT nad been neio
up as many as three times during a
single night on different parts OF the
run.
Neff started a life of adventure at
an early age. In 1871, when IA years OF
age, he left home In Nebraska City,
Neb., and went to Cheyenne where he
obtained employment with outfits trail
ing cattle overland from Texas to the
northern ranges. In the following year
he went to Texas and at San Antonio
entered the employ OF an outfit trail
ing 5000 head of cattle to the north.
He spent some time working for Major
Iittlefield, a noted cattleman of the
Texas panhandle and he also worked
for Taylor Brothers in Wyoming. He
helped to build the headquarters of the
old Fiddleback ranch on the Platte
river east of Casper, Wyo.
In the fall of 1875 he went to the
Black Hills and became a stage driver
on the Cheyenne and later on the Bis
marck routes out Of there. He drove
a six-horse outfit and through coun-
try beset with hostile Indians as well
as outlaws
He had many thrilling experiences
between Cheyenne and Deadwood and
also between DeadwoOd and Bismarck
1t was while driving from Deadwood TO
Cheyenne that he carried the man who
had the sack with an outlaws head IN
it as hand baggage. In Montana ne
drove for a time between whitehall
In 1879 Neff went to California and
drove a stage in that state for a time.
From California he went to Australia
where he followed the same work, win
ming for himself a reputation as 9 most
dexterous reinsman In that section OF
the antipodes. Returning TO the United
States he came to Montana and en-
gaeed In the sheep business In Beaver
head county near Dillon.
1t was while he was In Beayerhead
county that he saw the old Utah q
Northern railroad transformed from a
narrow gauge to q standard gauge rail-
road In one night. That line Is now
known as the Oregon Short Line, g
part of the Union Pacific system. II
was built between Ogden and Butte as
q narrow gauge. When business became
so good that the operation OF q narrow
gauge was q great inconvenience, "
became necessary to change 1t 50 tnag
rolling stock from standard gauge roaos
could be handled without unloaolng
and loading at Ogden both gong ana
coming.
The change was made In q single
24-hour day, 5000 men being employer.
Each crew had short Sec10n 70
handle and it was so well done tnat
traffic was delayed only q short time:
Neff visited the Custer battlefielo
only eight days after the massacre OF
the general and his men. During mis-
life &C Deadwood he came 70 know
many frontier characters, among xnem
wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, Bux-
fa10 Bill and many others. Re also
knew Jack Mccall the gambler wno
murdered wild Bill by 8faooSin8 Nun
from behind