Glacier County chief., 1939-08-04

rences. For instance, If a party were
camped for the night and some fellow
looked into the bean bag and said,
Why, we're all out of beans! that
camp would be named Beans camp.
were named in the old days" Weber
says the surveyors named every place
and everything after their relatives
back east and it just wasn't right.
Weber recalls that the first news
paper published in Red Lodge was the
Picket and that Shelby Eli billiard, a
western adventure, was the editor. He
office" says Weber, land write the
news from what he saw passing. He
used to. write some pretty pointed
things about people who went by, es-
were afraid to walk past the Picket Of
flee on press day!"
Becomes billiards. Partner
Weber, himself, went into the news
paper business in 1893, with billiard as
a partner. The Picket had failed but
the big election Of 1894, which was to
decide whether Anaconda or Helena
would be the state capitol, was coming
be some money made in the newspaper
business. Weber says he put up the
money and billiard put up the brains.
It was an exciting campaign and while
it was on Weber went to Anaconda
at the invitation of Marcus DAILY. DAILY
was booming Anaconda as state cap
his campaign across. Webber met DAILY
in the old Anaconda hotel and de-
Scribes him as a gruff IriShman who
would rather talk to a miner or cow
boy than talk to the president of the
United States.
outdoor life, Weber was not happy
in newspaper work, although he did
manage to have some fun out of the
enterprise. On several occasions he took
the name of some prominent editor
in the state, wrote slanderous item
ao4 IT. him P and PRINTED only one fs
This special copy was mailed to the
editor mentioned and in a few days,
billiard, who was editor Of the Picket
and knew nothing about the special
edition, would receive a scathing let
ter from the other editor asking why
billiard could never figure out why he
received these letters and Weber and
of his CONSERVATION. I'VE would nearly
kill ourselves laughing" says Weber,
"and sometimes our trick would stir
other editor that would last for sew
eral monthsl"
No old timer is a real old timer
unless he has a bear story to tell and
John Weber has one. It concerns him.
self and Cicero Avant, q rancher on
the Greybull river In Wyoming. Avant
and Weber worked together on the
of 1886, when their adventure
with the bear occurred.
They GO Bear Hunting
I'VE called Cicero Avant Ro' for
I were working for Baxter, the gov
ernor of Wyoming territory. One day |
q cowboy rode Into camp mighty |
scared. His name was George and I |
said, What's the matter, George?' At |
first he wouldn't talk but after while |
he loosened up and said he had Just |
seen the biggest grizzly he ever saw. |
He said 1t was as big as COW and |
he had seen 1t in a little canyon on |
creek. Cicero Avant came
up Just then and he questioned George |
. little and then Ro and decided to
go out and get that bear.
I'VE had dozen rifles In camp, old
to use on any Indians that |
got fresh, and Ro and each took one
started for Cottonwood creek. George
near the creek he wouldn't 60 any
farther. He held our horses and Ro and
went In alone. We separated and I
vas walking down the creek when I
Jaw Mr.. Bear. He was o big one and
ne was In q little clump Of scrub pine
md looked like big pile Of fun. I