Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1939-11-18

into Canada ahead of the United
States troops
Our wood selling season was short, y
said Billy I'VE had a whole winter S
work invested We refused TO leave,
Indians or no Indians. Chief Joseph
crossed the Missouri at Cow island,
above us, and we were not molested.' .
At the Dill and Clark wood camp
above Fort Buford band Of Assinni-
BONES tried to drive the choppers
away, claiming they were trespassers
on Indian land. While the men were
across the river from the camp one
day the Indians carried away or de-
stroyed all the provisions except a
small supply of hominy and a sack Of
flour that had been contaminated by
kerosene. The whole crew lived on
hominy for several days. Not even a
single animal could be found in a wide
hunt to provide meat. When the supply
boat came along the slim fare was
balanced off by one big feast.
While Billy often told in much detail
the stories of pioneer events, keeping
mighty close in the general picture TO
recorded history, he never Identified
himself with any Of them. But one
drew the inference that he often was
not too far away For instance: The
release Of Rain-in- the-Face from the
guardhouse at Fort Lincoln.
fn-in-the-Face was arrested at the
Standing Rock agency for completely
in the killing of veterinary, Hoist
Finger, and the detachment sutler with
the troops guarding a Northern Pacific
survey party near Glendive creek. The
Indian was taken TO the guardhouse at
Fort Lincoln. Here he incurred the
dislike Of Capt. Tom Custer, who, as
officer Of the guard. heaped all the
indignitieS he could think of upon the
red prisoner.
In his scofnful anger Rain-in-the-
Face told Tom Custer: Some day
viii cut your heart Quit"
In the guardho1rSe at the same time
was a white man named Hanna, held
for permitting government property TO
stick to his fingers. He was due to |
and certain conviction meant stretch |
in Leavenworth.
1.-The only thing that distinguished |
Hanna from a lot of Others" said !
Billy Mitchell, ''was that he was I'M /
fortunate enough to get caught with |
the goods. Hanna was really likeable I
and popular fellow. His friends didn't 4
want to see him go TO Leavenworth. /
These friends acquainted themselves
with the guard routine at the Fort +
Lincoln guardhOuse A soldier was
bribed to look the other way on his
night tour of guard. Hanna's friends
rushed the g1lardhouSe to release him.
They found him chained to Rain-in-
the-Face. Nothing to do but take both
men along Safely away from the fort
the chains were broken. The Indian
went his own way, and Hanna went
with his friends.
"Rain-in-the-Face kept his promise.
After the Custer massacre on the Little
Big Horn the heart OF Tom Custer,
brother OF General Custer, was found
to have been cut from his body The
soldier on guard who had looked the
other way had been remembered, too.
Over his dead face was placed coat
10 keep the flies away"
Billy named none of those who res
cued Hanna; no one could have the
mis- intimate knowledge of the affair,
but the inference was pretty plain
that ne was not far away.
Billy Mitchell joined the Northern
Pacific construction camps at Mandan,
Y. D., IN 1879 and, as saloon man
and boarding house operator he came
vest until he reached Livingston IN
Never Tasted Liqu0r
az sold hundreds Of barrels Of liquor
n my life, but never drank any Of /
C." Billy said. when I was little
elbow / promised my mother would
lever drink. And though ran g sa- {
Oon for many years, don't even /
NOV the taste Of beer or liquor. /
wood cutting and buffalo hunting /
vent together along the Missouri 10
he seventies, and Mitchell took his I
hare OF buffalo hides. His honesty re- {
Iarding that fact cost him greatly !
,oveted opportunity 70 become q cat {
len1an on Ene Rosebud
when the construction camps
cached bne hGilea City country, Billy 5
couted around q bit, and decided the l
Rosebud valley would make fine c
anch. BE came up the Yellowstone 10
NV 100 cows with calves. A herd ON b
ne Boulder had been sold Just ahead
& him. Joe Turner. ranging his stock o
y the site Of the present Livingston,
lad about half the wanted number.
nd sent Billy to the Shields valley p
oundup at the Walter Grannis ranch b
} bgy the remainder. Ben Myers, pao- p
eer Shields valley rancher and one @
I the first county commissioners tn
Amgk county few years later. was u
sgyknax4 M Ire roundup. lie mad seen q