Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1939-03-11

How Jim orion, for many years
a member of the music firm of Or
ton Brothers, in Butte, was cured
of betting a "jackknife against 81"
on any occasion when he was a
yOungster in the mining camp, is
told by George P. Porter of Hell
ena, former state auditor and
champion story teller of early-day
incidents in the copper metropolis.
When was a boy in Butte, Jim
orion had a jackknife that was the
envy of all his playmates," said Porter.
THE knife was one of Jim's favorite
wagers-the knife against $2-the price
he had paid for it. One Sunday he
offered to make a bet with Abe Cohen
that he could not run to old Silver
Bow and back In two hours.
I wanted to see Abe win. So went
along as coach Abe went good on the
way out, but when we reached Silver
Bow, his feet were badly blistered. De-
termined to win the knife at all haz-
ards he decided to run barefOoted.
Dashing along at top speed over the
rough road he suffered several bad
stone-bruises Grit to the backbone he
slipped on his shoes, clenched his
teeth and pushed onward.
Helped All He Could
81 did what I could to help him.
just north of the school Of mines site
I decided to make try against time
on my own hook. I got In Just one
minute ahead of the time limit. Abe,
crippled as he was, made it only one
minute late. Abe lost his So and I
didn't win anything, but we cured Jim
orion of betting his priced knife. II
Abe's feet had been in better condition
we both could have easily beaten that
two-hour limit"
The Porters were in Butte as early
as 1864. The family moved to Helena
before George was born, and returned
to Butte when he was lad.
when we returned there were many
children in Butte" he said, Abe
Cohen, Tom Coberly, Henry Morier, the |
the MoagS, the Bernards, |
the Orrs, the Noyes family, the Young |
family, Mary Rea-later Mrs. Frank
Valiton-the Filters, HUMPHREYS, Bel
cheers, Neidenhofens and Aliens.
''Will Thornton" CW. d. Thornton, |
New York financier) "and supplied I
most of the tin roof on the Davis mill. |
We gathered cans, burned them to /
collect the solder-wIich we sold to |
Dellinger the hardware man-and then I
pounded the cans flat. We we're paid /
25 cents per hundred for cans. Plenty /
Of money for kids"
Walked Against Champion
Porter was one of five young Butte
men who walked against Richman, the
worlds champion, 25-mile walker, in
Butte In 1891
Another who walked, he says, was
lxTo 1fcv. Fa cfafaS
walked as If he we're running" He
was not a large man, about 5 feet
inches He walked from the shoulders.
Dan OIeary was not fast walker
but he was tireless one, he could
walk for days. AS remember 1t, he
won the six-day walking match In
Madison Square Garden. He walked
y hours a day for the six days. He
lived to a ripe old age, yet when we
If himself"
Porter has prize for running which
le won at miners union picnic at
Columbia Gardens in 1885.
When he won the miners union race
le was "just a fat little boy of 49,"
,ut he defeated grown men, among
hem Dan McAuliffe, an all-round ath-
etc, 8 feet tall. When Porter went up
o get the prize the judges stared at
he fat mems racer"
He Trained Hard
Porter didn't owe his speed to for
une. 1t was due to good hard work.
lie used to get up at a. m. to go
o the race track to train with such
men as Billy Mills, who was known
S the fastest 60-yard runner In the
7orld In his day. Porter was chosen as
he trainer for Tom Brennan, who, he
avs, was the great 300-yard man
rom Pennsylvania, who was burned
o death at the old Anaconda smelter
Ire."
He worked with such men as Harry
''the fastest man who ever
,ulled ON a shoe;" Colt, Old Man
lush, Adams Hammond. Norris,
lynn, Kelly, Gibson and other pro-
essional sprinters of the eighties. "Of
curse" he says, II was only an anna
eur, but appreciated my association
nth these professional track men,"
II