Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1940-02-03


OLYMPIC in a revival of Camille" and
In "L'AiglOn" with Ethel Barrymore.
on the seat beside me, discharged his
gun and a road agent fell. The partner
cut loose with a shotgun that must
have been loaded with l6 bucEshot IN
each barrel. The shot did not have
time to scatter much; one of the pellets
strlIck me in the left hand, which
dropped helpless to my knee. 1t felt as
though had struck the crazybone in
my left elbow. The other 81 shot struck
Keeler in the right side, as he pitched
forward. Ross reached out his right
foot and paved the body of Keeler
into the front boot grabbing as he
did so Keeler's shotgun.
Keeler was killed so quickly that he
had no time to fire shot
Shooting Becomes General
The shooting had become general.
Ross told me to keep the team going,
which I did They all went to work
laws shot off my wheel-horse, but he
did not drop. I got one ball In the
right leg, out of the 40 or so shots that
were fired by the robbers. My Off
wheeler stayed on his feet till within
200 yards of the barn, then fell dead.
The stocktender at Robbers RoOst
station, where McCammon is now To-
Gated, on the Oregon Short Line rail-
road, heard the shots, as he was not
more than half a mile distant from
the Portneuf river AS I had between
IS and 40 miles to go to reach my
home station at Malad, with the shot
that 1 had received in my hand, the
boys thought it would be a good idea
to remove it, Mike Tovey, being OF a
iovial nature, said. pulling out an old
tobacco knife, Il am a surgeon, but l
haven't got my diploma, yet I think
this knife is stout enough to do the
work"
Big Ross set me down In a chair.
Mike had his knife open by this time.
It was a Barlow with the blade
broken off at the point. 1t was all
gllmmed up with tobacco, Mike being
great smoker Of smoking plug tobacco.
Johnny Brent took me by the left hand,
while Ross fastened himself to my
elbow and bent my hand over the edge
of the table so that it would become
taut. Mike then stuck the corner OF
his surgical instrument in the wound,
which had commenced TO get sore by
this time. He gave it a twist, and out
dropped the shot. have felt pains IN
my life, but I never had felt anything
like that, before or since. We buried
Keeler as soon as the shot had fallen
out of me.
Five Bandits Killed
The messengers started out to note
the effect of their shooting. They had
five road agents dead. We had lost
about an hour and 20 minutes and
there was no other driver to be had
until we got to my terminus, Malad.
All the pain that a white man could
suffer was mine, in going that IS or
40 miles.
odd Gov. Pollinger," as he was
Familiarity known, happened to be at
him what had happened. He started
me for Salt Lake City with an order
for board and room at the Walker
House, one of the leading hotels Of
that day, where the stage fraternity
was staying; also, an order to a doctor,
named Ritz, to take care Of me while
I needed it, and charge the same to
Wells-Fargo Co.
I stayed in Salt Lake three months,
drawing $125 per month, with board
and bed. After the first six weeks my
hand had healed until it was almost
well, and I had the time of my life
for the next six weeks or two months,
when Gov" reappeared on the scene
and put an end to my vacation. He
wanted me to resume the ribbons, and
to start out in the morning.
Meets Henry Piummer
He sent me up the road to drive
from Bannack to Virginia City. While
driving there I became acquainted with
good many fellows. Among the crowd
was the sheriff, Henry Plummer. Also,
I soon knew George Ives, Ned Ray,
Buck StinSon and quite number who
later were found to be road agents.
l also formed an intimate acquaint-
ance with a placer miner by the name
of Johnny Neubert. He was from Leav-
enworth, Kan. He was counting a girl
In that town-by mail. She had sent
him silk purse with the legend, From
T. to j." worked In red, white and
blue silk thread. Johnny had sold out
that spring, and calculated to go down
the Missouri river to Fort Benton, the
head of navigation, in order to catch
a steamer to take him to his darling.
Steamboats, ran only in the early
part of the summer. pulled out from
Bannack at z o'clock one bright June
morning with Johnny Neubert ON the
seat with me. There were is other
passengers besides me. got a mile or
two out Of Bannack when crowd Of
masked men held me up. Neubert had
$4,000 IN the treasury box and SIS
or $40 In his purse.
They lined up passengers In a v
shape they said, DRIVER, throw out
the treasure box" I knew from kne
weight OF tit had taken two men
to load it-that It was rich. and, as
I had tz1e retns IN my hands, I said
TO the road agents, II can't throw
it out and hold 1nis team"
Ives Gets Box
George Ives put his shooter back into
its sc@sasaru and SAID can tnIgs
same eaxae, he reached over into tke
front boot, azzd took the box out of the
Wagon. Al tsaas same musanent another
road agent was g0knw through bs1e
passengers tkxat were lined up. They
told t1Iern 30 get aboard, and Nesxh@Tt
said 10 mze, Throw out my grip sac&.
/ hayen4 mo2 money enough now 10
buy mas dinner. I ann sure That e&n
eat by walking back 20 Bannack"
he wmik@M hack, a1d stopped 10
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