Glacier County chief., 1940-07-12

so guards were placed at each saloon
to keep the people from going in.
The little Schoolhouse was filled two
hours before the service. Men stood
10 deep outside the building. There
were sheepherders and cowmen. the
who preyed upon the Indians. other
eternal enemies. but here at the fu-
neral of Jim the sheepherder. they
put aside for a little while their en-
mites and listened to the funeral serv-
ice of the young preacher, who had
recently come to town.
The preacher was inexperienced and
DID not know what to say. In school,
however, he had won an oratorical
contest on the subject of alcoholism
Points Evils of Intemperance
The sermon was masterpiece re-
membered for many years after. Cried
the preacher, who killed Jim? Who
put Jim in his coffin? Who made Jim
a pennies wretch? No better man
ever lived than Jim. Jim could not
keep from being drunkard. Jim had
no control over himself. Who killed
jim? You saloonkeeperS killed Jim
You sold him poison. You took his last
cent. You made him a slave to alcohol
the blood of Jim is upon your
hands, may We be forgiven"
An awkward silence followed when
for the solo, which was to have been
sung by the school teacher from Ohio
In the back OF the schoolhouse Big
Bill, the main saloonkeeper. lifted to
his feet and strobe forward toward the
preacher with what appeared to be
threatening gesture.
Big Bill was the most feared man in
town. 1t was said, that he had killed
four men and nobody dared to arrest
him. His face very black, he charged
toward the preacher. who turned white
and shook so that he could hardly hold
his hymn book.
But, Big Bill said, this here amt
right. 1t amt right, SO it amt. to hold
this, here meetin' without takin' COL
lection for the preacher"
Then, without further delay, Big Bill
went up and down the aisles thrust
ing his hat around. People contributed
willingly. especially when Big Bill be-
gan to knot his fist if they hesitated
In a short while he had collected
front of the preacher. saying, there
sky pilot, there is money for the great
est funeral sermon that has ever been
spoke in these here diggin's."
To Last Shovelful
The preacher, no longer white and
shaken, now took a firm hold on his
hymn book and the funeral went on.
The cemetery was just outside of town
on an old abandoned Indian burial
ground. The wind was blowing as the
weather prophets in the store had pre-
dicted. 1t was blowing 80 miles or more
per hour and the temperature was 10
below zero. But every man. woman and
child followed Jim to his last rest. The
crowd completely covered the Indian
ground
wal, goodby JIM" somebody cried
when it came time to lower the coffin
into the grave. And then it was dis
covered that the grave diggers had mis- /
calculated and had dug the grave six
inches too short. The ground was
frozen so Solidly that the men had
to go back to town to find picks in
order to lengthen the grave This took
a great deal of time, but nobody for
sock Jim. Men. women and children
crowded around the coffin slapping
their hands against their nose and
cheeks to keep from freezing.
Everybody stood by until the grave
was filled. as was the custom. Then
men and women walked solemnly down
to Dupuyer. Those who could talk
through chattering teeth said Jim had
been q good sheepherder. who might
have touched drop now and then,
but was still all right. The men kept
themselves well in hand until they
reached town, then the guards In front
Of the saloons were almost trampled
In the stampede.