Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1941-01-25

as well as on others. Finally con-
WINGED that the men we're telling the
/ truth, he went back to the scene of
the robbery with them. The wound
ed recovered later In a Great Falls
hospital.
'"rhe bandits were supposed to be
Kid Curry, Henry Longabaugh, known
as Long Henry Butch Cassidy and
q Mexican. They met Charlie Leap, a
homesteader, coming TO Malta on
horseback and shot the horse from
under him so il would take him long
er 10 reach town and give informa-
ton as 10 which way they we're head
ed. They were thought to be headed
for Hole-in-the-Walp country.
"As soon as the holdup became
known In Malta, posse Of about 40
men was formed. but for some reason
were not allowed to leave by order OF
Great Northern officials, who thought
the plot was Matched In Malta. A
number of detectives came on from
the east but obtained no information
70 connect anyone in Malta with the
robbery.
"A porter employed on the train
related later that while employees and
passengers were panic-stricken by the
constant shooting, they were also
amused at the efforts Of a large.
fleshy woman to get down between the
seats and below the windows.
About a month after the Wagner
holdup, a rancher went into a Miles
City bank to get hundred dollar
bill changed. The cashier noticed the
serial number and asked him where /
he had obtained It, He said that sew
eraI men came to his ranch and |
wanted to exchange their jaded horses |
for fresh ones, offering the 500 to
boot. Living a distance from town, he |
had not learned Of the robbery and
was surprised when the cashier told
him OF it,
A story Of the Curry boys and their
exploits involve Powell (Pike) Lam
and Jew Jake.
Pike Iandusky, notorious rancher
and miner, came to the Little Rockies
with Bob Orman in 1884 and was the
first to discover gold there, which he
mined until the spring OF 1885, when
he entered the employ of Granville
Stuart and rode the range for the
Pioneer Cattle Co. during the summer
and that -to-be-forgotten winter
If 1867, which almost destroyed the
;attle industry In Montana, but made
;. M. Russell famous with his picture,
Waiting for a Chinook" or 1.-THE Last
If Five Thousand" In the spring Of {
1877 Landusky returned to the Little
Cookies and built a mining camp,
famed Landusky. after himself. This
amp was located In a deep gorge Of ]
he mountains, then in Chouteau
county, which then contained about
z 1000 square miles with Fort Benton,
so miles distant, the county seat At I
hat time mining towns had saloons
nd Landusky secured Jew Jake" J
rfz or IN fha c01NnF1 z
4 the camp. Jake had had an en- {
ounter with the sheriff at the depot
1 Great Falls where the latter had {
cen shot in the leg and 1t had TO {
e amputated so close TO his body, he !.
as unable to have an artificial limb q
tied on. He used a crutch to get n
bout and 1t is related that a Win i
hester rifle formed his crutch most le
the time. Mining activities brought o
amy lawless men to the Little Rockies z
nd Landusky became rendezvous p
n a number Of them. Pike was ap- Il
ointed deputy sheriff for that district
: area, which extended as far as
ort Benton. II
Pike was proud Of the camp bearing "
Is name and determined to keep
aw and order" according TO his SO
and as far as 1t was pos OF
BILE to do so. in that God-forsaken "a
ace. w
A number Of livestock growers set U
I'd on the prairie south of the Little
ockies and among that number were Y,
e Curry boys. John Ebaugh, long ~
ne resident Of this section and whose o.
mise occurred Oct 4, 1940 said he ~
lew the Curry boys well, and that %
tn the exception Of Kid, they were ~
n loving, kind-hearted boys and M
at Loney Curry, Hank Curry and ~
hnnv Curry were well liked and ~
body could ask for better neigh ne ne
rs. That, not unlike the James nl
US, they were prosecuted, hunted ~
d looked upon as bad men. Ebaugh ~
S running a saloon and store In w
alta ct the time of the train robbery ne
ar Wagner. Curry and his men came ne
20 the saloon the night preceding III
: holdup and had few drinks. That -
$ the last time Ebaugh saw Kid ~.
Try. me
Abram Gill and James Winters, who ~ ~
been reared as brothers In New 3
rk, came to the Little Rockies. CHI h,s
light the Dan TreSsler ranch adj he,
ent to the Curry ranch and Win an Az;
S "squatted' on homestead land NJ,
It to that purchased by Gin. The
rry boys wanted Mrs. Dan Tressler Tin