Montana oil and mining journal., 1941-10-25

trip was a little dried meat and crack
ers. I worked at butchering in Ban
mack for one month at S25 and board,
and worked very hard At the end
of the first month Crawford raised
my wages to 500 per month. He aft
erwards got into a shooting scrape
with Henry Plummer, one of the road
agents of that time, and shot Plum
mer in the arm, shattering the bones.
"A vigilance committee had been
organized in which Crawford was in
terested and threats were made
against his life, which led to the shoot
ing scrape with Plummer. Crawford
was compelled to leave the country
after this, so I was thrown on my
own resources.
Il bought some poor work cattle
that had been driven into the country
from Minnesota and took them to
Deer Lodge valley, where I traded
them off for beef cattle and got my
start in the cattle business in that
way. Another party came in with 20
head of steers and wanted to sell.
'rustled' around, borrowed the money
and paid him. sent them up on
Grasshopper creek and the following
day the Chipeta Indians took them
all; they stole everything in that
country.
well, this put me head over heels
in debt. 1 kept on at my business at
Bannack, however, and went to the
man of whom I had borrowed the
money to pay for these cattle and
told him the only way for him to get
his money back was to loan me some
more, and I went to Deer Lodge and
bought a little herd of 90 1t was not
a week before five head were stolen
by these Indians.
Il worked along and got pretty near
out Of debt, but all the money went
on the books. had the books full
and had no money. At this time
got letter from Grant John H.
Grant, who was at Fort Benton and
he wanted me to send him the money
1 owed him. I went to Virginia City
broke, hunting up the fellows who
owed me money; nobody had any
money so I remained broke.
Buys Small Herd
"a gentleman from Colorado, George
Gohn, who is in Virginia City today
(I885) set me up in business again.
A few days later a herd of IA head
,ame in and 1 bought them from Joe
Blotchett. I started in business at Vir-
zinia City in a little brush shanty
where Main street now Is. 1t was not
ong before the dust got deep and /
went to Summit. I started there in
1 brush shanty made of poles set up
and fine leaves on the top for a roof.
[ slept in a corner Of the shanty
''I did very well there and got my
sattle from Deer Lodge during that
summer. In the fall a herd Of 200
,ame in from the Bitter Root and
Fought them and drove them over on
he Sinking Water, which is now
,alled the Ruby valley. I rode little
lack on this trip that I used to peddle
neat on In Virginia City. After this
/ had little money and went to
Deer Lodge and paid off all my debts
With the exception Of one debt OF
Il 100. I had $4,000 when went there
81 100 TO pay off old debts, and 81 100
o buy more cattle with.
II met Johnny Grant there. When
bought my cattle ne said, You can
nave them at your own price We'll,
paid him a good, round sum. I got
,attle that trip at SIS per head. Beef
,attle got scarce about this time and
got from is to 80 cents per pound
or meat that cost me about a bit a
lolrnd. That was actually my first
rood start IN business IN the country.