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

-afterward Mrs. Jim Thornhill,
(Thornhill was a pal Of the Currys) j
to have this land and were angry be-
cause Winters had located on 1t.
Johnny Curry had lost mis- right
arm in a gunplay with bad man |
AS soon as he was able to be out and !
to travel, he rode a cayuse to the
Winters cabin. Finding Winters out |
side the door, he said, you get out /
Of here. We don't want you here"
and commenced firing at Winters with /
gun in his left hand. Winters
reached inside his door, grabbed his
rifle, fired at Johnny and killed him. I.
Gill and Winters had been honorable
men Of excellent standing In the east
and John Burroughs, world renowned
naturalist, came west and visited them
Nevertheless, though Winters shot
Johnny Curry in self-defense, the af-
fair created great bitterness with the
Currys and their friends
Pike Landusky did not like Kid
Curry and when the latter did some
thing Pike considered contrary TO
law and order" as sheriff he arrested
the Kid" treated him ruthlessly and /!
had him taken to Fort Benton and
lodged in jail. When Curry was re-
leased, he was boiling over with threats
Of revenge against Pike. He rode the
$50 miles to Landusky as fast as his
AAOAoC NOA4d ne WEUL 10
the shack Of Jim Thornhill and asked: I
us Pike in town, Jim?" @
I think he's up at Jew Jake'S with S
the crowd, now, Kid. This is payday.
you know" I
The two men then went to Jakes
saloon which was filled with all types !
1f men inhabitiRg that region. At the y
farther end Of the bar stood Pike. o
When Curry. and Thornhill entered =
he door and walked up to the bar, g
silence fell on the crowd. The Kid D
walked to where pike was leaning on a
he bar and struck him a terrific Is
,low that f1oored him and then beat a.
lin numerically. Pike is supposed TO u
AVE reached into his pocket for his ct
handkerchief to wipe the blood from
lis face, but Curry interpreted the a.
GESTURE differently, for he drew his re
'tn and shot Landusky through the W
lea causing his death, Jim Thorn
III and Loney Curry had stood guard re
turing the affray. It was then Kid fe
Jury decided he had better 20 else TO
1here and accordingly thereafter, til
eeding money with which to travel, to
Re and his followers held up the fr
treat Northern train. til
On the morning of July 4. 1901 a
Winters had as guests some young pa
len from the east and he arose early "a
, prepare breakfast. He stepped out III
de the house to the washstand, when ",
shot from someone secreted behind
Is pigpen killed him. His guests.
caring the report of the gun, ran nc
" quickly but could find no one Nv
Winters brother In Florida wrote to =,
Fort Benton attorney to recover ~
ms ranch. He was told the pro- We
sedings would not be difficult, but m'
rat he must come 20 the Little ge
ockies TO prove his case He replied Ia
lat he would not come TO that God
'rsaken hole If the whole state Of tns
ontana were given 10 him. ~
NOW that winters was gone, Abram nm
III decided to sell out and quit the ~.
untry. He was a United States land saS
mmissioner at that time He sold out ns5
s holdings to the Cobgun Cattle Co, IN
ID sent his baggage to Dodson on cor
e stage. telling the stage driver he NJ, ~
,uld follow later when he attended teT
a small matter Of business. Then fio,
mySteriously disappeared. Friends a0s
me out from New York and EN- ~.
Dyed detectives on the case but to CIR
avail. His disappearance still re- ME
aims q mystery. n@r
What became Of Kid Curry and his Ia
others2 About a year after the glIr
,eax Northern train robbery near Jail
agner, man giving the name OF nor
.rvey Logan, was arrested at Knox nea
lie, Tenn, for shooting two police Y
n. This was Kid Curry, for both pan
m Jones and Mike ONeil, engineer and
d fireman on the dynamited Mon in
IA train, went TO Knoxville and escs
untitled him. He was convicted on his
number OF counts but before being r
zen 70 the penitentlary, made his the
ape. he had been visited a few Cur
gs prior BY people from Montana. unk