Montana oil and mining journal., 1942-01-24
EARLY WESTERN
CHARACTER KNEW
MANY DANGERS
CHARLES ROWE, DRIVING STAGE
COACH, USED HIS HEAD TO
ELUDE INDIANS

Charles Rowe came to Montana IL
1867 and had few experiences with
the Indians in the early days tina
made his hair stand on end
"One Of the saddest things I eve
saw" he said years ago, when telling
of the old times, twas when I wa:
in the Whoop-up country, up neal
Fort Mcleod. You know, there was :
big stampede to that country, and my
partner and drove up with a team
of mules in the dead of winter In
order to be on hand early in the spring
We'll, we camped on a creek and
while my partner was getting things
fixed, I took an ak and started up the
creek with the mules to see if I could
find place where could cut enough
ice for winter tested it several times
and kept getting farther and farther
away from camp, when, in order to
cut across a bend in the stream, ]
walked over little nose of land to
the edge of the creek.
when I got to the top of the rise,
saw the most blood-curdling thing
that I ever expect to see in this life.
There at the bottom Of the ravine
were two dead men. From appearances,
they had been killed the night before.
The tent was torn down, and I believe
there must have been a thousand ar
rows lying around in the snow. MY
first impulse was to run for camp and
prepare for a fight, but I thought
better of it and went down to the
bottom Of the ravine to examine the
bodies, and found them to be the fell
lows who had started ahead of US
men that I knew very well One was
a little fellow from Missouri, and the
other an immense Frenchman who
had come down from eastern Canada.
1.-THE little fellow had evidently been
reading in his tent while lying in
bed, by the light of tallow dip. An
arrow had penetrated his forehead be-
tween the eyes, and from all appear
anceS he had not stirred. One leg
was drawn up as one usually lies in
bed with the head propped up, while
the right hand held small book.
"The big fellow, though, had made
a terrible fight. There must have been
25 Indians. He had dozen arrows in
his body, and must have sold his life
dearly, for blood was on the snow all
around. One arrow had gone clear
through q two-inch tent pole and was
hanging by its feathers on the other
SIDE All the firearms and knives, of
course, we're taken by the Indians, for
I could find no such articles about
the camp. I went back and reported
my find to my partner and the next
morning bright and early, we hit the
trail for the lower country.
When He Drove Stage
"A funny thing happened when
was driving stage for the Wells-Fargo
Co. over the Birdtail divide between
Benton and Helena. In the winter
when traffic was light we laid off the
Concords and used the light wagons.
which we called 'snaks,' and drove only
one team Of mules. had the mules
what I called chain broke That is.
I had whipped them with a chain that
always carried and as it hurt very
much they were deathly afraid of it.
They dreaded that chain so much that
I had only to rattle it with my foot
and they would run like the wind.
zone day In December, 1868, I was
driving into Twenty Eight Mile springs.
and just as was going up a slight
incline six or eight miles from the
station, a war party of IA Indians
came riding over the hill. When they
reached the top, they stopped a min
ute for a pow-wow. Pretty soon eight
Of them came toward me, and when
they were within about 25 yards, they
How?' and came dashin9
around me in semi-circle to the rear,
about and followed me.
II put my lines across my shoulders
so I could guide the team, took up
my repeater, as If to take aim, and
while my passenger turned so he could |
keep his eye and gun on the eight I |
kicked the chain. The mules, already
anxious to get home, heard the rattle |
Of the chain and they lit out like |
lightning. I started them to the right |
Of the six Indians who were coming
down the hill from the front Of ms
AS soon as the mules commenced to
run, two Of the party rode on to