Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1942-07-04

Then he asked me II I wouldn't like
to go to Montana and convinced me
that could get good wages there. He
said that my fare to Missoula would
be $3.50 and that he felt certain that
I could get a good position. He went
to Spokane and I followed him. I got
q room at the Bellevue hotel, and
he met me- That evening he said, IF
you are going to Montana you can't
go in girls clothes He said that I
had boys face and features told
him to give me four days In which TO
think It over and he did. The first
thing he did on the fourth night was
10 take me down TO the Theater
Comique where he got me TO take o
couple Of drinks.
1.-THE next morning he asked me II
we're sick and said I was and
wanted to go home. asked for my
clothes but he said I had no clothes
and it would not be pleasant for me
to go back after being In the Comique
dressed In boys clothes. was afraid
then and decided to let it go. The next
morning we took the train for Missoula.
"At a Missoula hotel that night I
was asked by a man whether wanted
a job. He said he wanted young man
ho ~ C&cIk III - 4lDLol. lie llObcl was
the Grand Central and 1t was q small
place. The mans name was Charlie
Broadbent. I worked for him and
Clarke worked for a steamfitter. After
two months / went to work at the
State Lodging house for Mrs Kline.
She had a young niece and we used
to have many conversations together
Mrs. Kline, who believed that 1 was
q hnu fhn1fONf fhnf M trfF4nF
to her niece and fired me. I went TO
work for Charlie Tiano after that,
tending bar in the Affiliations saloon.
I worked there last winter. got a
letter from Clarke who was working
at the smelter in Anaconda and finally
he came TO see me Charlie Tiano sold
out to a colored woman and Clarke
went to work for her did not have
much to do. Clarke wanted TO 90 TO
Butte, but I did not want TO. He said
we would find work, so we decided TO
go and on our arrival took a room
on Park avenue. He went at o'clock
the next morning and did not return
until 4 the next morning. When I
asked him where he had been he said
he had been gambling at the Com
bination house.
I'VE then came TO Helena"
At the trial Helen declared that she
had been In the room on the night Of
the robbery, and that she was given q
stolen watch, an exhibit in the case,
by Clarke. Clarke took the stand and
corroborated Helen,s testimony. She
was allowed to go free on the only
count upon which she had at any time
In her career been arrested.
Following her release fr0un fafI Helen
disappeared from public view. Several
stories were passed around concerning
her, some saying that she had grown
respondent and had committed sui
eide; others that she was the queen OF
a big dope ring. Nothing definite was
really known about her until she was
recognized one day as being one Of
the members Of a little band Of Sal
walton Army people.
There's the Montana terror" wl1is-
pered an onlooker and soon q crowd
had gathered to stare at the modest
appearing Army laSsie who declared
to the mob that she had been saved.
A reporter asked II he might inter-
view her. The answer he received was
you want my history but you are
not going to get 1t. I have had enough
newspaper notoriety and now / have
been saved and my past is dead"
AS though to emphasize her remarks
Sister BERTHE, as she was then called,
eyed her inquisitor with a defiant
stare, then walked off with the long
strides Of q man. so ended the dra-
matte story Of Helen Forslmd, alias
Charlie Miller and later, Sister Berthe.