Belt Valley times. [volume], January 12, 1922, Image 1

About Belt Valley times. [volume] (Armington, Mont.) 1894-1977

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I»» Belt Valley Times h
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BELT, MONTANA, THURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 1921
VOLUME 28, NUMBER 30
$2.00 A YEAR IN ADVANCE
9
City Council Fails to Discuss Ap
pointment ot Policeman as Rec
ommended by Mayor in Address
For the first time in many montha
the full roster of the city council were
in their seats at roll call last Thursday
evening, but aside from a reporter
slouching in a comer, the audience
was confined to one visitor who pre
sen ted a modest request during the]
session . The usual routine of roll call
and reading the minutes of previous
meeting was disposed of and official
communications called for. Clerk
Heron fished up a couple of volum
hums documents which he proceeded
to read but was choked off when their
import dawned upon the mayor who
informed him that the waste basket
was the receptacle of communications
of a purely advertising character,
Before starting on the monthly re
ports of officials the mayor delivered
a message to the council calling at-1
tention to the need of public protection
in Belt and urged the council to take
the matter under consideration. The
verbal message of the mayor was
quite lengthy but as no discussion of
the matter was forthcoming the report
of Water Overseer Sommerville vas
read. The report showed a slight in
crease in the pumping record owing
to a few small breaks in the line dur
ing December, and also called atten-1
tion to the practice of many who leave
the water taps open during cold
weather to prevent freezing and the
consequent waste of water in this
manner. There were no recommend
ations in the report.
Treasurer Provin submitted his re
port for the months of November and
December showing a balance in all
funds on December 31 to be $17913.02.
Much of the joy engendered by the
hearing of this good news was dissi
pated by the further statement of
the treasurer that he had issued a
call for sufficient registered war-!
rants to pracically exhaust the sur
plus. The reports of water overseer
and treasurer were accepted and or
der ed f i le d
An error in drawing warrants No.
5031 and 5033 on the street fund was
corrected by Resolution No. 110, trans
ferring them to one of the improve-!
ment district funds. The additional
bond of $5,000 required by the city
treasurer was received and accepted
by the council.
Rev. Alexander Aiton asked the
attention of the council for a few min
ates with a request for the use of;
the upper hall as a practice ground,
for the Epworth League basket ball
team. He stated that the League |
would take steps to guard the windows!
put in lights, and fit up the hall suit-1
able for their purpose and intimated
i.
that any concessions in the matter of,
rental would be appreciated. Some of
the council members appeared opposed
to granting the free use of the hall, |
unless it was thrown open to the pub
lie generally. Mr. Aiton agreed with !
that view of the matter, only he,
pointed out the need of some organiz- |
ation to assume the responsibility of
seeing that the privilege waa not !
abused, and stated that in case other
societies or arganizations desired the
use of the hall at any time, the League
would gladly defer to them. The mat-J
9
The publication of bank statements
, ... .... -. . „
alive of a better condition financially
.. . , u . ,
throughout Montana, so far as they
have come to our notice.
In the three local banks there has)
been a substantia] increase in deposits
since the last statement published in
September and also a decrease in the
amount of loans of that date. The
change for the better is not of a de
gree to be starling but it does show
that Belt, as well as the rest of the
state, is well started on the upgrade
toward conditions financially that,!
coupled with the rapid approach 0 f
normal industrial Montana, will make
progress one of the realities of the
near future.
The bankers have occupied no bed
of roses during the past two or three
years in Montana, as they act as the
financial barometer of the conditions
in their own field of service. The
problems of any community in the
matter of welfare are also the prob- j
lems of the banks of that community
and the way the banks handle these |
problems is' the point which makes I
for success or failure in that commun
ity. The fact* evident in the bank
statement# just issued by our local
financial institutions is evidence of a
careful and conscientious management ;
during a period that has tested the
stability of every industry in the 1
state. Our home banks have never
lost faith in the Bek valley and its re-,
sources, and we may add that that
faith has been reciprocated on the part
of the people of the community.
^
The hearvesting of wild oats al
ways goes against the griffn
Banks All Show!
Substantial Gains
of the call of December 31. are indie
r—
Friday Nite
Basketball
TETON COUNTY
Vs. BELT VALLEY
ter was finally placed in the hands of a
committee on Public Welfare, Coun
'cilmen Leveille, Hamer and Wanta.
' Mayor Spogen announced that he
had appointed Dr. J. W. Graybeal as
j city
health officer, at the request
of Dr. G. A. Puson who had called
his attention to the matter. He also
named Chas. F. Holt and himself as
members of the health board to serve!
; without salary. The nominations were
j confirmed by the council. Dr. Gray
beal, as chairman of the health board,
' will draw a salry of $20 per month,
1 City Treasurer Provin and Alderman
Remington were named a committee
to consult with Larue Smith, attorney
i of the Municipal League, to acquire,
| if possible, the correct mode of pro
' cedure in regard to the delinquent
taxes of the City of Belt. The ques-1
tion of public protection which was
j the burden of the mayor's message,
j at the opening of the session was
j again brought up and discussed pro
j and con—mainly con—and was fin
j ally lost sight of among the more uu
j portant subjects of high taxes, low
wheat, bobbed hair, the obsolete 5
j cent loaf and why dogs turn around
! three times before they lie down. The
reporter and Police Magistrate Sulli
i van woke up just in time to hear the
current bills passed and the déclara
tion that a motion to adjourn was in
order.
-
A good fast game assured for Fri
day night. Admission 26 cents and 36
| œnts. _ Adv.
___
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'
Johrr^: Dempsey of Beit, aged 82 ,
died Monday at the Columbus hospital
in Great Falls from the infirmities due
to old age. Mr. Dempsey had been an
inmate of the hospital for the pasi :
two years. The funeral was held
yesterday afternoon at 2 o'clock from j
the O'Connor company's chapel, Rev, j
Fr. Millner conducting the services,
burial being made in Calvary ceme- j
tery.
Mr. Dempsey had been a resident
of Belt for the past 27 years. He |
was a native of Ireland, coming to
America at the age of 22. In New
York state, his first location, he
learned the trade of stone mason, and j
later traveled extensively, going to
New Orleons, St. Louis and later to
Minneapolis. In the late seventies
he came to Montana settling at Miles
City and was employed in the build
ing of Fort Keogh and in contract
work in Miles City. It was there he
first met his future wife, whom he
married later in Neihart. In 1891 Mr.
Dempsey came to Neihart where he
followed contracting until 1896, then
moving to Belt, also working here at
his trade until incapaciated by ad
vancmg yeors. I
In 1892 Mr. Dempsey was a candi
date for county treasurer of Meagher
(County on the Populist ticket, but;—in
was defeated. As the Populist party
waned in numbers and influence, Mr.
Dempsey returned to his first, alleg- j
«nee the republican party. He was j
elected Justice of the Peace in Belt
and served for several years in that j
'capacity and also one or two years as j
police magistrate. He had no child
ren. but it is known he had some rel- ;
atives living in the United States and
it is thought a nephew is now living
in ivr nr ,fo n n At nn» tim*. Mr
ln Montana. At one time Mr. Uemp
3ey had acquired a modest competence
which proved sufficient to care for
him during his later years, and his
friends aa ?' that he had proper care
ln hi« declining years. Mrs. Demp- i
ge Y died about three years ago during !
the epidemic of influenza in Belt. j
-
inHiKPH OF PUIPfPN TMPFT
"WUUutU Ul LMlIUMn IIILI I
-
A warrant sworn out by David Gra-;
ham t was '»sued from Justice Hark
"haws court Monday charging Wade
Wilson with absorbing a portion of
the Graham herd of chickens. Wilson;
was brought before the Justice, to
Fether with a number of the chickens
^ rom Wilson's yard and while Mr.
Graham insisted that the general ap
oearance of the fowls coincided with
those which he alleged had been stoIen
could not positively identify them,
;^ e claimed to have traced the tracks
an sutomobile from his premises to
that ot the Wilson place, two miles :
distant, but the judge decided the evi
dence altogether as too vague to war
rant hold'"* Wilson on the charge,
»Ithongh he placed him under $100
bonds pending the efforts of Graham
produce more convincing evidence,
Gra Wilson and Ray Wilson, brothers
the accused, furnished the required
b° n d and Mr Wilson was released.
----- i
When men cultivate vices they us.
uallv have some harrowifig experience,
It's barely possible he's called the
consumer because he will swallow any
'thing.
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INDICATIONS OF EXTENSIVE OPER
ATION OF EAST CELT COAL FIELD
... .
The preliminary Survey of an
l ens ' on the power line to the work-la
in * s ot the E * st coal mines, the
• efurln » °* • sit « for • coal chute
the «ding: south of the Rocky Moun. j
tain Elevator, the filing of a certifl*
cate °* brm name of Highwood|çhosen_for
Goal Mines, and lastly the presence j
|of several strangers in the city who
are apparently connected with all
these activities, are grounds for the
supposition that there is something
out t * ,e ortl ' nar y happening in this
)coal industry of Belt.
For * ome time the 1 "« 1*** been rum
ora °* an impending change at the
East H«lt and w, th t h— « visible signs
the inference is that immediate eg
pansion of operations is cont«mplat«d
in that property Inquiry develop«
the fact that those most interested in
the matter have nothing to say regard
ing the future operations of the newly
created Highwood Coal Mines. While
the active work of building a loading
chute upon the ground selected for a
«
The perennial rumor of things do
in b the M ,i wa ukee was set afloat
. ... . , . .,
a g* in during the past week by the ap
pearance of a mysterious board of
inspection, said to be representative«
of the Milwaukee system, who toured
the Neihart branch, paying partie
ular attention to the depots, trackage.
bridges, etc. It revives recollections
of the assertions made in past years
that the Milwaukee has always had
designs upon the Belt coal fields and
several branches have already keen
built from some convenient point
near Highwood directly up Belt creek
imagination—an*i even exten
{sions have been projected by the ultra
wise to some indefinite point over
the mountains toward Smith river, al
though the object of such a line ha*
been somewhat hazy, even to the most
enthusiastic railroad extenders of
the crossroads directorate
It is true there is an unopened!.
field of proved coal in the Belt d'»
trict that is sufficient to tempt thejj
Milwaukee to extend its lines here,
i.
especially as the distance is not great,.
from the main line with no engineer
mg difficulties in the way. It is also!
true that a great expansion in th<
mining industry of the Neihart dis
trict is a very posible reality of the
near future and will probably be on
a scale that will tempt a rival carrier
to invade that section with another
railroa d
Strangers of this character are nol
prolific sources of news for newspaper
reporters, so there is little authority
for the foregoing surmises, but thea 1
a'-ain there might be something to it
after all.
-
LEGION WILL ENTERTAIN
LADIES AND EX-SERVICE MEM
-
Tonight is the regular meetinf
j K ht of Belt Valley Post No. 101, Am
er j can Legion, but the meeting will
be open to all ev-service men and all i
ladies eligible as members of the WV
men's Auxiliary of the American Le
(r j oni t j, e local post extending a cordial
invitation to all such to be present,
a short musical program has bees
prepared and brief talks will be made
outlining the aspirations of the I^egion
and allied organization, the gath
(ring being of an informal nature.
The committee in charge of to
night's entertainment desire to «très«
he fact that all wives, mother«,
daughter* and sisters of veterans of
the world war are eligible to become
members of the Women'« Auxiliary;
regardless of whether their husbands, j
brother* or fathers belong to the Ij*-,
gion or not, .
Mysterious Visit
Cause Speculation
ex-[location was held up this morning
permit from the Great Northern rail
way. it may be stated that part of the
on]material is on the ground and the new
company are apparently sanguine the
Jjpermit will be granted. The aite
the loading chut* is on the
high ground on the storage track used
by the G. W. Merkte Coal company.
The East Belt Coal Mines comprise
home 1600 acres of coal land lying
««st and north of Belt which has been
developed sufficiently to demonstrate
its value as one of the best in the Belt
district. For the past several months
ft has been producing in a limited way
for the commercial market on a roy
alty basis under the management of
Sam Williamson and is stated to be in
condition for a rapid increase in pro
auction. Under present conditions the
coal for shipment has to be hauled
about a mile by wagon or truck, bat
there are no engineering difficulties
in the way of putting a spur in from
the Great Northern,
The Belt high basket ball team
played the season's first out of town
... _, ^ ,
game with Fort Benton last Frit-ay
night on Benton's floor. Although
the score was 20 to 3 in Benton s fa
j vor an excellent game was played by
; ' Thrm.ehmn the «
°° ln vram *' mrougnom me u a ti» a
; great deal of speed and skill was
shown. During the first ten min
uteg 0 f p ) ay g e i t b ad the Benton sec
. . th.ir nnm.ncm» hot th.
n«i t bovs were suoerior In teiim work
" . ^ Hi J, .■ ' !
*. ^ th . f th
« minutes there was a hard
f OUB . ht K battle neither side icorinu- !
. F , , _ , • . J*
f ' The first half
w?th the tore seven toone" Benton '
. . fj ld baskets and three
- . , R f
^ cond ha , d f bejfan wj th both the
1 " 6 8e f on ". v, al J. ncK an witn Dotn tne
the^ame wfme cxcïwfinSy'fas^Uy^
6 waTexhibited bv both teams Ben
! * "" 6 , 7 . ?St,
iscored five field baskets anw three ;
throws bnt Belt seemed unable
to con ™ t th ' basket OirtH the
h ««-ond of olav when a field baaket
whUethe timf k.ewr's
Thp
follows i
'
Benton
McCoy Center Harris 1
Butt* R- Forward Hogan)
Pattsner L. Forward Murray
Shannon R. Guard Schoonover
Johnson L. Guard McGlish
I^eater, Sub. i
Belt Second in De
bate and Basketball
\ game is scheduled to be played
tomorrow evening at the Belt audi
toriuni between the Belt high and
the Teton high. This will be a real
game, as to the best of recollections i
the Chouteau boys have never won
a game on the Belt floor, which is
evened up by the fact that the Belt
team has never won from them on ;
the Chouteau floor.
Equally luckles« was the debating ,
contest between the Belt high and the
Geraldine high held Friday evening
at Geraldine, Superintendent Culver I
accompanying Pearl Marquardt, Ber- I
nice Sutherland and T. A. Remington,
Jr., the contestant« representing the
Belt high school. As only two judge« !
were available the requirement# were
that the decision should be unanimous
with the result the judges disagreed.
later after conference deciding in fa
vor of Geraldine. The manner of de
eiaton indicates that the Belt repre- '
sentative* made a most excellent
showing aftd it wa* further conceded
that in the rebuttal they had much
tha best of it
Society of Eternal Nuisances Stage
Badger Fight tor Entertainment ot
Selves and Education of Tenderfeet
With the coming of the chinook
winds Saturday, several residents
brought reports to town that badgers
had commenced to come from their
holes where they had been hibernât
ing for the winter, and with the infor-ja
mation the Society of Eternal Nuia
ancte which has its meeting place at
the Morrow garage, holding regular
sessions each evening, began to long
for an old fashioned badger fight,
something that had not been staged
for some time. Accordingl
mittee composed of John
Ben Kennedy were appointed to make
the plans and procure the badger,
Sunday, with a coninuance of the chi
nook, they had no trouble in procur
ing a badger, and after considerable
coaxing finally gained the consent of
W. J. Harner to pit his brindle bull
pup against the animal, which had
been taken to the Belt Hardware
store, securely anchored to a heavy
chain, and to make its safekeeping
doubly sure, placed in a box under
two heavy crates of hardware. Dur
ing the balance of Sunday the badger
was fed raw meat to arouse his fer
ooity. then starved all day Monday so
that he would be in a stag« ready
to tackle anything for a square meal
At Sunday evening's session of the
Society of Eternal Nuisance# the com
ing fight was the only subject of dis
cussion. and all day Monday members
and visitors dropped into the meeting
place to talk of the affair. Betting on
the outcome was free, Jaap and Ken
nedy as well as others picking the
- -— , „
lisaniAP lllarLa see«
Hen er wonts on
IIUIIIUI If 0100 Mil
_
flnnninn'A D w. T
UUblllilM Ml Dl & I
VpUlllllg HI Ml W II
y a com
Jaap and
The plans for reopening the Amer
icon Bank & Trust company at Great
balls are of local interest from the
fact that Leo A. Henter, formerly
cashier of the First National Bank of
Belt. is active in the matter and ha#
already submitted several propositions
to the stockholders and directors. A
meeting was held Monday evening at,
holders and depositors are requested
which Mr. Henter aubmitted a plan
to the stockholder« present and which
wilh be submitted again tonight at a
medtmg called at which all stock
Henter is to form a holding corpor
to be present. According to the state
ment of one of the directors present at l
Monday night's meeting, the plan «f :
Mr. Henter isto form a holding corpor
«tion in which deoositors of the bank
w jjj s tock to the amount of their
dppogjt*, the corporatfo n to secure
funds by subscription to the treasury j
stock of the holding corporotion, nec-1
essary for reopening the bank. The
not ^ f u i| y worked out
but the plan appeared feasible to those
who heard Mr. Henter explain it. suf- j
ficiently so at least that the meeting
has been called for this evening.
Albert W. Springhorn, chief deputy
in the office of State Superintendent j
of Banks L. Q. Skelton, was recom
mended as receiver of the Ameriran 1
Bank Ä Truat company of Great Falls!
to Judge J. B. Leslie in the district |
court Friday morning by Mr. Skelton!
* n< * Mr - Springhorn was duly ap- j
Pointed by the court,
ALTAR SOCIETY TO GIVE
THIRD CARD PARTY SOON?
- j
Tht ' of the Altar Society of j
Mark's Catholic church are ar
"*■ T-i T *
™nging « or the third of a senes of
P^P^hir card parties, to be given at :
th c P ariah ha ' l two weeks from to
night. Thursday, January 26. 'Hie next |
party of the series will be on Wash
ington's Birthday, Wednesday even
ing, Femruary 22. The usual excel
, nt ) um .b prepared by the ladies will
be served on both occasions.
*
- : -
DrPT|||D|MT UlM CAMP
nCO I Ä'JflÄn I WÄH 10 uUlfC
i Neil Wallace, who for the past sev
eral months conducted the restaurant
in the Nets Roman building opposite
the city hall, is a much sought nan.
Not only is his absence from the city
i missed by the proprietors of several
business houses but Sheriff Bob G«r
don and hi# local deputy. Jay Lelnnd.
would like awfully well to know his
whereabout*.
Wallace Saturday completed a deal ;
for the sale of his restaurant business
and that evening loaded hi« few be
longings into s Studebaker car and
departed for point# unknown The car ,
he had recently purchased for $50. ;
the garage taking a mortgage on the
car for the balance due. Now Fred
L. SeigTing, the proprietor, has the
sheriff's office searching for Wallace
on a charge of removing stolen prop
< rty from the county, while it is also
said the sheriff hold* paper» war
ranting the arrest of Wallace on a
charge of issuing a worthies« check. (
The garage is not the only one to
suffer loss, as Wallace owed a num
ber of accounts about the city for
merchandie of various kinds.
■ badger to win, twain«« Hamer's brin
die boll pup was plainly showing
signs of an over-indulgence in food
and carrying weight, which made it
certain that he could not last through
long fight, which the promoters be
lieved the badger capable of putting
up. However, there were those who
believed the pup would make short
work of the badger and ao which
ever way one wanted to fcet, he had no
; trouble finding a taker,
nois and has been here for the past
j few monhs looking the country over in
quest of a ranch. Tom has seen lots
of.ranches—but never a badger fight,
but as he is a likable boy, anxious to
i learn and adopt the ways
j to make the sports of the west his
sports, some member of the chib sug
gested that he be invited to attend the
j fight
sgreed to this suggestion but insisted
that if on« non-member was to be ad
; mitted that the affair be thrown open
| to the public. And this was finally
decided upon, with the result that
Monday evening found the entire male
population gathered at the Belt Hard
ware store.
places from whiçh a view of the ring
could be had. Manager Jaap instructed
Mr. Hamer to bring on his dog, and
he did so a breathless silence fell
over the assemblage. The dog made
.for the box in which the badger re-
poeed—but nary a move from Mr.
Badger—and Jaap and Kennedy began
to think their •money was a thing of
the past. Someone suggested that
the badger be pulled from the box by
** ^ ^ ® who
hails from Nebraska and has only
been in Montana the past few months
'as manager of the Farmers' elevator,
«« 1 ls »»I quite familiar with all
f(irm8 of we8tt>ni S p or t though he is
learning fast -kindly consented to do
pulling . However, he waa wear
j A frequent visitor at the garage is
one Tom Foley, who hails from Illi.
of the west,
that night. The other members
When all had found
_ „
ln K on '>' dress shoe«, while Foley was
wearing a pair of high boots and the
committee in charge thought it safer
f or ( Boley to do the pulling, parttcu
lafly •• he was * < i rt Kue«t
°* the Society of Eternal Nuisance«
as well as having his legs protected
by boots. But Tom did not like to
himself conspicuous, demurred a
little,and it waa only Jaap • to
that the badger be palled from
in * way that he
Would have an 'advantage over the
"Of the first fling that Finally
gained Foley s conaeiVt, though Hotch
was willing and anxious to take a
chance all the time,
But once his mind made up Foley
'° 8t no a*" 1 P 01 iwxxictent
strength to his pull to land a utensil
common household use a few years
a *o , in midst of the ring■--much
to own amazement and the am
usement of the crowd Evidently
fiarmg the badger would follow above
m« n tioned utensil, Foley hot-footed
,() end of the room, hut when the
significance of the affair dawned
"P 011 !' irn -.„ î î7. "hodght" and re
marked Well.its only throughex
that " w,ow l « arn, '
1
|
j
.. ... .. . t1 , .
j _ M y rtle M.. wife of Chas^Atkmson of
j Cora creek, died Monday following an
operation at one of the Great Fall#
^ ... ... .o
hospitals. Mr«. Atkinson wai 42
: „ of and thi# wag tbo third
y ^
| operation she had undergone during
the last 18 months, and it was con
sidered as an alternative effort to pro
long her life. It is stated that she
realized the seriousness of her condL
tion and was resigned to the at
tempt, though she felt a premonition
that if w <>uld be useless. The body
was brought to Belt yesterday morn
) j n g and taken in charge by C. E.
Peterson who directed the funeral
which was held at 2 o'clock from the
M. E. church. Rev. Alexander Aiton
conducting the services. Interment
was made in Pleasant View cemetery,
. The funeral was largely attended
by neighbor« and friends of the fam
ily.
Mrs. Atkinson was one of the best
known and generally respected wo
men of the Belt valley. She was born
in Springville, Ind., coming to Mon
tana with her parents jn 1890 and had
made her home in this vicinity ever
since. She was married to Chas. At
kinaon in 1894 at Arromgton and
was the mother of 12 children, 11 of
whom are now living. Four daughters
and ^ seven sons, namely Mrs.
McConkey of Warrick and Lueuw.
Mabel and Martha and Harry, Don
aid, George, John,Charles. Howard
and Henry . ^ She is also survn^d by
her husband and moth«', Mrs. Matoe
Monier of Raynesford. The family
Have the sincere sympathy of the en- .
lire community in the untimely death
of a faithful, conscientious and loving
wife and mother.
Passing of Mrs.
Charles Atkinson