The Billings gazette. [volume], August 04, 1903, Page 8, Image 8

About The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919

Image provided by: Montana Historical Society; Helena, MT

                
`iL JA.(E" PITCHES HER
I.INAL CAMP.
ON iE OF FICTION
tn1a. by Novelists Who Took
Advantage of Her Startling
Nick Name.
At last she is dead,"Calamity Jane,"
she of the cheoeered career and un
4lim.ted fondness for whisky, with a
man's a1tility to drink it.
She died at Terry, a mining camp in
t:he Black Hills, last Saturday. In
~iammnation of the bowels killed her.
!To some, perhaps it may come as
a surprise that death finally found
Jane and concluded to take her with
him, for many had begun to think
that she was destined to live forever,
a belief that the old girl herself ap
Arsd in and lived accord
ngly. there was no future.
8he of the present with
its 'what she was pleased
to designate and regard as pleasure,
and gave no heed to the morrow. So
long as there was whisky to be had,
a place in which she could stretch
her frame when nature demanded a
little rest and sleep and a few pieces
of clothing to cover her nakedness,
and Jane was as happy as any queen
that was ever surrounded by vassals
and ,laves ready to do her every beck
and. nod. In respect to life and the
things that go to make it endurable
she was blessed with an optimism
that was really enviable. In her way
'of philosophizing she reasoned that
life had come to her without her wish
es having been consulted and having
been thrust upon her, she did not per
mit herself to worry or ponder as
to its application. All she knew or
cared for was that she was alive. That
was enough for her to know. If others
were foolish enough to trouble their
minds with what they termed prob
lems a4td burden their brains with
vain speculation as to t)he future,
so much the worse for them. She
had no time or inclination for such
matters. The present suited her well
enough and the power that had given
her life and reason would have to
care for the unknown and look out
for the future.
"Calamity" was eminently material
istic in all things. That was her na
ture, and environment only intensified
and strengthened what nature had be
stowed. Perhaps, she sometimes
thought she had a soul, but if she did
nobody knew it for she was not given
to talking of things. spiriitual and
her knowledge of a deity was never
expressed, except when she delivered
herself of a 'string of profanity. Then
her vocabulary was astonishing and
limited only -by the number of deitiA
contained in her calendar, which, as
those know who have heard her on
such occasions, seemed to be as limit
:less as the number of gods worship
ped by the ancients. One of Jane's
few accomplishments was her power
as an prnate and picturesque user of
curses. Not only was the mistress of
every accepted term of profanity; but
as an originator and improvisor she
probably had no equal, even among
the hardened sinners who were her
constant companions.
Name Gave Fame.
"Calamity Jane" was one of those
persons who have fame, Tor at least
notoriety, thrust upon them. Had it
not .been for the fact that fighting,
old, Mike Egan of the First cavalry
dubbed .,her by the ~iame by '.hich
she was best known, it is tery likely
that outside of a few mining camps,
military posts and frontier towns she
would never have been heard of. That
name was so startling, so original
that it was bound to become known
and the writer of dime novels was not
slow to avail himself of it and one
morning "Calamity Jane," the camp
follower, the outcast, the member of
a class of women shufined and dis
owned, found herself famous and a
heroine. At first she resented the
appelation and it meant a fight or
at "least a tongue lashing for the one
wi thee'hardihoo4 to apply it in her
rigg,. But as she grew older she
a iser and it was not long before
riilized that the name once ab
p&and detested was 'her most
~ asset and she gloried in it,
ted o prefer it to any other.
a raid by Indians on
Captain Egan, whose
troop was known
ers of northern
ern Dakota,
°` y Jane."
attached'
tas has
enlisted men and teamstaes coninote
with the command mhade Itpsibhle
for hir tb t be With it. Caf.ain Egan'
was wounded and the woman, respond
ing to the better instincts of her sex
undertook to rescue him. This she
succeeded in doing. The tact that she
was there in violation of orders was
overlooked and henceforth she was
"Calamity Jane."
The Work of Romance-r.
While it os true that Jane was with'
many of the commands that wer aenr.
out from the little military posts of
the west during the seventies, -there
is no well authenticated record that
she ever was regularly employed by
the government as a scout, or even
nurse. There were many other women
of her kind who accompanied those
expeditions and to better conceal their
identity usually wore an old uniform
br the castoff clothing of some, team
ster. Thus arrayed .Cal'mi." has
been seen often and zmja4resting
stories are told of hh apadesa ani
those of "Broncho ~ and others
Like them. They are interesting stor
Les, but hardly of th.' kind that are
published. Those that have fotnd
their way into print, while less truth
!ul,- sound better and are not open to
objection, as would be the true ones.
Among the fiction that has been
published concerning "Calamity" is
her alleged capture of and subsequent
participation in the lynching of Jack
Mccall, who assassinated "Wild Bill."
McCall was captiired at Cheyenne, af
ter he had been released by'a miners'
court that tried him for the murder
of Hicox, the name of "Wild Bill."
He was taken to Yankton, then the
capital of Dakota territory, and le
gally hanged.
Jane was not, as is being continually
published, a member of the "Deadwood
Vigilance.'committee." . There never
was a vigilance committee in Dead
wood and nobody was ever lynched
In the town, something unusual for
an oldtime mining camp, perhaps, but
it is true, nevertheless. This, too,
.ontrary to the statement of a certain
long haired individual that she "al
ways' took part in every lynching
bee" and that it was "always a pretty
active part, too." The only mortality
to Which she was incident in Dead
wood 'was that inflicted upon the
brands of whisky that were sold in
those days over the bars of the dance
houses of which she was an ornament..
But death has finally claimed her
and with all her faults and virtues,
for she had a few of the latter, chief
of which was her generosity anwl liber
ality, she has gone to the other side
of the river that all must cross.
Those that knew her hope she was
kindly received and that a tear ilot
ted f:'m the register all record of'
her misdeeds and that she has been
accorded a seat well in front, where
the music of the heavenly hosts may
strike upon .-her ears and erase the
memory of the discordant notes of the
fiddles and battered old pianos to
which she so often attempted to keep
time here below.'
Cured Paralysis.
W." S. Baily, P. O. True, Texas,
writes: "My wife had been suffering
five years with paralysis in her arm,
when I was persuaded to use Ballard's
Snow Liniment, which cured her all
right. I have also used it for old
sores, frost bites, and skin eruptions.
It does the work. 25c, 50c and $1
bottle at Holmes & Rixon's.
Teachers' Examination.
The regular teachers' examination
will be held in the court room, Bill
ings, Mont., Aug. 28, beginning at
9 a. m. and continuing Saturday, Aug.
29, 1903.
MARGUERITE, M. STRANG,
27-8 County Supt. Schools.
Stable For Rent.
Apply at residence of Miss Panton,
Montana avenue., 26-2
Bureau,
Stockwell's ureau
36o7% MAont. Av
Bell 'Phone 89a; Moffett 'Phone 181.
No Charge for Male Help.
Help Wanted.
Roundup cook.
Dishwasher.
Competent girl for general house
work, country, $35.00.
All-'round restaurant cook, Big Tim
ber, $50.
Girls for general house workl ent
and ranch.
Waitress.
Hay hands.
.Men for railroad construction, west.
Ship every night.
For Rent.
Four rooms furnished for house
keeping; water, beat, electric light,
etc.; north sider$25.
Two-room libuse, furnished, north
side, $10.00.
For Sale.
Two-year-old short.hdrn Durham bull
Five-room house, 3 lots.
16 head heifers' and milch cows;
will sell all or in part.
One work horse; 2 .ponies.,
BENEFICENTl INThION OF GOV
ERNMENT D DFEt D
URGENT NEED fORi O ANGE
Serious Obstacles Encountered to the
Legitimate Administration of
National Irrigation Act.
Because of': the advantage that is)
taken by speculators a.. 4diehonest
persons who seemunder te eneficent
provisions of the national :irrigation
law an opportunity to grow .ealthy
in a manner not intended by'the fram
ers and promoters of the ait, much
alarm is felt by the hoiest friends of
that law lest its very object be de
feated and lubsequent legislation fol
low to undo that which it t;ok years
of patient labor to accomhpli:h. Avail
ing themselves of the existing laws,
to secure possession of .ilaie tracts
that figure in the schemeiof ultimate
reclaiation, speculators are acquir
ing title to lands to the' exclusion of
the .bona fide settler and ·omemaker
to an extent hardly realized by even
the people of the states to which the
irrigation act applies. To 'arouse a
sentiment for revision of the laws
and compei'eongress to change,them
so that fraudulent acquisition, of the
public domain shall be no longer
possible is one of the. laudable tasks
to which the National Irrigation asso
ciation has applied itself. Uinder the
h~eading, "The Homemaker nor the
Speculator?" the following article has
been contributed by William A.
Smythe, a prominent member of that
strong oreanization:
Shall the nation's great domain of
western arid lands. and the nation's
money be used to enrich a compara
tively few greedy individuals,,orbshall
they be used to furnish security and
happiness for millions of men, women
and children?
Uncle Sam is still rich enough. to
give us all a farm. And an irrigated
farm, at that. It is not a deeamy but
a fact that the present population of
the United States can be duplicated
on the arid public domain in the West.
This can be done without making' new
comeptitors for those already engaged
in agricultural pursuits in the east
and in the south. On the other hand,
this wonderful act of planting s. new
nation In what is now all but -anr un
broken wilderness will confer enor
mous benefits on those sections which
are already covered with farms, fac
tories and towns.
The subjugation and settlement of
thh great empire of public lands
means that every factory wheel in the
United States must whirl faster, that
every banking house must handle
more money, and that every railroad
must transport more passengers ;and
freight. This, in turn, means a larger
and busier population in every eastern
and southern town, and that, of course,
will ,quicken and enlarge the demand
for all the products of the soll ;In
,the older sections of the country, -In
the meantime, that -which is grown
from the soil to be conquered by irri
gation in the west will go almost 6i
clusively ,to the feeding of new hbome
markets to be created within the
arid region itself and to the satisfac
tion of unlimited demands in the
orient and in the frozen north.
Congress has decreed that the great
policy of national "irigation shall -be
entered upon without delay. Already
the engineers and surveyors are doing
their work and five great projects
have been reported favorably tQ ?the
interior department. Only about f-7,
000,000 are required to carry all five
to completion and the money is in .the
treasury awaiting the call. But 'upon
the threshold of the greatest con
structive policy to which this nation
has ever set its hand, a new andapid
palling obstacle is encountered.--Al
most every acre of these lands which
the nation is about to prepare fo -the
sw'arming of a bome-building .popula
tion may, under existing laws, beh ,ts
len "apd used as the baslaof a proi
fitable speculation. And'those wh :de
sire to secure these lands for speci
lative purposes are strong enoug to
tie the hands of congress until tie
deed shall have been done. .iS
too, in spite of the fact that the pres
ident of the United States has urged
the repeal of these iniquitous .and
laws as something which is vital to
the success of the national irriga.ton
policy. Shall the nation's land, then,
Iand the pation's money be used to.en
rich .- I.omparatively few greedy int
vridups, or hall hpthey be used tq flSr
nslseciurity and happiness for .pim
lions of men, women and: oildmnp
This is the question which,apo be
mnarer d when a spag eats wiaa
opl he Ilmeintega eaw, And dtli~;.,a'
e ad te ct Th ee re
whict; :bp olurit . t ae ix st ed
pndpei t publinow oiwpio te save the
rpeople being syrem;tically t
wro cannot use it,t but who propih
to sell it at enormoes prafi t to reir
pomeseekers while th e p ation se atieh
heav mmuetplied its value an hundrel
oand lawbyman of tHe e nitation l.au
of the naomtin has land for every tma
plant crops, .uld n a houese, arethle
pown tvi suions t existing stailues t.Oil
woil. Bsoluteu n theon has ot ai~
eahot cannot t useto it,ve nbut ho propose
ma who erely enormousee profit to fore
heactual settler and thsell out to hiall
at a -profdt, or become a landlord ch-l
ecting multipnome fromlied its valutenantshundd
Under theion hapresent land forevelws mian
l.pe of acres are being ,taketi by those*
who have no thought of breakon it in
oilantng crope,s, or buldna house, ahomee
downe are mere hisve familytrers .and ape
ulators. The desert has no lanw di
east ai chance to obthave noe-for sohe
the aout residence and wie out tocul him
lation 3in0 acre fr of his trihesnants. ol
Und earth-enough for 6 aws mill-es
she commillanting c laus e o f the: home.
stead law gives them a chance tochance.t obtaino ta oke
up 160 acres with but the barest pr
tenh of residence, and that for onuli
14 monthe, The timber and. stone act
nables t20em tacres of acquie rorest saidl
quarries for a Ibagatelle and" to hold
othem for specultve 16 famdvnces.
Frank Stockton left 4the hero.f
his famous tale hesitat~ng befo.
twoe doors. f he opened one, it meant
lie and lhappiness; them a chceto taker,
deaup 160th And the but the bon was neve
answered-"The Lady or ,the Tiger?"
tencle Saof rem stands t th door onlf he
arid region. Hit foot .is on the thresh
1ld, his hand is at the latch. Shall
it bes them thomemaker or the specila
tor? Shall it be life and happiness
ther millions, or a riot and arniceval
Frank Stoulation leftat the expense of the
eopl ale hesitating befre?
ansThere is but one way to answthe Tiger?"
guestaon in the interest of the.netion's
welfare. That is to repeal the vicioush
provisiond of the existing landtch. laws
tn accordance wih the presdenand happiness
recommendation.
CO TO. BUTTE
WITH THE ELKS
First Annual Meetibg of the Montana Elks
State Aossciation, Butte, August
13 and z4
Low Rates on All the Railroads for Every
bod.-0ne Fare and a Third -for the
Round Trip-Tickets Good for Five
- Days-Children Half Fare.
take advantage of the opportunity to
see the Miningtown and its busy streets,
its great park, its trees and flowers, its
shady nooks, and the warm welcome
awaiting you, and you can
Have the Time of Your Life.
The Elks have prepared to make it
pleasant for you. The program for the
two-days will eclipse anything ever seen)
in the state of Montana before. It will
inclued a grand parade that will make a
three-ring circus outfit lookinsignificant,
an Elks -bll game between Helena and4
Butte:for the state charmpionsh'ip;. amiý.
strel show by the Anaconda Elks troup
at the Broadway Theatere, evening of;
August 18; Business meeting ofthe state
Elks August 14; social session in the
afternoon. Grand State Ball` at the
famous Colunibia Gardens in theevening'
of August 14.
There Will Be Prizse for Contests.
Prizes for the handsomest lodge in the
parade: for the homiliest man; the pretti
est girl; the tallest man and the i.hrtest
man, the fatman and thelivitng skeleton;
the broadest smile, and for the mati who
does not admit that he is having the;
besttime in his life,
Go toButte and Be in It.
, - -- , - , ,, , .
JAS, K; MO
Sucessor to A. C. HOoSB
jeweler ari Q _i,
Graduate of two optical colleges.
Special attention to school chbil
dren's .eyes.
S ~ Clfatlon guaranteea and prices
moderate !or expert servPb.
aNo ch rg vich as ft whetheae
you 4ied su or If*ldI nes are
here porma tl.
St Wl ., 8. A.
ý;[ a ý fV,4 r 3ý 'tY' I
a nt +ý ýl '
contained In
O4 1 4 5 sop
Mfu3ture's grets m ~ ati~
p ive1 :helpful, n = itt i . .
(m 1r Lts. Pr9ared 0517 by twe
Anheu er-Busch Brewing Ass'n
et. La' U IUS. A. .
ýit ? °'} 4 bus idld.b Sheep. lid
hab ealnr. B,000H n ep
FOR SASE.
O F BILLIyOS, ,ONANA
A AConsisting of about 7,00
PSheep WagonB HorsesPe
Pull Equipment for Running 10,000 Sheep. oo Ranch P
the est RMrnge in the State, Capable of Ranging 15,00OSheep,
For full ,particulars write to or .call 'on -
TheDtw H Mo R.bants Blier
.Newcastle, Wami-ng.
OF BILLIN~GS, MONTANA.
PAID-UP CAPITAL ' - $150,000
SURPLUS. - 20,000
P. B. Moss, President.
M. A. ARNOLD, Cashier.
D. H. Moss JRx., Assistant -Cashierr.
-i 4
DIRECTORS
G. W. WOODSON, P. B. Moss, Jos. IMMRM AN
M. A. ARNOLD. S. G. REYNOLI5,
Transact a Genral ilg hsas--- eclons Promptly Made d Re : For
Tranacta Geera Baple usinss--ilolecionsfil RI ail ai
STABLISWHED J-ANUARY 1 1892
North Real EstateLoannd il
READ. ESTATE QEALS
INVEI TM BANKERS
IFIRE: .UANIC UNDERWRITERS
offer the largest list of city an- farmi property for sale in the city ofBilinm
any reasonable terms .or easy muonthly payments. Loan money on real est
security for local and non-resident investors. We carrj alla of the best loan~s on t.
miost favorable conditions. Insurance written against loss or damage by fire
the best companies, at the lowest rates obtainable.
AGENTS F0 PROPERTY OWNERS
i- NV EYANCtERS NOTAR PUJ IC
AU TIN NORTH. PRESIDsNT. J R, eORTHVI~v.PNghIpsIi
J. C. CREED, CAsHIR ECKA AuDoR
.Ofloss 202 North 27th Street; 81.e!
M 1 s Brig e
S Call a.nd ee our
NEW ST.N, L"AMPS, .
BRACET? LAMPS
FANCY AES
,ALOPHAN GLO B ,
CURLING IRON HEI"ATS RS
--ANd.-- ..
iuamerous Other Noyetie .
Cal and see us
In .I Y .
ILim