A history of Montana, Volume II, Part 96

Author: Sanders, Helen Fitzgerald, 1883-
Publication date: 1913
Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1002

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Mr. Schatzlein was always interested in the civic wel- fare of Butte, and unlike many men of artistic tempera- ment, was willing to share his time with the people. The unique plan of decoration of the new capitol build- ing at Helena, was conceived by Mr. Schatzlein. and

while his death occurred before the work could be com- pleted, his suggestions were followed and his efforts were mainly responsible for the magnificent mural scenes which now adorn the walls of this structure. He always took a man's place in the political affairs of the city and state, and he was three times elected alderman from the fourth ward of Butte, defeating John Forbis, Judge John G. McHatton and John Gillie, who were counted among the strongest men of the Democratic party. His personal popularity was great, his friends belonging to every walk of life, and had he chosen a political career, the honors which would have been his would have only been limited to those within the gift of his fellow citi- zens. He was a member of the Masonic fraternity, as well as of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. He was also a member of the Silver Bow Club, and was at one time president of the Business Men's Association.

Charles Schatzlein lived his own life, he did what he thought to be right, and cared nothing of what others might think of his actions. No display ever influenced him and nothing was more distasteful to him than shams of any description. He possessed some of the eccentricities of genius but these were natural to him and he never tried to hide them nor felt any necessity for apologizing for them. His word was as good as his bond and no man had any keener regard for an obliga- tion. His stand for what he considered right was im- movable. The high esteem and love which was accorded him in the city where he made his home for so many years was ably voiced by the editor of the Treasure State, on August 26, 1911, and it is not out of keeping with the fitness of things that his heartfelt tribute be recorded in this brief memoir. Here follows the arti- cie : "I first met Charlie Schatzlein about four years ago. I knew instinctively that I was in the presence of a rare and precious spirit. Men rarely realize a new friendship after forty, and yet he and I achieved this-to me-most inestimable prize. It was as though I had known him happily and wisely in some far off, long forgotten springtime when we were both boys, or gnomes, or trolls or nixies. For the prankish youth, the elfin fancy, the infinite adolescence of him shone out in his far-seeing eyes even yet; and not the torment of disease, the agony of surgical incision or the pres- ence of looming death could dim the quenchless boy- light of his eyes until they closed forever.

"It is not often that one finds in the incongruous days the heart of a boy, the mind of a man and the soul of an artist, symmetrical, harmonious and content, in one individual. And yet all these gracions endowments were radiant,-vocal,-vibrant Schatzlein. He seemed to know something about everything that was good to serve, savor or sweeten life. A poet of thought and deed, but not of words, for like all deeply impres- sionable and bravely prescient men, Charlie Schatzlein was a man who spoke seldom, and yet with a sweet gravity that gave an ultimate significance to all his utterances. The very catholicity of his interests gave token of the incessant keen versatility of his calmly inquisitive mind. His earnest poise, his unobtrusive energy, his unerring instinct for truth, his gravely happy satisfaction with all the wholesome manifestations of everyday life made him always an inspiring influence in the affairs of men and things around him.

"I have known few men whose mental mettle, flexible yet trenchant, clove .so cleanly and directly to the essen- tial heart of truth, nor one who cherished truth more jealously. For more than twenty years Charlie Schatz- lein has been the chief inspirational agent of art in Montana. In the banal life of Butte, his store became a studio, a conservatory, a work-shop, a home and sanc- tuary for pictorial expression and he manifested a trained and unerring instinct for that which is comely, ornate, harmonic and beautiful. His mind was a treasure trove of beauty and he carried qualities of wise

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benignance, of dynamic graciousness into politics, into commerce, into public and private enterprise for he was a man of many attainments and universal sympathies, and from every facet of his singularly gifted nature shone always the warm radiance of spiritual beauty. I shall not forget Charlie Schatzlein because, as many must have done, I envied him when he lived and rev- erence him now. His was the bookless wisdom-the unwritten erudition,-the matchless nurture,-splendid development,-the priceless diploma and the graduated completion of a modest and gentle man." He was in art for art's sake, and worked incessantly for the devel- opment of art. This was in a new country, and while not receiving the response it would have in other sec- tions, was not without its good results. In years to come these efforts by Mr. Schatzlein, will be found to be the very foundation, as has already began to appear, of art development in the state.

On the 17th of June, 1885, Mr. Schatzlein was mar- ried to Miss Emma Martin, born in Saint Claire, Pennsylvania. She was the daughter of James Thomas and Margaret (Corby) Martin, both natives of Eng- land. The father settled in Pensylvania as a young man coming from England and was a prominent con- tractor in that state while he lived. He was a veteran of the Civil war, having served in a regiment of Penn- sylvania Volunteers. The mother is still a resident of Truro, Massachusetts. Mrs. Schatzlein has three sis- ters : Mrs. W. E. Carroll, of Butte; Mrs. Horace Snow, of Truro, Massachusetts, and Mrs. I. N. Congdon, of Butte. Mr. Schatzlein was fortunate in his selection of a wife, for Mrs. Schatzlein was an ideal helpmate, herself keenly appreciative of art, and the two had many tastes in common. Since his death the widow has ably managed the estate with its business connections, giving her personal attention to various details, with a skill and vigor which would reflect credit upon almost any veteran of finance.

RALPH H. BEMIS. Well known in Montana is Ralph Bemis, U. S. commissioner, who is one of the interested principals in the ownership and management of the Belt Valley Times and in other ways is prominently iden- tified with interests in his section of the state.

Mr. Bemis is of Irish and Scotch descent and on both the paternal and maternal sides has sprung from old American families, as the Bemis family was estab- lished here a number of generations before the Revo- lution, by Irish emigrants, and his mother's people, the Nevens, were Scotch settlers in New England long prior to the conflict that established us a nation.

Ralph H. Bemis was born in Worcester, Massachu- setts, August 19, 1861. His father was Horace C. Bemis and his mother was Harriet Nevens prior to her mar- riage. Horace C. Bemis was a native of Vermont and for a number of years was a shoe manufacturer in the east prior to his removal to Minnesota about 1871. There he followed farming until about 1890 when he retired from active life and became a resident of Osh- kosh, Wisconsin, where he died in 1893 at the ad- vanced age of ninety-three. He was one of the Union's brave defenders during the Civil war, his service having been as a member of Company A, First Massachusetts Heavy Artillery. His marriage to Harriet Nevens took place in Boston, though she, too, was a native of Vermont. They were the parents of three children, of whom Ralph H. was the youngest. Mr. Bemis at- tended the public schools of Manchester, New Hamp- shire to the age of thirteen, and after leaving school spent two years on his grandfather's farm in Vermont. In 1878 he joined his father in Minnesota, but after one year on the farm there he took up the life of a sailor on Lake Superior and followed it a couple of seasons. Next he joined the lumber camps in the pineries of northern Wisconsin where he worked about

one year. From there he came to Montana, arriving in the spring of 1881 and settling first in the Yellowstone valley. During his earlier days there he followed va- rious vocations, was for a time a cowboy, then did freighting, and for eight years was employed in the quartz mines at Butte, Bannack City and other points. In 1895 he came to Belt and purchased an interest in the Belt Valley Times, which had been established the year previous and which he continued to own jointly with J. E. Sheridan until the company became incor- porated in 1900. At that time Mr. Bemis became man- ager and the principal stockholder in the corporation, which relation he still sustains. The paper is Repub- lican in its political nature and is a publication which aims to advance the interests of this section of Mon- tana and to aid in laying the foundations of an en- lightened commonwealth.

In 1908 Mr. Bemis was appointed U. S. commissioner for the district of Montana, the duties of which re- sponsible distinction he continues to perform with ability and fidelity. He is an ardent Republican and for years has been an active and prominent participant in Republican party counsels in their relation to na- tional, state and local affairs.

In January, 1893, at Neihart, Montana, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Bemis and Miss Elizabeth White. She is the daughter of Albert G. and Mary S. White, both natives of Illinois who became early settlers in Montana, locating at White Suphur Springs in 1883. Three children have come to the union of Mr. and Mrs. Bemis ; namely : Elsie C., born at Neihart, and Harriet M. and John A., both of whom were born at Belt.

From 1903 to 1908 Mr. Bemis served as trustee of the Belt school board and at all times has been recognized as one of that city's most public-spirited citizens. He is a member of the Belt Commercial Club, of which he was also secretary from 1909 to 1912, and fraternally is identified with the local lodge of the Knights of Pythias. Hunting and fishing are his chief diversions in the way of outdoor sports. He is a lover of good literature and is also interested in the art of music, being the leader of the Crescent orchestra at Belt.

GEORGE F. BROOKS. Numbered among the substan- tial business men of Missoula is George F. Brooks, a valued and highly useful citizen, who throughout his years of residence in this locality has ever taken a warm interest in local progress and improvements, heartily endorsing all enterprises that promise to be of benefit to city or county. Of New England ances- try, he was born, May 1, 1858, in Boston, Massachusetts, and there received his early education. His father, James B. Brooks, a native of Vermont, migrated to Boston when young, and was there connected with the police force until his death, at the early age of thirty- eight years, being then in manhood's prime. His widow, whose maiden name was Eliza Cushman, was born and reared in New Hampshire.

Fitted for college in the Boston schools, George F. Brooks continued his studies in Hanover, New Hamp- shire, entering Dartmouth College in 1877, and heing graduated as a civil engineer with the class of 1881, in June of that year. His record for attainments and ability being especially good, he was selected from among his classmates to fill the offered position of rodman with the Northern Pacific Railroad Company, and came to Bozeman, Montana, where he entered the employ of Colonel Dodge, surveyor for the road. At the end of the season, Mr. Brooks came to Missoula as topographer on location, serving in that capacity under I. S. P. Weeks, who had charge of the work, and has since made this city his home. For three years he had charge of construction for position of the Northern Pacific road in this state, and was then sent to Yakima. Returning to Missoula in 1885, Mr. Brooks was for two years connected with the operat

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ing department of the Northern Pacific Railroad in this vicinity. In the meantime he was appointed county surveyor of Missoula county, and in addition to his work in Missoula was employed as a surveyor in Ravalli, Flathead, Lincoln and Sanders, doing gen- eral surveying for the government in various places. Giving up his professional work in 1889, Mr. Brooks has since been actively and prosperously engaged in the real estate and loan business, and through diligent labor and wise management has acquired a goodly share of this world's goods.

Mr. Brooks married, June 4, 1885, in Missoula, Fanny J. Cate, a native of New Hampshire. Although not a politician, Mr. Brooks takes an active interest in public matters, lending his influence towards the estab- lishment of beneficial enterprises. Fraternally he is a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Order of Masons.

JERRY MULLINS. An active and prosperous business man of Butte, Montana, Jerry Mullins was born, August 23, 1858, in Quebec, Canada, of Irish parentage, his father, Daniel Mullins, having been. born and reared in Ireland. The latter, who was born in County Cork in 1827, immigrated to America in 1846. He first settled in Massachusetts, but during the building of the Grand Trunk Railway went to Canada, where he assisted in the construction of that road as a contractor. In :886 he came to Butte, Montana, and was there engaged in mining pursuits until his death, at the Saint James hospital, on September 7, 1901, the day following the assassination of President Mckinley. He married, in Canada, Mary Mahoney, who was born in Ireland in 1826, and died, January 20, 1873, in Michigan, where the family were then living.

The youngest of a family of nine children, Jerry Mullins, was educated in the schools of Marquette county, Michigan, attending regularly until fourteen years old. He subsequently earned his first money by driving a horse, receiving a dollar a day wages, while his first permanent employment was as a day laborer on the Canadian Pacific Railroad. In 1879 he started out for himself alone going to Black Hills, where he followed mining for two years. Coming thence to Butte in 1881, Mr. Mullins continued his mining opera- tions for five years, after which he made his first mer- cantile venture, opening a saloon on the east side of Main street, where he continued in business a year. The ensuing four years he was variously employed, and from February. 1890, until 1895, was in partnership with John A. Stromberg, being junior member of the firm of Stromberg & Mullins. Since the withdrawal of the senior member of the firm, Mr. Mullins has con- tinued the business alone. He is secretary and treas- urer of Tivoli Brewing Company, and is serving as president of the Montana Protective Association.

Politically, Mr. Mullins uniformly supports the prin- ciples of the Democratic party by voice and by vote, and takes great interest in local affairs. He represented the Sixth ward of Butte for four years in the city council, two years of the time being president of the council, and in 1885 and 1886 served as deputy sheriff under Eugene D. Sullivan. Fraternally, Mr. Mullins belongs to the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, and to the Order of Eagles.

On August 18, 1893, at Deer Lodge, Montana, Mr. Mullins was united in marriage with Katharine O'Neil, who was born in Michigan, a daughter of John and Mary O'Neil, and their only child, Mary Leona Mullins, was born in Butte, Montana, June 15, 1894. Mr. Mul- lins and his family are members of the Roman Catholic church, and have a pleasant home at No. 510 North Galena street.

O. A. FALLANG. When a man has been elected to a public office for more than fourteen successive years

and holds the honor of having been chosen to fill his position more times than any other official in the same office in his state, it must be conceded that he has proven himself eminently worthy to discharge the duties of his position. Such is the record of O. A. Fal- lang, sheriff of Sweet Grass county, a man whose courage and persistence have made him feared by the criminal class throughout Montana. Mr. Fallang was for some years engaged in a successful business, but gave up his private interests to accept the call from the public arena, and has given to his office the same conscientious attention that characterized all his busi- ness dealings. Mr. Fallang was born at Black Brook, Polk county, Wisconsin, December 28, 1874, and is a son of Peter O. and Marie (Olsen) Fallang, natives of Norway. His father came to the United States in 1870, and located in Polk county, Wisconsin, where he was engaged in lumbering and farming, subsequently removing to Fillmore county, Minnesota, where he served as deputy sheriff. In 1881 he came to Gallatin county, Montana, where for something more than a year he was engaged in lumbering, but in 1882 took up a homestead at the east base of the Crazy mountains, on Otter creek. There he is still engaged in the sheep business. He went into the sheep busi- ness in 1883 and has also raised cattle and horses. stanch Republican, he has always interested himself A in public matters, and at the time Sweet Grass county was organized from a part of Park county, he served as a member of the board of county commis- sioners. He and his wife, who also survives, have had eight children, of whom six are living.

O. A. Fallang was educated in the public schools of Melville, Montana, and the Montana Agricultural Col- lege at Bozeman, where he took a course in mechanical engineering. In May, 1898, he became a volunteer in Company L, First Regiment, Montana Volunteer In- fantry, which saw hard fighting in the Philippines and during the Spanish-American war, Mr. Fallang partic- ipating in twenty-six engagements. An efficient and faithful soldier, his courage was never questioned, and he earned the admiration of his comrades and the re- spect of his officers. He was mustered out at San Francisco, California, October 17, 1899, and on his return to Sweet Grass county purchased a ranch. This proved a decidedly successful venture, but in 1901 he sold his property, having decided that he should give all his attention to the duties of sheriff, to which office he had been elected in 1900. He received the successive re-elections in 1902, 1904, 1906, 1908, 1910, 1912, with a larger majority than ever before, and has made a record that should prove worthy of emulation by others holding a like position. Since January 7, 1901, he has made his home in Big Timber, the county" seat of Sweet Grass courty, and here he has a wide acquaintance and many friends. He is a stanch Republican, and in fraternal matters is a popu- lar member of Doric Lodge No. 53, A. F. & A. M., the Modern Woodmen of the World, the Knights of the Maccabees, and Big Timber Lodge No. 25, Knights of Pythias and Dornix Camp W. O. W.

Mr. Fallang was married December 23, 1902, to Miss Susie Whitfield, who was born near London, England, and for several years was a schoolteacher in Maquoketa, Iowa, and Big Timber. She died November 2, 1907. having been the mother of two sons; Eugene and Kenneth. On August 2, 1911, Mr. Fallang was married (second) to Miss Sarah M. Whitfield, who was born in Iowa; she also was for many years a teacher in the schools in Maquoketa, Iowa, and Big Timber, Montana.

J. M. KEITH. Our Canadian cousins may decline to enter into reciprocity treaties with us, but they have been more than generous in contributing to our citi- zenship Missoula, like so many cities of the great northwest, has drawn upon the Dominion of Canada

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for men to fill the highest places in all professions and all the lines of business. Their representatives are found everywhere, and as they are the best of Cana- dians, so they are the best of Americans. Mr. Keith was born in the eastern portion of British America, as New Brunswick is his birthplace. Both Lewis Keith and his wife, Rebecca Blakely Keith, were born in that province and ended their lives there. Our sub- ject was born June 5, 1859, and received his education in the public schools of New Brunswick. His father was a farmer, but the son did not choose that calling. Upon finishing school, he spent a few years in mercan- tile business in his home town, and at the age of twenty- two came to Missoula. In 1881, the city was a very small place indeed. Mr. Keith was engaged in clerical work for the Eddy, Hammond Company, an organiza- tion which has now become the great Missoula Mercan- tile Company, one of the powerful corporations of the state. For seven years Mr. Keith was in charge of the office of the company, but in August, 1888, he left this place to become cashier of the Missoula National Bank. He remained in this bank until 1910 and in the twenty-two years during which he was connected with it, he was responsible for much more than the mere fulfillment of the duties of cashier. For a number of years before he severed his connection with the bank, he was vice-president of it, and has almost entire charge of its business. To the wisdom of his policies, and to his discernment in choosing its investments, that establishment owes a large part of its prosperity. In February, 1910, Mr. Keith became president of the Missoula Trust & Savings Bank, and he still holds that position. His connection with this bank is one of its valuable assets, for his career has been one of steady advancement and unvarying success.

Mr. Keith is not a politician, but he is deeply inter- ested in all matters of civic welfare, and has served three terms as mayor of Missoula. His campaign did not demand a great deal of his time for he was selected by a citizens' movement, and elected without opposition. He brought to the administration of the city affairs that efficiency which has made his success in the commercial realm and to this was added his pride and interest in all which makes for the supremacy of the city and of the state. He has served on the school board and on the public library board, and is always ready to push any movement for the good of the community. The confidence with which Mr. Keith is regarded is a measure of the loyalty with which he has served his fellow citizens.

In 1890, Mr. Keith was married to Miss Harriet Beckwith, who is also a native of New Brunswick. Her parents were Charles and Sarah Beckwith. One daughter, Jennie, was born to Mr. and Mrs. Keith, but died at the age of four years.

In the fraternal organizations of the city, Mr. Keith is connected with the Masons, the Knights of Pythias and with the Elks.

F. W. KUPHAL. One of the most efficient and pop- ular county officers who has ever served the public here, is F. W. Kuphal, a German by birth, but a resi- dent of Montana since 1881. He was born on the 3rd day of November in the year 1846, his parents being F. W. and Dorothy (Wegener) Kuphal, both resi- dents of Germany until the time of their death. After completing the thorough course in the German schools, Mr. Kuphal received the benefit of the best business training which Germany could furnish, and for a num- ber of years was in business there. He was married in 1875 to Bertha Harold and the two older children, Fred and Henry, were born before the family came to this country.

When Mr. Kuphal arrived in this state, he at once identified himself with the various activities of the community. He was engaged in mercantile business,

but this did not prevent him from taking active part in all public affairs. He had a natural aptitude for state- craft, and soon was recognized as a power in local politics. In 1898, he was elected to the legislature, and in the stirring times following this period, Mr. Kuphal bore a prominent part. In 1900 he gave up his mer- cantile work, and went to Butte to accept a position under Senator Clarke, with whom he remained until 1905, as clerk in his general office in that city. When the Bonner dam was constructed, Mr. Kuphal was entrusted with the financial management of the enter- prise, and by the time the work was completed, in 1908, he had decided that Missoula, the garden city, was the place he desired to live in, and, accordingly, he established his domicile here. He opened a real estate office, but before he had been many months in the business, the representatives of the Democratic party waited upon him, and requested him to be their candidate for the office of county clerk and recorder. He was nominated and elected by a large majority, and when, in 1910, he again ran for the office, he was re- turned for it with the largest majority ever given to a Missoula county candidate for any office. On Novem- ber 5, 1912, by the biggest majority given, Mr. Kuphal was elected to the state legislature from the thirteenth district.

F. W., junior, is one of the men who have made a reputation in musical circles in the city, and he is one of the most popular performers at high class enter- tainments in both Butte and Helena. At present he is studying in Berlin, and previously he has been in the conservatory at Leipsic. The second son, Henry E., is a mining engineer, and is as distinguished in his profession as is his brother in his more artistic calling. The other brother, Herbert, is now a student in the University of Montana and the two sisters, Antoinette, and Elisabeth, are both married. The former is Mrs. Fred Hensolt, and the latter, Mrs. W. H. Sonntag.

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A history of Montana, Volume II, Part 96

Author: Sanders, Helen Fitzgerald, 1883- Publication date: 1913 Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Publishing Co. Number of Pages: 1002

Author: Sanders, Helen Fitzgerald, 1883-
Publication date: 1913
Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1002