USA > Montana > Blaine County > In the land of Chinook; or, The story of Blaine county > Part 13
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"Not long after this he looked out and saw Johnnie coming riding one horse and leading another. He placed his double- barreled shotgun near the door so it would be handy. Johnnie called to him and when he opened the door Johnnie shot but the bullet went wild and hit in the jamb just over Winters' head and before he could shoot again the shotgun had done its work and Johnnie Curry would no longer ride the range.
"Prior to this, though, Hank had taken sick and died with consumption, so the balance wheel in the whole Curry machine had been destroyed.
"Kid Curry had gotten into trouble that had caused his arrest by Sheriff Buckley. For some reason, Buckley placed the Kid in the custody of Landusky. Landusky remarked he now had the Kid where he had long wanted him and was not at all particular in the choice of language used in addressing him. He had also chained the Kid with a log chain for safe keeping, though there could have been no particular reason for doing so.
"After the Kid had come back from Benton he told several that he intended to whip Landusky for the insulting remarks- remarks that took into consideration the chastity of his mother- and which no self-respecting man could possibly allow to be ad- dressed to him without trying to punish the person who made them.
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"In fact he had told Pike that when he returned he would surely take revenge. Pike, after his return, tried to make friends but the wound was so deep that nothing he could say could possibly pacify his enemy. Jim Thornhill tried to keep the Kid away as he was sure of the final results, that is, that one or the other would be killed. The day of the tragedy came and the Kid walked into Jew Jake's saloon, where Pike was drinking with his friends. Kid explained what he was there for and handing his gun to Thornhill started in and punished Landusky till he cried enough. Taking a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe the blood from his face he pulled, as he returned it to his pocket, a revolver which, in some way, failed him or the Kid would have lead the procession to the lonely grave yard on the south slope of the Little Rockies instead of Pike.
"Thornhill saw the movement and shouted: 'Look out, Kid, he's going to shoot!' At this Curry jumped and grabbed his gun which was held out to him by Thornhill and Pike fell shot to death.
"If Curry had given himself up he would -- so most think --- have been discharged-as Thornhill, who was arrested and tried for complicity, or as an accessory, received no sentence. Curry, however, seemed to fear jail and imprisonment; he was not cap- tured and became an outlaw."
(Billy Skillen has this to say: "The leading up to the killing of Landusky was over the dispute about a plow between the Curry brothers and Landusky. At the time the trouble started Pike Landusky was acting as deputy sheriff and arrested the Kid and Lee Self, taking them down to his ranch at the mouth of Rock creek. He put them in charge of his brother Tony. Lee Self made his escape. Some time after the trouble was over, Pike Landusky was standing in front of the bar in Jew Jake's and talking to Jake when the Kid, his brother Lonnie and Jim Thornhill walked into the saloon. The Kid and Pike had a little conversation when the Kid grabbed Pike by the shoulder and turned him around facing him and struck him in the face several times. When he quit Pike asked him what he had struck him for and Kid told him for the abuse he had to take when he was in his power and could not help himself. Pike was trying to get his gun when the butt showed and Thornhill saw it and shouted: 'Lookout, Kid, he is going to shoot.' Kid threw his arms around Pike and held him close and reached down and 'drawed' his gun and pulling it up between them to Pike's breast and Pike fell dead. Reaching into Pike's pocket he took his gun and the three went out of the saloon, got into a wagon and drove up the gulch and were gone. Lonnie Curry was arrested in Chinook afterward by Wm. Skillen, acting as deputy sheriff, and
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taken to Benton and lodged in jail. He stood trial. After hear- ing the evidence of the state's witness, Jew Jake, Judge DuBoise ordered the jury to stand up. He told them that if they brought in a verdict of guilty it would have to go to a higher court as the state's witness showed that Kid Curry had killed Landusky in self-defense. That acquitted Lonnie Curry and Jim Thornhill was never arrested.")
"The killing of Johnnie Curry by Winters was a well-known fact and he was advised by his friends to leave the country, but this he would not do. One morning as he was coming out of his cabin he fell at the hands of his assassin, who was hiding near his outbuildings.
"The night before he was killed, Jim Thornhill went to a neighbor's house and stayed-no doubt to prove an alibi. This led people to believe that the Currys had killed Winters. As Gill was a partner of Winters he took much interest in the matter and tried to trace up his murderer or murderers. He was told by his friends that the safest thing he could do was to saddle up his horse and leave the country if he placed any value on his life. This he would not consent to do. Detectives have hunted for his remains, but no one has ever been able to find one single trace of either horse or rider-the work of destruction had been so thoroughly done.
"On July 3rd, 1901, the Kid led the gang that held up No. 3 at Wagner. They blew up the express car and got several thousand dollars of unsigned currency that was going to Tom Marlow's bank in Helena. They escaped to the Little Rockies and it was a long time before the Kid was apprehended, in Knox- ville, Tenn., in 1903. His arrest took place when the police raided a negro gambling house in the outskirts of the city. The Kid, ever suspicious, and always 'heeled,' smoked up the place so badly that he caused two or three funerals to soon take place in that southern city.
"The officials got it into their heads that the man whom they had arrested was the famous Kid Curry. Frank O'Neal, a one-time sheriff of Chouteau county, and his wife were sent for to identify the man. Mrs. O'Neal saw him but he was too wise to recognize her. Frank, himself, did not see him.
"Before the trial came off the guard was found tied up to the cage and the favorite saddle horse of the southern sheriff was missing, never again, probably, to be returned to his stall.
"The Judge of that particular district was in Harlem one time and was asked by an old-time friend of the Kid's how he managed to escape. The reply was: 'It seems that the Kid had a sister out west who was rich and she exchanged about $25,000 of her cash, with the sheriff, for her brother's freedom.'
CHAS. M. RUSSELL-Cowboy Artist.
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"By men who seem to know-it was the band of horses owned by Jim Thornhill, a particular friend of Curry-that had been sold, the money sent to the sister, who used it to help her brother.
"Kid Curry! No one of his old friends-and he seems to have many in the land of the Chinook-knows where he is. None of them seem to care to express themselves in anything but terms of affection, as they seem to think he might come back some time and place them in such a condition that they would cease to have an opinion.
"It is said that he was not the only man on the Milk river who deserved a prison sentence; also that his true name was Logan."
CHAPTER XI. CHARLES M. RUSSELL.
Probably no other man who ever lived in what is now Blaine county will be as well known to posterity as the subject of this sketch. Charles M. Russell was born in St. Louis, Missouri, March 19th, 1865. He came to Montana over the Union Pacific and Utah Northern to old Red Rock, then the terminus, of the latter line. From Red Rock he came via coach to Helena. He came with "Pike" Miller, or Willis Miller, as he was known to others.
Col. Shirley Ashby tells of the first time he ever saw Charlie. "He had arrived in Helena with Miller, a man with whom I had some previous acquaintance and meeting me I invited them to my place to lunch. I really had never seen as green a looking boy as Charlie Russell was the day he came to my house. After we had lunch Miller said that Russell had an idea that he could draw some and might become an artist. He turned to him and said: 'Charlie show Mr. and Mrs. Ashby what you can do.' He took a piece of black wax from his pocket and made a little horse which we kept for years. Charlie's hair was too long and I thought he needed shearing." In a conversation with Russell the writer got the following: "We did not stay over two weeks in Helena and bought a four-horse team and wagon. The lead- ers were brown saddle horses and the wheelers bay. The saddle horses were not the best but a fellow could ride them. We started for the Judith Basin via Diamond, White Sulphur Springs and Judith Gap. Jack Waite and Pike had sheep and my first job in Montana was herding them. I wasn't much of a success. You see it was like this, I didn't think the boys had money enough to keep me supplied-as I could lose the d-d fools about as fast as they were turned over to me. Then Pike and I had a
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row about a saddle horse and I found that there was a job herding horses at a stage station so I quit. Before I could put in an application, however, Pike double-crossed me by seeing the party first and telling him that I was no good. Part of it was true because I will confess now that I was a bum sheep herder.
"Have always had a tender spot in my heart for him as I needed that job. Losing out there I went to live with Jake Hoover on the South Fork of the Judith. He was a hunter.
"In the spring of 1882, in April, I returned to St. Louis and remained a month and then came back to Montana on the North- ern Pacific. A cousin-a boy about my own age-came with me but he died soon after in Billings with the mountain fever. I left Billings on his horse, broke, and started for the north country. Just out of the city, on Alkali creek, met John Cabler with about forty saddle horses, on his way to receive some doggies. They were a mixed bunch of the following brands: Z, C T and 12. He asked if I wanted work and I said yes.
"I night herded for him, my first job of that kind. At Ross' Fork we met the Judith round up and I took a position as horse wrangler with that outfit. I night herded horses in the spring and beef in the fall. Never did take kindly to broncos as my mind and theirs did not seem to work in unison. The fact is I only punched one season (83) and that was on the Shonkin range.
"I could always draw a little; can't remember my first work in that line as I was too small. No, I never dreamed of fame.
STORY OF THE LAST OF FIVE THOUSAND.
"Why that story is generally well known isn't it? 'Oh, you have heard different reports? Well, it was like this: The winter of '86-7 was a noted one. I was with Jesse Phelps on the O. H. ranch. Jesse got a letter from Louie Kaufman asking how things were. He sat down to write a letter and explain things and I told him I would make a sketch and put in. The sketch was a - R cow, Kaufman's; nothing said about the last of five thousand-only, 'Waiting for a Chinook,' was the name given it. It was on a piece of writing paper and was only a small thing of probably 2x4 inches. No letter was sent. Ben Roberts got it from Kaufman and later sold it to Wallis Huide- koper, who says he may give it to the Historical Society.
"It was done in water colors that I used to pack in a sock in those days.
"Indians are quite observing as I recall a picture I painted of Bill Jones. In the braids of his hair he had seven brass tags or buttons which are used for ornamental purposes. I failed to get
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in more than five and he soon called my attention to the fact and asked that the others should be put in. When this was done he looked at it and said, 'Good.' Not long after this I was down on the reservation and was called into Bill's lodge as he said he wanted to show me something. He had a package which he began to unwrap and after a time he exhibited the picture which he had tacked to a board and holding it up said: 'Bill Jones, Good man, son of a -. ' It seems that Bill's vocabulary was very limited and as he wished to use all that he knew in his con- versation, he always wound up with the last phrase. As I never had any acquaintance with Bill's family he may have been telling the truth.
"No, I am not the 'Chip of the Flying U'. I knew Bertha M. Bowers and she married Sinclair, the cow-puncher whom we used to call 'Fiddle Back.'
"My Indian study came from observation and by living with the Blackfeet in Alberta for about six months. I don't know much about them even now; they are a hard people to 'sabe'."
When asked what he considered his best picture, he replied: "I have never painted it yet. I feel that I am improving right along. It takes me longer to paint a picture now and I work harder. The highest price I ever received for a picture was $5,000, the one in the Capitol. If some of the high officials had had their way that work would have been done by an eastern man.
"I was married in the fall of 1896 to Nancy Cooper. I never could remember the month or date-you would have to ask her about that. We never had any children until recently, when we adopted a little boy. Say, they are some people, those little baby fellows and no one could love that fellow more than we do.
"Yes several of my pictures were sold in New York. Had some in London but the war stopped the sale.
"Oh, yes, Linderman has told you about a reception in London? Well, it was about like this: Sir was giving a reception to which Mrs. Russell and myself were invited. I was handed our hostess for my partner when we went into the dining room, and I was surely handed some bunch, for she was so large that we could not both go through the door of the dining room at the same time so I stepped back and carelessly trod on her train. Say, she squatted and pulled on that encumbrance like a cayuse on a rope. I got off as soon as I felt the strain, but not before she had ripped quite a lot of her gown, and then I simply straddled the long-tailed dress and went in tandem until there was room enough to go in double harness again.
"What seemed to be the funniest thing to me in London was when I wanted to get my watch fixed. I slipped into a jewelry store and asked a fellow if he could 'fix' my watch; he said 'Naw.'
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I knew that they could as I saw them at work. I stepped out and meeting a man whom I knew had been in the U. S. I said: 'What does a fellow have to say to these guys when he wants to get his watch fixed?' 'Why I don't know what you mean Russell.' Well, it is like this, my watch won't go and I don't know how to make these fellows understand. 'Oh, don't you know, you should have said repahred'."
"There is altogether too much civilization; no place to camp out any more. I have a saddle horse and ride each morning, but a fellow has to ride in the alleys, if he rides in the city, as the pavements are so smooth a horse can't keep its feet. There was a tim" when I could tie my horse in Central avenue in front of the Silver Dollar, but a fellow would be in a h -- of a fix now as there are too many autos; you can't get near the sidewalk. My wife has an auto and I ride with her once in a while but I just as leave go in a street car." (While the writer was getting a story from Charlie he was busily engaged on one of the historical paintings which he is doing for Cole, the Duluth millionaire, of which there are to be four. Three of them represent scenes in the life of "Buffalo Bill," "Killing of Yellow Hand," "Hunting With Duke Alexis," "Discovery of Cheyenne Camp" and one Lewis and Clark, "The Meeting of the Shoshones" on the Beaverhead. While talking to me he was working on "Killing of Yellow Hand." In the studio at the time was the young boy, Joe De Young. He is also a St. Louis boy, 23 years of age, though he does not look to be more than sixteen. He is deaf. He bids fair to become a noted man as he is working under Russell. Was at work on a picture at the time.
Charlie Russell came to Montana as a boy of fifteen and at once became identified with the range country. Fifteen is not an age when one can expect much wisdom in a boy-and espe- cially when one is thrown in with a free and easy lot of fellows such as the majority of cowboys were. One can readily see that a youth would be apt to fall into the faults his associates had. Charles M. Russell is now known as a national character. As he said: "I do my work because I love it." Sawing wood, dig- ging ditches and working in disagreeable occupations would not appeal to one of Russell's temperament. He is a great story teller and was fond of the cowboy life and the cowboy pranks. He would try anything once, and if he liked it try it again. Night herding gave him more chance to visit and study the different classes of men and the conditions. as he saw them, than if he had been a full-fledged cowpuncher putting in long hours on the range. He rode in the Judith and later came to the Milk river country, where he was well known. In order to give some of the human side of this now noted man the writer went to some
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of the old-time cowpunchers and asked them for a lineup on him, any little story they thought would be of interest. He was able to gather some very active and interesting incidents connected with the subject, on the Milk river and especially Chinook. They are as follows: "I first saw Russell," Jim Dorrit says, "at High- wood, Canada, at a ranch where I had gone for a horse. He and his partner, who had a broken collar bone, were stopping at an English ranch. There was no oil in the place so the boys had rigged up a light (of ill sounding name) with some grease in a small dish and a rag for a wick. One of them would stir the grease while the other would read a few lines. Neither of them could read very well then and they would comment on it in a comical way. He was drawing some in those days but was not considered much of a painter.'
Much of the following was told by Bob Stuart and K. Lowery and they are true. They are old-time friends of Russell.
Bob said: "The winter of '91-2 Charlie Russell, Al Mal- lison, Toney Crawford, 'Kik' Price, John Thompson, Trumbel (cannot recall his first name) and myself got a cabin and started in to batch.
"W. C. Kester of the Chinook Opinion gave the boys quite a little space and dubbed us 'The Hungry Seven.' We had about $175 which we put in the 'pot' and got as many supplies in the grub line as we could. We were all young and full of fun, but some of the stunts look better now, than they did then, to those on whom our little jobs were pulled off. Charlie and the 'Kiď' should have been preachers-if preachers are not lied about- because they were mighty fond of chicken. As they had none themselves they went on still hunts for them in the evening when one was less apt to see them than if they went in the day time. Kester had a fine bunch of chickens, which was too much of a temptation for the boys, so one night Charlie and the 'Kid' made up their minds (and that was not hard) to raid his hen house. Russell stood guard while the 'Kid' went in to secure the birds. He was to give the high-sign if anything turned up, and it did, by Kester coming to the back door of his house. Charlie saw him and in his excitement pushed the chicken house door to and rushed for the cabin as fast as he could run, leaving the 'Kid' to the tender mercy of Kester, if he should be found. Kester went out loaded for bear but finding the door closed went back to the house and the 'Kid' soon arrived at the cabin with some fine birds. We proceeded to get them ready for eating as we had no wish to wait till morning as we never knew what would turn up, and another thing, we would be sure we would know where they were. Charlie was hardly over his nervousness by the time the Kid came. The chickens were about done and the table set
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when there was a loud knock on the door. Russell grabbed the hot frying pan, pushed it under one of the bunks. When the door opened there stood Frank O'Neal, the sheriff.
"You could almost hear those fellows teeth chatter. Frank could hear the chicken frying in the hot grease under the bed and he said: 'You are having a feast, aren't you-well, go ahead, all I want is to get three or four of you fellows as witnesses on a case that is to come off in Benton.' Kester never really knew who got his chickens, but he went into his house and told his wife that he wished he could have gotten a shot at that fellow who ran away.
"In those days there was a lady who was a very active church member. She had made up her mind to invite the minister to a chicken dinner the following Sunday and had told Kid Price about it. She evidently did not know him or she would have withheld such information because he went that night with Rus- sell and stole the two young birds that were to have been the 'piece de resistance.' Not only did they get the roosters, but they dressed them, cut off their heads and took them and the feathers and placed them in the back yard of the pastor. When the lady got ready to kill she missed the poultry and seeing the Kid, sought his sympathy, He was much surprised but recalled that he had seen fresh chicken feathers as he passed the preacher's house. Of course they might not have been from the missing chickens, and then again they might, as no one could tell. The lady had a little boy who went over to the minister's home and soon returned with the heads, saying: 'They are ours alright.' The lady went to church but marched out with her head held high and the preacher got left.
"I also remember Charlie's first girl. He had become intro- duced to her and wanted to take her to a dance. He was to get a team and take her but as he came to the conclusion he could not drive he got me to take her and he rode on horse back. He had taken her to several dances and thought he was making an impression. One night he had her to a dance at Chinook. They were sitting having a nice little sociable chat when one of the stock men named Charlie Williams came in and entered into a conversation with her in which she turned her back to Charlie Russell. She sat there for some time very much interested in what Williams was saying and Russell, becoming disgusted, tapped her on the shoulder and said: 'I'm here yet,' got up and left her and never tried again to win her affections.
"It is kind of funny what will come into a fellow's head when thinking of those old days. We did not have much money so Charlie thought he had made a good fellow of himself and established a credit at Lohman's. He came back highly elated.
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I guess he must have bought about forty cents worth of tobacco and papers for the makings, when he was shut off in the follow- ing way: When he ordered anything he had a way of holding up a finger, which meant 'Charge that.' One day he went for a few things and held up his finger and Lohman said: 'Russell, that finger of yours is too long already.' Russell returned to the cabin and put in two days painting a picture for which he received seventy-five dollars and told us never to buy another thing of Lohman.
"Those were great days. Charlie was a prince alright, with one of the biggest hearts any man ever had. He was never a cowpuncher because he never liked the wild horses. I recall one night when it was raining and he had to go on the night herd. He put on his slicker and that made the horse nervous and he soon got nervous, with the result he had to crawl on again. One night on the Big Sandy, Charlie and myself were trying to hold a bunch of beef and as it was getting late in the fall it began to rain, which turned to sleet and our slickers would simply pop every time we moved. The storm was coming from the northeast and the cattle began to drift toward the Coal Banks on the Missouri. Charlie said: 'What are we going to do?' I told him if he would go ahead and try and keep them back I would bring up the drag. He soon came back and said: 'I can't hold them, they are going in every direction; let 'em go to h --- and we will get them next fall.' I replied all right, but you will have to make good with the boss. In speaking to Charlie about this particular night he said he recalled it very well. That they had a time finding the camp and when he did he got so near the tent he stepped right on the face of 'Missouri Jim,' the boss."
When in Chinook the writer told "Kid" Price what Bob Stuart and K. Lowery had told me and he said he never batched with such a bunch, as he had too much respect for himself. "I had a little money with which I bought two mavericks and gave to them but they traded the meat off for questionable pleasure and I had to steal chickens to keep the sons of guns from starving. You ask Russell if he remembers the time that Judge Richie was after us with a blunder-bus and we could not make as good time as we wanted to as we had a chicken under each arm." When the writer got to Great Falls he called Russell's attention to the stories he had heard and asked if the boys had been stringing him. "No, they have all told you pretty near the truth, except the 'Kid,' because he did batch with us and he was the fellow that gave pretty near a whole steer away and was the only one to receive any direct benefit. Did the 'Kid' tell you about the time one of the ladies (?) of Chinook, who was a splendid cook, told him if he could furnish the chickens she would get up a nice
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