Old Missoula

Question / Unanimous Article / Judge Frank Woody?

 

Re: Veritable History of Hellgate

Hi, I was wondering if you thought Judge Woody was the author?  It seems like his style of writing.

Traci Rasmusson

Subject: RE: Veritable History of Hellgate

 

Hi,

I’m not sure what you are referring to.

Don.

 

Whoops! Sorry, that message was a bit cryptic. The newspaper article in the Old Missoula Website “A Veritable History of Hellgate”? I was thinking Woody might have been the author.

Traci Rasmusson

 

Here’s what Traci was referring to:

Hell Gate’s Alternate History

“A Veritable History of Hell Gate” by Anonymous

http://oldmissoula.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1844:hell-gates-alternate-history-&catid=6:events&Itemid=3

 

Here are my thoughts – Frank Woody would surely have attached his signature to anything like this. He was 100 % confident in his own ability to convey his thoughts and opinions. He had been editor and owner of the newspaper and certainly knew how to write. He is for sure one of the top people to settle Missoula.

I’m 99% sure the author of the article was Charles Schafft. If you know much about him he was present at nearly all the incidents that the article cites. He was also in the habit of writing things and then avoiding putting his name on them. I’ve found several of his creations with this in mind and for the life of me, I’m not sure why he did it. He also wrote things and put only his initials at the conclusion. I’ve found several of these. He may not have liked taking credit for things. Imagine that. Not a prominent trait in today’s world, is it.

Now why is he not better recognized in Missoula’s history. Good question. He was [addicted to alcohol] for one thing. [Edited comment]. Another thing, I think he had a habit of spouting off when it didn’t benefit him. I think he was usually more competent than the people he worked for.

He lost both of his legs near Missoula and from then on relied on the good graces of others to subside with a meager existence. He was a teacher (see the piece on Emma Magee) and an ersatz Indian agent.

He wrote and published articles in The New N. W. [Deer Lodge] newspaper and the Fort Benton newspaper. Several of these don’t have his name attached. He obviously wrote some of these, but how to prove it is not easy today. Sometimes he put just his initials. He was sometimes acerbic and sarcastic. I think he didn’t recognize himself as an authority, except in a kind of offhanded way.

I have at least one more of his articles ready to publish but got sidetracked somewhere/somehow.

 

The anonymity was a shame. Just like it was with Annie Hawkins aka Martha Edgerton Plassman.

http://oldmissoula.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1830:martha-edgerton-plassmann-historian-a-missoula-socialist-1913&catid=17:missoula-people&Itemid=3

 

Here’s a link to an article about Charles Schafft on my website:

http://oldmissoula.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1860:charles-schafft-a-beguiling-missoula-pioneer-writer&catid=17:missoula-people&Itemid=3

 

If you don’t mind I think I’ll put this little script on my website. I think it kind of illustrates the possibility that we don’t yet know all there is to know about Missoula’s history.

 

Ah…thanks so much! I’m doing a writing project on Judge Woody and stumbled across this article.  Good sense of humor…probably why I thought it might be the Judge.

Traci.