Old Missoula

The ‘ludicrous’ Pork – “an odd specimen of humanity…”

The following story is taken from “A Sketch by Judge Frank H. Woody” which appears in Contributions to the Historical Society of Montana, Volume 2, 1896.

            In the fall of 1856, several parties who had been spending the summer trading on the “Road,” relinquished that business and came to the Bitter Root valley and took up their residences, among whom were T. W. Harris, Joseph Lompre and Wm. Rodgers. An unusually large number of Indian traders also came to the valley that fall. In October of that year the following named parties came into the valley: Van Etten, a Mormon trader, with three ox teams and with him George Goodwin, James Brown, Bill Madison and the writer hereof, Hooper & Williams’ outfit, consisting of one mule and two ox teams, and with them, George and Frank Knowlton, brothers-in-law to the Hon. W. H. Hooper, of Utah, Arch and Alma Williams, brothers of Thos. Williams, of the firm of Hooper & Williams, – -Merrill and Portugee Louis. There also came at the same time Robert Hereford, who at a much later date was county assessor of Lewis and Clarke county. All of these parties with their wagons and teams came in at the head of the Bitter Root valley. Upon our arrival in the valley we found Henry Brooks and Thos. Adams at Cantonment Stevens, and at Fort Owen, Henri M. Chase and wife, W. W. Tallman and Louis Robouin, commonly called Louis Marango. The last named parties had been driven out of the Nez Perces’ country by the Indian war of 1855-56, Major John Owen, P. M. Lafontaine and Delaware Jim, at that time being absent on a trip to Fort Benton with ox teams. These parties, with the Fathers and Lay Brothers at the St. Ignatius Mission, constituted the entire white population of the country now known as Missoula county. In November of the same year Fred H.  Burr came in from Salt Lake by the same route, bringing three wagons and a large band of cattle, with him came Judge C. E. Irvine, now of Deer Lodge, George Hatterbaugh, John Saunders, called “Long John,” and John Silverthorne, now of the Bitter Root valley*; and still later in the season came Neil McArther with three ox teams, and with him L. R. Maillett, James Holt, — Jackson and an odd specimen of humanity named Bill West, but commonly called “Pork” for short. If time and space permitted, the reader could be regaled with many reminiscences and narrations in which “Pork” played an active part, and the ludicrous was a prominent feature.

            I will, however, relate one of “Pork’s” adventures in which he played the role of doctor in a manner that was ludicrous enough at the time, but which resulted fatally to his patient, and had the facts been known to the Indians at the time, would have caused serious trouble to the few whites then in the country. The facts are these: During the winter of 1856-57 “Pork,” Jackson, Madison, Holt and the writer were employed by Neil McArthur and were encamped in Council Grove, in what is now Grass valley, and about nine miles below the present town of Missoula. A number of lodges of Pen d’ Orielle Indians were encamped near us. Sometime during the winter, an Indian boy about twelve years old, grew sick, and the matter coming to the knowledge of “Pork,” he proposed to doctor him, as McArthur had a large medicine-chest in camp, containing various kinds of medicines, but he was advised not to do so, as he was ignorant of the nature and use of the medicines – being unable to read or write – and he might kill the Indian and involve us in trouble.

            He would not take our advice, but insisted that he knew what he was doing, that he had often given medicine to Mary and the children back in southern Missouri. He overhauled the medicine chest and finding some pills administered some of them to the Indian boy who gradually grew worse, and the Indians, not having a very high opinion of “Pork’s” medical skill, sent over to St. Ignatius Mission for one of the Fathers who came over, and after examining the boy, pronounced it a case of pneumonia, and leaving the boy some medicine, returned to the Mission. The boy improved for a few days and was in a fair way to get well when “Pork” again took him in hand. In rummaging through the medicine chest he discovered a vial or small bottle without any label and containing a dark colored liquid which he pronounced sweet wine, and proposed to give some of it to the boy, as he said it was just the thing that he needed to give him strength. He was advised to let it alone, but he insisted that he knew what he was doing, and do it he would. He filled a small vial with the medicine and directed an [Indian woman] to give the boy a teaspoonful of it three times each day, and the result was that on the next day there was a dead Indian in camp. The Indians did not mistrust anything and nothing was said about the matter for some weeks, except when some of the boys would joke “Pork” on his success as an Indian doctor. A few weeks after the death of the Indian we had occasion to move our camp a short distance, and while moving the medicine chest the stopple came out of one of the bottles and some of the contents of it were spilt on “Pork,” and actually burned a hole the size of a man’s hand in a pair of new buckskin pants. A few days after this “Pork” left for California. One day, a short time after “Pork” had left, Holt said to me that he believed “Pork” killed the Indian boy, and upon being asked for his reason, he said that the medicine that had spoiled “Pork’s” pants was the same bottle out of which he had given the Indian the sweet wine. Upon examination of the bottle it was found to contain some powerful kind of acid, and was beyond doubt the cause of the Indian’s death. Had the Indians known it, “Pork” would have paid dearly for his experiment, and when we found out the actual facts in the case, we were careful to keep them to ourselves, and the Indians know nothing of the matter to the present time.

*[John Silverthorne and ‘Long John’ Saunders are famous in the annals of Montana History. Silverthorne is credited with selling the first gold dust in Montana to the trader, Major Culbertson, at Fort Benton in 1856.  ‘Long John’ Saunders is credited with ‘digging’ the first Montana gold mine at ‘Benetsee’ Creek, now known as Gold Creek, near Drummond, Montana.  Benetsee, or Francois Finley, had discovered float gold there several years previous to ‘Long John’.  See Montana, Its Story and Biography, Vol. 1, Tom Stout. D.G. ]