The Powder River Kid!

Lately, I have been delving into the past family histories again, something I have done for years and have actually been able to find cousin’s that I never even knew existed!

Part of my family did settle in the Northeastern Montana area and I was sent some very interesting articles and information about some of them and their lives here in Montana during the mid to late 1800‘s.

I thought I would share one story with you all.

My Great Great Great Grandmother’s brother was Samuel Russell. He was known in his earlier days as the “Powder River Kid”, the fastest gun in the state of Montana.

In 1892, Sam was in Billings at Lottie Miller’s Place, an alleged “resort”. Harry Turner, a cowboy from Miles City, in company with other cowboys, had gone to Lottie’s Place.

Turner was with one of the ladies and became enraged and started beating her. She screamed for help and Sam came to her rescue and hit the cowboy over the head with his pistol.

The cowboy had a knife (which they discovered on the floor later), and Sam shot the cowboy in self defense, but a few hours later, he died.

Sam took off and hid out at a ranch outside of town where the Marshal found him and brought him in for murder.

The Judge, in sentencing Sam, had referred to a case six months before this trial of a man that had shot his own cousin and had sentenced him to prison for 20 years. Since that sentence had not acted as a deterrent to murder, the Judge handed down a 25 year sentence at the state prison to Sam.

My family members in Miles City and Glendive knew some very powerful people and launched a campaign to get him out of prison.

It took almost 10 years to get a pardon for him.

By that time, Sam’s health was not very good at all and he settled in Helena, Montana about 1901.

He became a barber, well known to the community and well liked.

He finally married and just wanted the quiet life.

Many of his friends remembered a quote of his : “Always keep a gun loaded, more people are killed by loaded guns than unloaded. I keep all of mine loaded and when I handle them, I know them and govern myself accordingly.”

He was a collector of weapons, gems and coins.

He died December 12, 1929.

Gleaned from news articles in the Billings Gazette.

Closer to St. Marie, MT.

This past week on our walk close to home, we met Renee Tost and her pup Piper, a beautiful Newfoundland, on their walk. Renee has been here almost a year now and we wanted to say welcome to the neighborhood!

Also, wishing Edwina Schneider the best, she is in the hospital right now and for our dear son in law, Greg Pederson who is her son.

Stay safe!