Yesterday's Phillips County News Memories for December 27, 2017

100 years ago

December 20, 1917

Fred Robinson is home for ten days to get business matters straightened up before he goes overseas. He says Ray Gardner is making a fine officer. Gene McArthur landed a sergeancy and John Crowley a corporal.

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Suggestions were given for a slacker's comfort kit by Marie Dressler, an actress. The following things were included in it: one pair of eider-down blankets, one camel's toothbrush, one pair felt innersoles, one feather pillow, one tin malt milk cubes, one kiddy car, one orange stick, 1-ounce cotton batting, 1 lb. cyanide of potassium. The cotton was to be used to stuff the ears and when that ran out the cyanide of potassium could be taken.

Editor's Note: Marie Dressler was a top-draw at the box office appearing in 30 films from 1913 to 1933 and who once famously quipped. "If ants are such busy workers, how come they find time to go to all the picnics?" The "slackers comfort kit" was meant for men "not brave enough to head to war."

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The big chinook of Tuesday night took off nearly all the snow in this locality and the weather is like spring again.

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Through efforts of Josef Sklower, chairman of the local thrift campaign, Malta is able to report the sale of $1,150 worth of thrift stamps.

Editor's Note: During WWI, thrift stamps were sold to individuals for 25¢ and they were saved until the person had enough stamps to exchange them for a $5 War Saving Certificate Stamp.

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Mr. and Mrs. Harry Stine are the parents of a son born to them last week.

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A classified ad in the Enterprise was as follows: "Women wanted to train as telegraphers, $100-$200 a month. Qualify after four months saving."

75 years ago

December 17, 1942

Early day sheriff of Valley County days in Whitefish

The death of C. W. "Puck" Powell last Friday marks the passing of a colorful character in early day Montana.

Powell first came in Montana with a beef herd and the use of the nickname "Puck" was started when he rode the famous outlaw horse "Puck" up from Texas, trailing cattle. The horse was named for a villain and a current comic strip of those days.

His early days in the Missouri River country in this area, which was then Valley County, started about 1892 when he came to work in the Circle C and DHS outfits.

Harry Cosner, deputy game warden of this county and an old time friend and associate of "Puck," recalls such stories in connection with him as when he was sheriff for the kangaroo court held in a Malta saloon. The story, as Cosner recalls it, happened when a stranger rode into town one afternoon with pack horse and equipment. He put his horse up at the Tucker barn and shortly after that departed. The next morning "Puck" noticed that one of his Navajo blankets had disappeared along with the stranger. The fellow had headed south and where he found he couldn't make it across Alkali creek he had headed back, only to be accosted by "Puck." In going through the packsaddle he found the missing blanket. The old-timers, taking the law into their own hands, appointed "Puck" as sheriff, a cowboy by the name of Sweeney as the defense attorney and another cowboy, John Whitney, as the prosecuting attorney

The trial was held in the saloon with the local cowhands as jurymen. The purpose of it was to give the fellow a terrific scare. Along toward morning, the jurymen started some talk of "Stringing him up. "Puck" and Sweeny, thinking that things had gone far enough, staged a sham fight and attracted enough attention so the fellow could make a get-away without being noticed.

In 1893 he built a saloon in Malta. He married Lizzie Allen here in 1895 and that same year bought a store and saloon in Landusky. The saloon was the sire for the first sermon that Brother Van preached in Montana. The pews of beer kegs and planks.

Services were held in Whitefish the first of the week and would have been 73 years old this Saturday.

Old-time county resident dies at Casper, Wyo.

J. W. Copple received a wire that his mother passed away Sunday at Casper, Wyo.

Mrs. Ida Copple came to Phillips County and homesteaded near Malta in 1900. She lived in Malta several years before she moved to Casper.

She is survived by her son her, two daughters, Mrs. Zoe Wilson, of Casper and Mrs. Mary Warmbrandt, who is living in Kansas.

50 years ago

December 7, 1967

Brownie Scouts had investiture Thursday evening

Brownie Scouts of Troop 189, 208 and 191 held a Brownie Investiture last Thursday evening at the education building at the Little White Church.

Receiving pins as first-year members Troop 189 were Kristine Cilz, Loy Grant, Susan Goertz, Janet Baeth, Beth Ophus, Marla Teter, Roxanne Jacobson and Jan Marie Jacobson.

Troop 208, Joanne McKeon, Joni Helvie, Janas Wilson, Ludell Orahood, Shirlee Miller, Leslie Lightbody, Laurie Gustafson, Dawn Peacher, Rebecca Grabofsky and Tina Bonilla.

Troop 191, Collen Mahoney, Coleen Clausen, Joan Losleben, Lucinda Guinan, Paula Score, Susan Mendel, Judy Ohs, Susan Hicks, Judy VanHoudt, Krystal Jensen and Iris Cebulski.

25 years ago

December 23, 1992

Street Talk

Question: What do you think Santa will bring you for Christmas?

Jonathan Davis: "A toy."

Nathan Robinson: "A stereo."

Maggie Pekovitch: "A troll."

Kyle Tuma: "A control race set."

Snowy owls pay a visit to Phillips County

If you're on the lookout, residents of Phillips County could spot a Snowy Owl this winter.

According to Fritz Prellwitz, assistant manager of the Bowdoin National Wildlife Refuge, Phillips County is host to a migration of Snowy Owls every four or five years - and this is the year.

10 years ago

December 19, 2007

From Village to city is slogan of Citizens

With the Malta City Council and Chamber of Commerce testing the waters to see if there's any interest in celebrating the city's centennial anniversary as an incorporated community in 2009, the PCN looked through the Enterprise from 1909.

The May 19, 1909, Enterprise carried a two-column story on page one with the headline "From Village to City is Slogan of Citizens - A Petition is Being Circulated for the Purpose of Incorporating the Town of Malta - Will Malta Celebrate Independence Day?"