I found a good Fourth of July story reported by Mary Pickett in the Billings Gazette. This was a well constructed, front page, above the crease, story in this Sunday's paper describing Lewistown's 1884 Fourth of July celebration: it's first. Since they had just established a post office it considered itself a town and the town had to have a Fourth celebration. The story was told by a 90 year old retired history teacher, Margaret Seilstad. Her father had been a twelve year old kid in Lewistown, MT in 1884 and she gathered the story from him and his friends.
That 4th of July day residents of Lewistown planned a parade, including a local resident Bob Jackson dressed as Uncle Sam, horse races, and a dance in the evening. But Granville Stuart, a historic Montana figure, who ranched in the area, conveyed concern about the celebration since he knew that horse thieves and cattle rustlers were in the area, thinking that they may steal livestock while the ranchers were in town. The townspeople wrote him off and the show went on. Indeed, by Granville Stuart's prediction, a particularly nasty pair of thieves came to the celebration that day, Charles Fallon and Charles Owen, or Rattlesnake Jake, as Owen was known. He had shifty eyes, "like a snake".
Bob Jackson, Uncle Sam, had probably been drinking and got into an argument with another local resident at the horse races but, as it was reported, a fist fight did NOT break out. Jackson was Indian and French (Metis, or mixed native and European race). Fallen and Rattlesnake Jake were drunk and approached Jackson after the disagreement that did not end up in a fist fight. Jake didn't like Indians so he hit Jackson, Uncle Sam, in the face with his pistol. Fallen and Jake then mounted their horses and left. After Fallon and Rattlesnake Jake left the races local residents converged on Main St. and stocked up on rifles at the T.C. Powers and Brothers Store because...because why not? There was something brewing.
After the altercation at the races Fallon and Rattlesnake Jake went into Crowley's and Kemp's Saloon for a few drinks, apparently already drunk and in a foul mood according to Margaret Seilstad. Jake spotted another Metis member of the local community, Doney, and shot at him but missed. Doney drew his pistol and hit Jake in the shooting finger. Jake took his pistol in the opposite hand and returned fire. After Rattlesnake Jake returned fire the angered townspeople, with their recently acquired rifles, opened fire on Fallon and Jake. Although it's not clear exactly how the gunfight progressed one version has a wounded Rattlesnake Jake riding out of town trying to escape only to notice Fallon kneeling in the street "making his last stand", said Seilstad. A loyal Jake stayed with his friend and died, riddled with "five or nine bullets", the number and any other circumstances were not perfectly clear. Both men were wearing multiple coats, in July, which apparently made it harder to kill them.
Margaret Seilstad told the Gazette that as soon as the shooting started her father went back to his tent with a bullwhacker, the driver of a team of oxen, "to get more guns." The bullwhacker was eventually killed by a shot to the head, by Rattlesnake Jake.
Before the dance started that night citizens convened a coroner's inquest and decided that the residents killed Fallon and Jake in self defense, then they danced. Although it was impossible which of the many bullet shots actually killed each man, "half the town claimed firing the fatal shots."
The bodies of Fallon and Rattlesnake Jake were stored in an ice house and the next day were displayed against a wall in town. Fallen and Jake were initially buried on Hospital Hill, where the first hospital of Lewistown existed, "but it's now the location of the Fountain Terrace condos." The man who owned the land at the time objected to their initial burial site so the bodies of Fallon and Jake were dug up, lassoed, and dragged around town, eventually to be buried near a coulee outside of town. Margaret Seilstad's father followed the body on his horse and saw bits of hair and skin from the decomposing bodies snagged on brush. According to Seilstad, "he nearly lost his lunch".
There's a skull on display in Lewistown that is thought to be from Rattlesnake Jake, but a University of Montana graduate student specializing in forensics has argued that the displayed skull is probably from a much younger man with at least some African ancestry, not Jake. Another subtle fact remains as well. It seems that Jake was shot in the head with a buffalo rifle and there was no evidence of bullet trauma in the skull thought to be Jake's. But the skull is still on display as that of Rattlesnake Jake. This is the story of the first Independence Day celebration in Lewistown, MT.
There was no mention in the story of discussions between town members of the Second Amendment right to bear arms. Not in this town. There didn't seem to be disagreement. Happy Fourth of July.
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