You probably didn’t know this, but
in my checkered career prior to retirement, I have been a patrolman, detective
and Chief of Police. You are all
under abreast!
Crusty
Good judgment comes from
experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.
by: Texas Bix Bender
-----Original Message-----
From:
[EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Leland Miyawaki
Sent: Thursday, January 08, 2004
11:39 PM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Re: Montana Bars (the
alcohol kind)
I too read the story and thought it was a great piece.
I sent copies off to a couple friends in New York. I have no stories but I do like
drinking beer while driving in Montana.
There was an extremely interested
article in the Times a few days ago and I wanted to write something up about
it. Basically, the author held forth with a little sociology of Western
Montana to which you may or may not agree. I personally agree.
The West was settled with the
presence of Christian churches and women except for the western half of
Montana, some parts of Wyoming and Idaho.Because the social needs of the
inhabitants of these areas were not met by churches, it was the various taverns
and bars that filled in the gap. Their role in society is still paramount
in small towns and it differs somewhat from the norm. Examples: under age
children may sit and drink as long as they do not drink alcohol; children are
allowed to stand in the bar to get warm and wait for the bus or their
parents. Dancing in the bar will include persons of all ages.
There are no real police in any of
these small towns and that role falls to the bartender who keeps several
pistols and a bunch of bats behind the bar to maintain control.
Hooligans from other towns may
"attack" the bar and attempt to take control from the
bartender. Patrons are often enlisted to help the bartender repel the
"outsiders" and sometimes serious beatings occur.
I found myself in such an incident
in the late fifties in a bar near Twin Bridges, Montana. A huge
brawl broke out after these kids from "Boise" raided the bar. We won
big time and though I was drunk, I got in some good swats with one of the
bats. The leader of the pack was so badly beaten by the bartender that he
had to be hospitalized, suffering many broken bones etc. Several of the
kids were hauled off in an ambulance. I thought this all to be very
bizarre, no cops, and it was a bit harsh. The bartender explained that
you've got to teach those "bastards" from Boise a lesson.
Since most of us still fish in
Montana every now and again, I was wondering if anyone else has any other
stories that would fit the thesis that rural Montana is poorly policed and
that bars serve a social function much larger than just watering down the
crowd.
