Richard
‘Dick’ Bittick living in Gillette and
Sheridan
,
Wyoming
1910 - 1926
[This Richard "Dick" Bittick is too recent for the web site, but
please contact us if you have any information about him. We haven't found
him in any census records, World War I draft cards or other records, and we do
not know his parents.]
The Gillette
News - Gillette, Campbell Co,
Wyoming
October 28,
1910, page 2
Home Happenings
Dick Bittick returned
Monday after an absence of several weeks.
August 9, 1912,
page 3
Dick Bittick returned
Tuesday from
Sheridan
after an absence of three months.
February 21,
1913, page 1
Walsh and Bittick
Leave
Joe Walsh left Saturday for Lander to take charge of his saloon recently
purchased. Dick Bittick, the
irrepressible, accompanied him, and will pose as the joy dispenser during the
evening hours.
April 11, 1913,
page 5
Dick Bittick, who has
been at Lander for some time, returned to Gillette Monday.
August 8, 1913,
page 3
Dick Bittick is now on
the night shift at the
Bronx
. The genial proprietor, Ed. Johnson, must be figuring on laying in the hammock
during the balance of the heated term.
October 3,
1913, page 3
Dick Bittick returned
Monday from a two days’ trip to
Sheridan
.
November 7,
1913, page 4
Bill Rooney retired as day man at the
Montgomery
on the evening of Oct. 31st. R.H. Robinson was advanced to day man
and Dick Bittick went on the
night shift.
November 28, 1913, page 3
R.H. Robinson, W.E. Luton, Dick
Bittick, “
Tex
” Tucker and Lee Kessinger left Tuesday afternoon for
Cheyenne
.
January 16, 1914, page 3
E.L. Johnson, of this city, has purchased the Senate bar at
Sheridan
and took possession of same last week. Lefty Robinson and Dick
Bittick have been engaged to preside over the mahogany.
September 11, 1914, page ?
Dick Bittick came down
from
Sheridan
last Monday and spent the day in the city renewing his many old time
acquaintances.
Wyoming
State
Tribune
Cheyenne
State
Leader
Cheyenne
,
Wyo.
Saturday, October 8, 1921, page 1
BOOTLEGGERS SLAY UNDERSHERIFF [front page headline]
TWO MOONSHINERS ARE PROMPTLY SHOT DOWN BY CONCEALED POSSE
Undersheriff McPherson Dies Almost Instantly
From Bullet Fired by Outlaws Decoyed by Stoolpigeon
Sheridan, Wyo., Oct. 8 - Undersheriff W.S. McPherson of
this city, one of the best known peace officers of the state, was shot and
instantly killed in a battle with moonshiners, or whisky runners which occurred
about 10 o’clock last night at a point two miles north of Monarch. The men who
did the shooting gave the names of Earl McKenna and Monk Stanton. Both were
badly wounded, Sheriff Thomas accounting for one and the other being shot
through the body by one of the posse. Both are in custody and are being guarded
by government officers.
A federal agent who has been working in this vicinity made the
acquaintance of the men, and arranged to buy some whisky which they were to
deliver last night. They kept the tryst and delivering the booze, but as the
posse, which had been concealed, drew near the outlaws opened fire on them with
rifles. McPherson fell at the first fire with a bullet through the stomach and
liver. He died almost instantly.
Sheriff Thomas, who was leading the posse with his men returned the fire
and McKenna who is believed shot McPherson, fell with a bullet thru the face.
The other man received a bullet through the body. Both were placed under guard
and with the body of the dead officer brought to the city.
McPherson was one of the best known officers in the state. For many years
he was a member of the
Sheridan
police force, and upon the election of Mayor Complin was appointed chief, a
position which he held until a few months ago when he resigned to become
undersheriff.
McPherson was the second un die in charge of his duty. A (continued on
last page)
page 8: Bootleggers
Kill Sheridan Sheriff (continued from first page)
number of years ago Undersheriff William Veach was killed
in a fight with a horsethief. A memorial tablet bearing his name stands in the
court house.
In the posse organized by Sheriff Thomas to capture the bootleggers were
the undersheriff, Deputy Bud Newcomer, Justice John F. Raper, Roy Bedford,
County Attorney Harvey Lonobaugh and three government men.
Wholesale arrests of alleged bootleggers and moonshiners is in progress
here this afternoon as an aftermath of the shooting of Undersheriff McPherson in
a gun duel with Monk Stanton and Earl McKenna, Mine workers of Monarch. Headed
by Sheriff Dolph Thomas, federal prohibition enforcement officers and
prosecuting attorney Harvey Lonobaugh the entire county is being combed and
scores of warrants have already been issued.
Sheriff Thomas announced late this afternoon that over a dozen alleged
bootleggers have already been arrested. Every peace officer in the city and
county is participating in the raids.
All miners’ homes at Monarch are being searched, it was announced at
the sheriff’s office.
In
Sheridan
a number of arrests were made late today including Steve Kutcher, proprietor of
the
Yellowstone
bar, and M.J. Ryan and Richard
Bittick, all charged with bootlegging.
McKenna and Stanton were removed to the county jail for safe keeping
today. They are under heavy guard.
Enormous quantities of home brew have been confiscated in the mining
camps.
Word of the fatal affray was received at
Cheyenne
by Carl Jackson?, a federal prohibition director for
Wyoming
, in a wire from his assistant, M.C. Wachtel, now on the ground at
Sheridan
.
“I have sworn in a number of special deputies and will finish the
job,” said Wachtel.
Wyoming
State
Archives: http://www.wyoarchives.state.wy.us/
Wyoming
State Archives Online Newspaper Collection: http://www.wyonewspapers.org
The
Helena-Daily
Independence
Saturday Morning
November 6, 1926, page 7
WORD OF JUDGE FAILS TO JAIL BOOTLEGGER
Sheridan
,
Wyo.
, Nov. 5. - The testimony of Judge James H. Burgess of the fourth judicial
district failed today to convict a man arrested in a raid conducted personally
by the judge.
A jury was discharged after deliberating 17 hours on the guilt of Dick
Bittick, employee of a pool hall here.
Judge Burgess testified that he had followed a sheepherder who worked for
him into the pool hall and finding Bittick
behind a bar, asked “Bittick,
why did you get my sheepherder drunk.”
Bittick, according to
the jurist, replied that “I didn't know it was your sheepherder, Judge.”
Judge Burgess said he then asked the man where he kept his liquor. The
liquor was shown to him, he said, and he then ordered Deputy Sheriff Gerald
Braucht, who had followed him into the place, to seize it.
The jury heard the judge, looked at the alleged evidence, went into the
jury room and stayed there 17 hours without reaching an agreement.
Hayden M. White, county attorney elect of Johnson county, defended Bittick.
The case was heard by Judge C. O. Brown of the Sixth judicial district.
Source:
Ancestry.com newspapers online [no longer online]
Newspaper might
be titled: Helena-Daily Independent,
Helena
,
Montana
