Memories for Wednesday, February 9, 2022

10 years ago-

Wednesday,

February 6, 2012

She’s back home…as a deputy sheriff

After an absence of 11 years, LeeAnn Pekovitch has returned to Malta…but this time she’s packing a gun and a badge.

When she graduated from Malta High School, LeeAnn (we’ll have to get used to calling her Deputy Pekovitch) attended Minot State University where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Forensic Chemistry.

She’s currently working on her Master’s Degree in Criminology.

Her first job, for five years, was working with the Rural Crime and Justice Center specializing in drug research and education.

She also spent a year with the Boys and Girls Ranch in Minot, basically a correctional facility, as an instructor.

“That’s where I decided I wanted to go out and get involved in actual law enforcement instead of just the academic side of criminal justice,” she said.

She recently spent the past nine months as an investigator with the Northeastern Violent Crime Unit in Glasgow.

Mustangs, M-ettes could both close out regular season 10-0

With respective 8-0 conference marks and three-game leads over their next closest opponents, the Malta Mustangs and M-ettes can post 10-0 marks in conference with wins in the final two games of the regular season.

Both teams are at home Friday night for rematches with Glasgow. Saturday the two teams hit the road for a rematch with Wolf Point.

Showing at the Villa

War Horse starring Jeremy Irvine and Emily Watson

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25 years ago-

Wednesday,

February 5, 1997

Contractor interest good in school construction bid

Seven general contractors have obtained plans thus far and are prospective bidders on the Malta High School and Junior High project, according to information obtained by the PCN Monday from Drake-Gustafson Associates, P.C. of Billings, the firm which did the architectural design work.

Bill Haynes, an associate with the Billings firm who has been involved with the Malta project, said contractor interest in the project is fairly high as expected. “We’re in pretty good shape.”

Nine companies have acquired plans for the mechanical portion of the bid.

Museum may obtain Kid Curry’s shotgun

Local historical society board members may have come up with a rare find for a display of the county’s most famous old west outlaw—Kid Curry.

According to Nate Murphy, a recent local news article picked up by a daily newspaper has apparently uncovered a sawed-off double-barreled shotgun that belonged to the infamous outlaw who staged the last known train robbery in US history just west of Malta in 1902 on Exeter Creek.

Murphy said former resident Herb Stuff has the weapon and apparently plans to loan it to the Phillips County Museum for use in their Kid Curry display in the new museum.

Stuff apparently discovered who the weapon once belonged to while cleaning it one day. He dismantled the forestock and found the outlaw’s name scratched into the barrel beneath the stock.

Murphy said he and Dale Veseth, another historical society board member who is helping curate the Kid Curry display for the museum, have also discovered other treasures.

The museum is obtaining photographs made from the original negatives of photographs taken by Great Northern investigators following the hold-up. The negatives have been kept in the railroad company’s archives in Minnesota, Murphy noted.

Murphy said the museum is also obtaining a copy of a letter written by a passenger on the train the day the hold-up took place. The letter, in the possession of the man’s son who lives in Republic, WA, describes in detail the hold-up and reaction of passengers, who were apparently afraid that efforts to open a safe in a baggage car with dynamite would end up blowing the entire train up.

Showing at the Villa Theatre

Beverly Hills Ninja starring Chris Farley

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50 years ago-

Thursday,

February 17, 1972

Matmen to State Tourney

The Mustang wrestlers won the third-place team trophy at the Class B-C Central Division Wrestling Tournament held in Fort Benton last Friday and Saturday, and seven members of the Malta team qualified for the state tournament to be held in Missoula this Friday and Saturday.

Lew Tuma won the championship in the 112-pound class and Bruce Bruckner earned the championship in the heavyweight class. Tuma dec. Ken Kelly of Fort Benton 10-4 and Bruckner pinned Jim Albers of Fort Benton in 55 seconds.

Second places went to Mark Bourassa who was pinned by Frank Labuda of Big Sandy, 3:09, in the championship bout of the 138-pound class, and to George Ames who was decisioned by Randy Williams of Big Sandy 7-1 in the 167-pound class.

Gerard Van Houdt, 105 pounds; Lyle Jones, 119 pounds, and Steve Baeth, 126 pounds, won third places.

Whitewater Homecoming

Whitewater High School Homecoming was held on Saturday, Feb. 5.

King and queen candidates were, Larry Severeide, Jeanie Austin, Dan Simonson, Carol Brown, Jess Murdock, Cynthia Schwarz, Alan Potter, and JoAnn Simonson.

Cynthia Schwarz and Alan Potter were crowned as queen and king at the dance following the basketball game.

Showing at the NEW Villa

A Gunfight starring Kirk Douglas and Johnny Cash

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75 years ago-

Thursday,

February 13, 1947

News Editor Gets Ride On New Train

The News editor recently enjoyed a trip on the new Great Northern Empire Builder from Minot, ND, to Havre, and is pleased to inform the Phillips County clientele that this new streamliner is actually the last word in rail equipment. It lives up to all the advace advertising and seems to provide northern Montana with the ultimate in postwar transportation. The only dismal note in the picture is that under present plans, it will not stop at Malta!

The new trains are the first to offer three types of sleeping accommodations in one car. Two cars on each train will each have four open sections, eight single-occupancy duplex-roomettes, and four bedrooms.

Capps Tire Repair Open For Business This Week

Capps Tire Repair Shop will open for business this week, according to Paul W. Capps, owner. This latest addition to Malta enterprises will be located in the Morris Motor building on Fifth Avenue.

Capps, who is a former resident of St. Paul, Minn., is experienced in the tire recapping business, having been in that trade prior to the war. In his Malta shop, he will specialize in recapping and vulcanizing.

Capps, who is married and now living at the Fifth Avenue Hotel, is an infantry veteran of the past war, having served in the ETO.

Showing at the Palace

Little Miss Big starring Beverly Simmons

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100 Years Ago - 1922

- Malta was host to a district basketball tournament that featured teams from Saco, Hinsdale, Glasgow, Wolf Point, Culbertson, Poplar, Medicine Lake, Outlook, Scobey, Plentywood, and Malta. The housing problem was solved by the hospitality of local citizens who entertained the guests in their homes.

- Tilly Lusby of Bowdoin accompanied the Bowdoin basketball team to Saco for a game. Tilly had just been made mascot of the Bowdoin quint.

- Dr. W.G. Hough, Bowdoin physician, had moved his offices from the dying railroad town to Malta and had offices in the Malta National Bank building.

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118 Years Ago - 1904

- Flash! Outlaw Jones, on whose trail a posse was camping in our last issue, came to his end in the traditional fashion. Shot to death by the law when he refused to surrender and went for his own gun instead. Jones was cornered at a ranch north of Scobey by Deputy Sheriff John Moran of Poplar and a special officer named George Bird. Arriving while Jones was seated at breakfast, the officers aimed their artillery and had to fire when Jones refused to put up his hands. The defunct outlaw was found to own a long and colorful record as a stock thief.

- Kid Curry was “recognized” again, this time in a Denver hotel, reported the Enterprise. The paper said he was apparently well “healed” with folding money and shooting irons, and was not about to be captured by anybody.

- Mrs. J.F. Kilduff was back in Malta after a narrow escape from death in a great Northern wreck near Willmar, MN. The train was backing up to discharge some passengers at a way station when it rammed a freight which had just come back on the mainline after detouring in favor of the flyer. Mrs. Kilduff seized her infant son, presumably John, broke a car window and made her escape just before the coach turned over on its side and was destroyed by fire. The baby was quite ill from exposure.