I’m writing this as I visit Bill and Alice Fritz at their home in Stevensville, MT. During our conversations Bill shared some newspaper articles about Great Grandpa Fritz. I’m going to insert the most interesting one below. His obituary I’ll save for a future post.
The Anaconda Standard April 30, 1891
Butte, April 29. “Billy” Fritz attended “Muldoon’s picnic” today as an honored guest. Yesterday Fritz, in a moment of drunken passion, struck Louis Herman, a messenger boy, who asked him to pay for a call. The boy’s face smarted greatly, as did also his wounded pride, and he went to Judge Muldoon’s court and filed complaint against the burly assailant. Fritz was arrested, and for insulting the court was committed to jail for 24 hours. This morning his honor relented and gave an order for Fritz’s release. Fritz was then placed on trial for striking the boy, and a clear case was made against him. After giving him a lecture on the cowardice and brutality of a man who would strike a little boy, his honor fined Fritz $25 and costs, amounting in all to $54. Fritz then left, but instead of profiting by his experience he immediately proceeded to get drunk again and started in search of trouble.
I said in an earlier post that I knew very little about Grandpa Fritz other than he was a saloon owner. His obituary confirmed that he was known as “Billy” and does give more information about him to be added later. This article does flesh out his portrait, even if not in a good way. More to come, none of bad, at least for now.