The bus stop in Miles City and at Bud and Bette’s in Terry was very interesting. I think Lyle (Wild Horse) Cunningham may have taken some literary license with the bank robbery story. I knew him from 1948 when he was my aunt’s boyfriend and I was living at my grandmother’s house. Not to say he didn’t live up to his nickname ‘Wild Horse.’ I remember teasing my aunt about her boyfriend being locked up in the city jail. I don’t recall ever hearing of any bank robbery. My recollection of why he was in jail on that occasion was that he was drunk, on horseback, downtown Miles City and roped a cop. That event got him a good beating and several months jail time.
The barber, Karan, that Lyle said hello to questions the bank robbery story, as well. She is retired but when she comes to town, like yesterday, she cuts my hair. She and her husband enjoyed the video.
Another time in the late 70s or early 80s I received a phone call from the District Judge to come to his chambers. When I got there the judge said that Lyle was in jail and he was not going to let him bond out because he had also threatened to gut shoot all the lawyers in town. Because Lyle was a friend of mine the judge wanted me to talk to him. I asked Lyle if he was going to gut shoot me to and he responded he wasn’t going to gut shoot lawyers, he was just mad and blowing off steam. Before I went back to the judge, I asked Lyle why he had broken his significant other’s arm to which he replied he didn’t break it, it just broke because all the Budweiser she drank had made her bones brittle.