The lingering effect of this last episode was some court proceedings wherein came the evidence that William Wallace was a woman and the wife of William Reep. It could hardly be believed even by the closest associates until several responsible parties attested to its truth. It was a well planned and executed masquerade and no one here knows its purpose. Many believed the checks were behind it and that in some way the real William Wallace was being impersonated, the Reeps in all likelihood having inside information of the facts and that probably Wallace was dead.
The Storm of 1878
This was a long time ago. Banner county territory had but two resident families at that time and one of them was more or less temporary. At the head of the creek was Creighton's ranch and John S. Wright had the year before located near Kane's point. Tommy Shunover, Bob Cavelier and "Scotty" were hunting mountain sheep. They had made a kill on Wildcat mountain when the storm came. They undertook to drift with it to Wright's ranch but the spring weather having been mild had caught them unprepared and without heavy clothing.
Shunover was the only one of the three to reach the shelter. One had fallen near the place Theo. Johnson now resides and the other near Ted Kelly's. This storm was long remembered by cattle men as one that caused great losses. It occurred on March 7, 1878. No later storm has equalled in violence or destructiveness.