Sept. 14 – On this day in Montana history in 1894 the Montana Colored Citizen newspaper reported that black man J.P. Ball Sr. had been nominated at the Republican county convention meeting in Helena for the position of coroner of Lewis and Clark County. “The disposition to ignore the colored citizens grows less and less as time rolls on, and the time is near at hand when he shall be accorded the full and just recognition to which he is entitled,” the paper said. Ironically, Ball said that his business interests would prevent him from accepting the nomination.