An Incident in American Bush Life

Te Aroha News, Volume I, Issue 40, 8 March 1884, Page 5

An Incident in American Bush Life

In the Far West, particularly in the Far South - West, the newly-arrived settler often finds that he has strange neighbours — not only Indians, but white desperadoes, who are more to be feared than even Utes and Apaches. Two young friends of mine— good, steady, New-England-born young men —were so unfortunate as to buy land in the vicinity of an especially ugly member of this out-law fraternity. These two young men had been brought up to obey the law, and to respect the property and rights of their neighbours. They could be brave enough in the defence of any jnst cause, yet they dreaded and shrank from the use of deadly weapons against a fellow being, from a keen sense of the sacredness of human life, and the criminality involved in such acts. Such were Gilbert and Charles Small Plain, farm-bred boys, they h.*d, by steady labour and economy, saved up a capital of 1,700 dollars. With this they had emigrated to Colorado and started a small stock-farm, fifteen miles from Alomosa. By availing themselves of the Homestead Act and the Pre-emption Law, they secured a tract of 320 acres of land, lying upon a creek, with a range extending back over the hills, which was not likely to be taken by other settlers. At a point a short distance below, where a mining-trail passed them, and where they judged there would in time be a railroad, they built a frame-house which they opened as a hotel, and in which they also kept a stock of groceries. For, like many other enterprising young emigrants, they had an ambition to found a town and grow up with it. Some eight or ten miles from them lived a man named Peter Hergit, who professedly worked a mine, but whose place really was a kind of rendezvous for renegade " cowboys," and other desperate characteis of the Jesse James type. It was intimated that several daring train robberies had here been planned, and also that " Clate Walker" made it one of his stopping places. This Walker was a notorious gambler and dead shot. He was supposed to be the leader of a band cf train robbers, and was said to have killed not less than ten men in various affrays. It was said, too. that occasionally when times became too monotonous because of the lack of excitement, he "would kill a man "for fun," just to keep his hand in. He had a habit, also, of riding through small towns and camps, shooting promiscuously at everybody he saw, to keep up the terror of his name — a matter he appears to have been vain of. It will seem well-nigh incredible that such a man should be allowed to escape justice and to run at large. Such is the ugly fact, however, in scores of cases, owing probably to the circumstance that no officer likes to attempt the arrest of these desperadoes, who generally carry two and sometimes three heavy revolvers, and are marvellously quick and sure of aim. As an example of the wonderfully rapid and accurate shooting of some of these frontiers-men, the writer remembers seeing a " cowboy "at Eaton New Mexico, ride his horse at full gallop past a telegraph pole, to which was pinned the round white cover of a paper collar box, and lodge four balls from his Colt's pistol in this small mark while passing. Afterwards he entertained us by throwing into the air, one after another, a handful of pig-nuts, and cracking each as it fell with a single bullet, Then he did the same thing again, tossing the nuts up rapidly and twirling the revolver round his forefinger after every shot. Finally, throwing the nuts up more slowly, he replaced his pistol in its sheath at his hip after every shot, drawing it for each succeeding nut, and did not miss one out of six. This shows the accuracy and quickness of aim of many of these lawless fellows, and such a marksman was Clate Walker, who added to this reputation, moreover, the more murderous one of being a "killer," Avhich in the phrase of this section means a desperado who will shoot a man upon the least provocation. Our two young stockmen had heard of this border monster, but their first actual acquaintance with him began the week after putting up their sign of "Small Bros., Hotel and Grocery." Walker chanced to pass one morning, and seeing the new sign, reined in his horse, and by way of calling the attention of the landlord to his arrival, drew his revolver and opened fire on the sign, shooting the first letter "S" to pieces. Then dismounting, he kicked the door open, and walking in, demanded a "cocktail." Gilbert, who chanced to be inside at the time, told him civilly that there was no bar connected with the house ; for, true to their home principles, the young men had determined to keep a " temperance house " — a greater anomaly in the West than many may at first suppose. " A temperance house •" shouted Walker, and he vented his astonishment and disgust in a burst of oaths and revilings. "No man shall keep a hotel with nothing to drink in it in these parts !" he said. | " If you don't have liquor, and good liquor, too, the next time I call, I won't leave a whole dish or a whole bone here !" And as a foretaste of what he would c*o next time, he kicked over the table and sm asked three or four chairs by way of leave-taking. With such a customer on their hands, it is little wonder that our two young friends felt very ill at ease. Still they were bold men, and wero determined not to be bullied into keeping rum ; so they went about their business as usual. Nothing further was seen of Walker for a fortnight, when he again appeared early one morning while Charles was getting breakfast, Gilbert having gone out to look after the cattle. The first hint that Charles had of his visitor ■« as another volley of shots into their sign-board. This time Clate had shot the second letter to pieces. It was apparently his way of knocking. Immediately he kicked the door open as before. Under the circumstances it is not very strange that Charles stepped out of a back door at about this time, and went behind the corral, from whence lie heard Walker firing repeatedly, and making a great smashing inside. When at length the desperado had taken his departiu-e, it was found that he had made a complete wreck of the crockery and furniture ; and in the grocery room he had helped himself to tobacco, and emptied his revolver at the kerosene barrel, which, tapped in half a dozen places, was deluging the floor. I shall not undertake to say what the duty of my young friends was ; whether they should have resisted outrage and defended their property at the risk of their ives, or moved away from so dangerous a neighbour. What they did was to get out of sight whenever they saw Walker coming, and let him do his worst. It chanced that after a time a second cousin of my young friends came West to see them. His name was Forney, and he was then a student at the military academy at West Point. lam not sure, however, but he had just graduated, though that does not matter. He dropped in upon the Small brothers quite unexpectedly one afternoon, and it is needless to say that

they were glad to see him, and that they passed a very pleasant evening. Nothing was said about Walkar, for Gilbert and Charles, having an honest pride in their ranch, were loth to let Lieutenant Gerald know how badly they were off in respect to neighbours. The desperado happened to come along, however, the very next morning. Charles and Gerald were sitting in the dining-room, when Gilbert, who had seen the gambler coming up the road, suddenly rushed in. "Old Clate Walker's coming !" he exclaimed. " Put out at the back door !" Charles leaped to his feet, but our young West Pointer rose more leisurely. "Who the dickens is 'Old Clate Walker'?" he asked. ' ' A regular border terror ! A desperado ! A 'killer'! exclaimed Gilbert "He's likely to shoot any of us at sight ! Come on after us !" " What ! run out of your own house ! said Forney, surprised. " Why, what hold has this fellow on you ?" "No hold whatever ; but he's a dea J. shot and adouble-dyed murderer !" cried Charles. "You don't know him as we do. Come along with us and get out of his way !" "Not I!" exclaimed Forney, who perhaps felt that his military reputation was at stake. "Take your two shot-guns and stand ready in the kitchen. I'll stop here and see Mr Walker !" And he hurriedly took his revolver from his overcoat pocket, then stepped to the window behind the desk on the counter. With his customary oath, the gambler and dead shot kicked open the door and strode in. The young lieutenant sat on the high stool behind the desk, apparently reading the newspaper. He did not look up. " Hello, you sneak !" shouted Walker. "Where are the tender kids what keeps this blasted temperance hotel ?" " I think they've gone out to hide," said Forney, carelessly turning his paper. "They said there was a man-eater, a regular anthropophagus, coming, and that they were going to hide somewheres." Walker stared. " Well ! well !" he ripped out. "If you aint the freshest kid I've struck in ten years ! Right fresh from the East, aren't ye, young feller ?" "Yes," said Forney, moving the paper, "I'm from the East, and I'm pretty fresh, I suppose. I'm a young fellow, but I'm a pretty nice one." " Don't you give me any of your lip !" thundered Walker. "Do you know who I am ?" " How should 1?" said Forney. "It's none of my business. I'm only here on a visit. I don't care who you are." The bully flushed, stung by the careless contempt in Forney's tone. " Suppose," he muttered, taking a step toward the counter, while a murderous gleam crept into his eye, " suppose I were to tickle your Adam's apple with my dirk, what then ?" " Then I'd shoot you dead for the scoundrelly hound you are !" exclaimed the young cadet, suddenly presenting his cocked revolver full in Walker's face. " Move— stir a hand, and I'll shoot you like a dog !" " The first man that ever got the ' drop on me !" gasped Walker; "and you a little whippersnapper from the East !" "No matter what I am," said Forney, sternly. "If you move a hand, I'll shoot you ! Gilbert ! Charlie !" The two brothers, who from the kitchen had heard the above dialogue, and were several times on the point of taking to their heels out at the back door, now entered, guns in hand. " Cover him, Gilbert," said Forney. "If he stirs a hand, put a load of buck-shot through him ! Now, Charles, come and take his pistols and his knife." A deep red flush mounted to Walker's face. But he knew that the slightest movement on his part would send two charges of cold 'cad through his body. He gritted hif ieeth, but stood motionless. They disarmed him, then marched him out of the door and round the house into the cattle corral in the rear of it. This corral was built of adobe bricks, the wall being from seven to eight feet high, and enclosing a space about eighty feet square. They gave him no chance to get the start, but kept him covered with both gun and pistol constantly. They gave him a chair to sit on, however, and there he sat all day, watching the cadet and Gilbert, and they him, while Charles rode post haste to Alamosa to swear out a warrant for his arrest and summon the sheriff and his posse to take him. The officers, hearing that so dangerous a ruffian was really waiting their disposal, were not slow in responding to Charles Small's summons, and by three o'clock that afternoon the young lieutenant had the satisfaction of seeing the "border terror" taken into legal custody and marched off to gaol. But, as is too often the case in the Far West, the prisoner was lynched instead of being fairly tried and convicted of his crimes. He was taken forcibly from gaol by a masked party from one of the neigh bouring mining camps, the third night after being lodged there, and hanged without any form of trial, to the nearest tree.