, 1870-12-13
The Butler County Tragedies.
Frightful Decentralization on the
Border.
lndiscriminate Shooting and
Hanging.
Noted FInfnsmeu Shot md
Hung.
(fRox ouR erzctA1 CORRESPONDENT

tAttl1uR 1ncldenfa connected Hlkh Inc Wild |
te Of the border. They arc men who
ave beon in tho most peEilous ad-
entu1es, who have carried their
ses in their hands, and havs
ought the savAgcs OF ths plains under cir
\ truthfM narration Of which
'ou]d be regarded AZ the sbeorest fiction md
punance.
T1e plainem1n ia = character. Hs Is sui
Hne7is- He IL The connecting lial between
,arbzritru and civilization; and. With him. it
$ difficult to tell where tho barbatism ends
md civilization begins. He Is . chieftlin
without followers; m Emperor without sub-
eots. Ho aaks not for retsinors- He Is not
aggressive, but be is absolutely fearless. He
lever courts fight. except on extremely rare
and when On = ''spEee," which he
seldom iEdulges in. He Is Eot model Of
temperance md sobriety-tis nama Is never
fonrd enrolled in the Father Matthew socle-
lies; but he d fsI from heing dFanka1d-
"a never tastes 4 drop" His diet for
months ia meat only; vegetables he
reyer eats: -four Ia consumed when he has It.
and, when he don't. +" jctAed buffalo, for !
continuous "chaW," anewers very we'll. He is
Pitahie TO strangers, and 1e1ent1eea 10 one
miea. Ho does everything on &ha squara-
Ills drinks are s'squAte drinks !" his meals sEe
al ''equaro masls." He il your best friend
in tRht. II dozen eaTagea arc to be
sdns Sahes fa'ss 70
TO uee another term for the Neateru phrxse,
by al uaeans let the contract out to the Pho |
neer Flaineman. He wlIl DO the Job with ~
little noiset and with Is little use for pollte~
eeqnent habeds corpus, a. any othsr mAu.
In iini-hipE up the job there will be no usc !
fur Judges o. iuries. 4 Coroner, and q Wig |
osoIs ui.hmxn With spsde. will be about all |
tut it y necessary to provide for.
The rlAiusmAn IL not ubffeGueptly educated. |
vigorous. actise. and strong He is not vul-
carly and hahitua11y profane- Alone so much, |
lie becomes by uHture taciturn, and. always in
tho presence OF the grandeur Of the noun
tains Or the liuaitlesa expanse Of tue wide, ex-
tended plaip. he urconsciously becomes almost
religious: but he will swear st mule- Alex
ander Narjores is tha only msn conversant
With the plaina have oEer known WHO did
rot consider It necessary to use. by-~otds in
castigatlnR mulish qusdrrpeds. The plains
lin al his buckskins and place upon him
taulty cap, and nohay cost, aud choker collar.
and he would pass for NeE York dandy. He
| is Ut home wherever he ia. He would be at
care a. much at reception ct Grant or Sher-
man az in the rude tent Of sst.nta or Satank:
common school education. He committed
eoma ssyouthtul inaiscretion," cropped the
| tail OF aome old farmers horse
= little too short, OF accidentally
| "pushed' i companion too vigorously in
saloon b1oi1, and las fed to the prai1tea, to
allow his wild oats to germinRte IN . kindly
ard tetentisa coil. Once having summeted and
| wintered here, he never returns He 10 bott
margsed knd not married. He has no wife ;
but lie has one or more tqua1ss among half
dozen OF moro wild tribes. He firmly be-
1icves that the savage tribes eau oulv ha io,-
: proved and civilized through the medium Of
ama1gamatiou; aud be iudA corTobnration
and confirmation Of his theory in tho history
Of The eemi-c.vilized tribes Of tho Indian Tar
ritoty and the failure to civilize the Blanket
or Plans Indians.
So much for preliminary to sketch Of some
Of the claraciera in the late Butler County
tragedies. On the Sth Of November last,
Jack Cotbin, Jim Smith, Louis and George
ance committee, or mob Of eitizeua Of
Butler County, upon charge Of horse steal
ing. Corhiu WAs hanged to = sycamore tree :;
Smith and the Booths shot. The deed wsa
done between tho houre OF aunaas aud sunrise.
The moon shene down brightly md ecrrneIy
down p1acidly upou msny \ tragedy before.
Without clsnca to PROVE their innocence, With
out proofs Of their guilt, these men we're taken
; out md murdered, and tbe majesty Of tho laM
ipsul,ed and violated. TheJ may hare all
thieves. But It Is extremely doubtful wbethe.
they all belonged to this gentry Smith vas 4
. bad man, a1d quite likely guilty; but tho law!
Of KAnsas demand that be should have trial
10 insult aud riollte the Law is greater cri,nt
. than even the rnieerAale man Smith waa &C
jack Corbin ia veil known to plaiasuer
! 1 and to military officers who have led expedl
\ liz ns sgatu.t the hostile 1ndiAps Of tho South
, wess durirg the last few years. His re-.
J | uame was McGrath. He cxme from st. Louis
In ls64. he had difficulty with a.loon
keeper in that city, in coEumnn BARRON
! | l,saxl, and thot the taloou- keeper. He thel
! fed to the p1aines, and has been gore1rnen
+ servant most OF the time since 1856. Ho va
i t.. wheu tho noted Chief, Black Kettle. Nh
{ killed. and was servant to General Forsyth
: IN 1869. He mas we'll educated aud Of res pect
: able family copnt ct1ors. His father. 4 we'll
i TODD farmer in Illinois, VIA out this way 1as
T. summer to look up his et1lng and wan
] old plGnsman, an interpreter for on
. Of tho wild tTibos OF tho Southwest, and in
guiEed for hie son, and begged him to caEr
to him the uoeesage that be wAa 10 comforta
bio circumstances, and imploied him to retur
:. TO the house Of bis father, where le migh
% lave all be could wish to nake himself coz
Il fortable and respectable The message wa
le | delivered to Corein (a!ids Mc(itath} hy on
e informant, tha Indian interpreter. the yer
+ day before tho tragedy thAt closed his eerthl
= career, At the time, Corhtn waa partially ut
lc der The in8uetce Of liquor; but ae lstene
astcrtizely TO Tho message from his opce-iove
10 | aud honored father, and seemed deeply mosat
ii lie finally replied :" Well, Mac, I'll eea 70
i again about this mstter, aud talk With 50
further about it." That night he was take
le from his bed and hung to l. sycamore tres -
= common horee- thief. Corhin WAS the b.:
b shot OF the prairia. He has bean know
n frequently to shoot cigars from \ compAnion
d mouth, ard never failed his mark Ue bad q
d knowledge Of feaz. To CustaE, Forsyth, ~
,o oiher military ofjcess, he haa been Of inrsls
X III daugera thai Wild Bill wouid hare ahruu
Ia from. He w1s never known to tinch fro
!. tho execution tt = commission entrusted |
:h lin. In his pockets. after his execution
r. were found orders from denersl Costar
IS seize government property; hosses, mnle 1l.
10 stolen from the government, and return Il
N rs1ne TO tie nearest military post In th
ii ! way large amount Of govaE0mant horses y
,u ! been recovered. There EaA aleo found IN 3
n rossesrion m cEsaez OF arrest, Issued against
noted criminal ..
ID Louis Booth. who vAs shot upon the SAT
Of night of The sth Of November. came from 9
" tafio, n. = HI, eettled down fl
Of IN Missouri, md vac engasea
ssss R:ap pEGse' iss ~ sh' bsSafs bs5ffss
to he sas numbered b. both armies. His ssot
he VA asi1en ID, and he left II dsspais for !
.nt prsinee, he commenced trading with t
ii Plains Indians. where be 1euaasned from ~
re- to 1864. In the fall OF the latter year b,ot
ne ! niil M.t.esop, .ad negro, started II
Grove, at thAt time / frontier to*n In II
st r1ar At zanshe on Coon Greek tho psstr
ass ,hree were attacked By $50 A1apahoes-s u
uf ! teton proposed to tHto maze their escape
tn house: snd i i id hard for Indiana to ta
~. And 40 the little party fought tbs
,es A. au.rshoes % - for three da!s sna, kiling ! IN
IN number of them when the Indians retits
.pa hey pnsaed thsa1 53g5ney Ta;h a2 msat do =
a asa 1 tIam the arHansaa to Walnut Creek, in But
sg1 .so e'sin, Sshns' usl1aed, S ind. ..p9sfsnt
~ hid settled down fos life.
Of resumed his old business Of stock.Fns'ne'
en- bc oficed thtt one Of his !arEest and best b.
Al had Disappeared susrect,ug that the oc
ser rapt Of : nelshtoring claim had tsolen
the roc, be uect 10 his c.nin- The occupant
:itY gone. HAyrs eniiosty 70 re- ,osine4 Inen
tho to looked under The bed. and found = tua
Of uexIy-eslted hans and fhou}dere-
lht ! ce1t day. 1cccatins hisnesshbor, he naked
th's il he Esd killed any hog= l.se'y: ~ 5ep1
her that he had not Ae then m anaansa y 20 :,
xsp su sti1e snsvef. Dooth thtn told him thai
,ee. bsd stolen his hog, and said: "Iou p
:sse What The law lie. ard the penalty. but d.
ttio want to gre you any ,roubls. i soaN
N me the value Of tne III 8,
nth thing aouos saa r
rest proposition Vas se1neeo. ano s{SsJ ~oaus
tain lowed. which !ed 70 oloHst M noo ~ S,s9
hich / accused uaoFt nn1nsfc'1ua oaenas. 1sa oa
rcu- is believed ~ nn3' TAa '1o ot.s'o ~ I%oo
the difficulties. HIS o1o,ne1, peosee 22o:a.
cusJ | In \ New 1otk eAs4ff 1esAAHas oua.os
the plains. Snas.h.as has seen already sta
ant was bad. fothanls 11an: aao upon no u
q likely Fnilt. Of she charge Of horse 1s s.s.
llon) let ottsEs were Y ois M seap1ns: aaSy
Hip altogether upon me nfs1t " ~ ASeas'