The Elko independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1869-1872, 1870-06-11
TIE ELKO INDEPENDENT.
SATURDAY. JUNE II. 1870.
The Rough.

The Rough.
Mark Twain describes this individual in all
his glory, in the following graphic manner, in
thc Buffalo Express of late date.
A curious feature about California life was
the breed Of despers.does she reared and fos-
tered on her soil, and afterwards distributed
over adjacent Territories through her vigilance
coinmiteee5. when she Ind enough Of their
exploits. These men were armed 20 the teeth
with monstrous reyolvers and proved upon
each other. Their slightest misunderstood.
ings were settled on the spot by the bullet
but they Very rarely molested peaceable citi-
zens. They robbed and gambled and killed
people for three or four years and then 'died
with their boots on as they phTsed it; that
is, they were killed themseives-aimosti nvari-
ably--and they never expected any other fate,
and were seldom disappointed.
Sam Brown, of Nevada, killed sixteen men
in his time. aud was jourpeying towards Is
meralda to kill q seventeenth, who had stop
ped the breath Of a friend of his, when party
of law-abiding citizens -waylaid him and
slaughtered him with shot-guns. Mouuers
were exceedingly scarce ut his funeral. II is
said that sam Brownrcalled for n drink OF the
bar Of the Slaughter House, in Carson city.
one morning "a saloon so nicknamed because
SO many men had been killed in it,, and in
Yited stranger up to drink with him. The
stranger said he never drank, and wished to
be excused. BY the custom of the country
that was u deadly insult, and so Brown very
properly shot him down. He left him there
and went away, warning everybody to let the
body alone, because ii was his meat he said
And it is said, also, that he came back after
awhile and made n coffin and buried the man
himself-though never could quite believe
that--wIthout assistance. .--..---..
Virginia City was full of tlesperadoes, and
some of the pleasantest newspaper report
ing ever did was III those days, because / re-
ported the inquests on the whole lot of them,
nearly. We had, n fresh one pretty much
every morning. Toward the last il was mel
ancholy to see how the material was running
short. Those were haicyon days! / don't
know what halcyon days are. but that is
the proper expression to use in this connec-
tion believe.
Jack Williams was one of tho luckiest OF
the Virginia City desperadoes. lie killed n
good many men. He was q kind-hearted
man, and gave all his custom to n poor under
taker who was trying to get along. But by
hnd-by somebody. poksd "A double-barrelled
snot-6un through q cracl. while Williams was
hitting at breakfast. and riddlcd him at such a
rate that there was hardly enough of him left
10 hold an inquest on; and then the poor I'M
dertaker's best friend was gone and he had
70 take in his sign. Thus he was stricken in
the midst of his prosperity and happiness,
Tor he was Just on the point of getting mar
ried when Jack Williams vast taken away from
him, and of course ne had to give il up.
Is Is said that tho first .twenty-six graves in
the cemetery Mt Virginia City wero those OF
men who died by the bullet. And the first
six in another Of these towns contained the
body of q desperate and five of his victims
md there in the bosom of his family, made
dear to him BY the ties of blood, he calmly
sleeps unto this day.
At the Rocky Ridge station, in the Rock
Mountains, in the old days of overland stages
and pony expresses, had the gorgeous honor
Of brenkfasting with Mr.. Slade, the prince o.
oil the desPeradoes, WHO killed twenty-siI
men in his time, who used to cut of his vic
TINS ears and send them keepsakes &c
their relatives, and who bound one Of HI
many victims hand and foot. and practicGC
On him with his revolver for hours together
proceeding which seems almost ineXcusaOle
until we reflect that Rocky Ridge is way Of
in the dull solitudes of the mountains, and tn,
poor desperadoes have hardly any amusement
Dir, Slade afterwards went to Montana aus
began TO thin ont the population as usual
Cor he took great interest in'itrimmng tn
census and regulating the vote-but fnall.
the vigilance committee captured him anC
hanged him, giving him just fifteen minute
70 prepare himself in. The paper said h
cried on the snHffold.
The vigilance committee is a wholosomI
regulation in tho new cuuntriss and bad ch ar
acters have a lively dread of it. In Montani
one OF these gentlemen was placed OH hi
mule aud informed that lie had precisely fiji
teen minutes to leave the country in. II
said: H'Gents, if this mule don't balk, five vii
answer.
But that is sufficient about the dcsperadoes
merely wished to make n passing mention G
them. as California production.