Oregon Republican. [volume] (Dallas, Or.) 1870-1872, 1872-06-15

NV AZ "o Wy NhuiSO ioh suoSO3 'h"h
lied. After picking himself up from
the floor, he drew from one of his boots
an enlarged addition of an Arkansas
toothrick, and then this benighted
Hoosier went for" me- As he had a
" flush hand" | thought Is discretion
the better part Of valor," and passed
out OF the door.
Hurredy mounting my horse, |
started off for home on gallop, bat ne
a moment too soon, for the bloodthirsty
man-carver threw himself on another
horse aud Immediately pursued A
stern chase is proverbially long chase,
and in very few minutes [ fonnd
was gradually gaining. While leaning
over the neck of my pony, to keep from
being brushed of my seat by project
ing branches, | passed small clearing,
where it was not quite SO dark, and was
astonisbed to find that circumstances
had made me a horse thief. The ami
NAL on which | ~as riding had white
face, while my own pony, which was
probably carrying my pursuer. was a
splendid sorrel
However, had made an excellent
trade, and although the half crazy de-
mon behind me used his Bowie knife
in place of spur to urge on his beast,
he gained but little. / uow discovered
two pistols in the holsters on either side
of the saddle, and quickly drawing
them out, fired twice at the ruffian, who
was only about tifly yards behind. Ow-
ing to the darkness, neither shot had
any effect, except to bring out whole
broadside of useless profanity, aud we
still rode at the top of our speed.
Iu Il little while we were out of the
woods, but it came near being in my
case " ont of the frying pau into the
fire just as | came to turn In the
road on the outskirts Of the forest, from
behind "A low stone wall, directly In
trout. rose the scarcely distinguished
forms Of four men with firearms. They
Immediately '' drew bead" on me. |
thought | would have TO ego under i,
but cndoavorcd to dash past, leaning
over II la Comanche,as ,nucf as possible.
4 gentleman who was saved from
drowning, after going down for the third
time, once told me that in the few see
ouds occupied in sinking, all the more
prominent deeds Of his life passed in
quick succession teforc his mind.
At that moment | also seemed to be
looking into the mirror Of the past. yet
| did not lose my self possession. The
very next Instant Git seemed at least
five minutes to me) one of the mysteri>
Gus four called out, Don't fire . It's
jim! Don't you know that horse
Some ones after him" saw that it
was TOO dark for him to discover my
identity, be recognized the horse, and
supposed the rider was his comrade.
So Initiating the lloosier's coarse voice
as we'll as could, grunted, "Stop
that f, How behind - and rode on as
fast as possible. not dcsirous Of waiting
for the dcnOnemcut VII ch | knew must
soon tai ke place, All this happened in
one-tcnth Of the time | have taken to
relate. 1t was lucky mistake for me,
for in another moment heard the re-
port of several rifles, but as no bullets
whistled in my neighborhoo1, [ rightly
copjectured that the cold lead had been
administered to Jim. A snarling yell
soon announced that this Tragedy of
Errors" had been discovered, but no
further pursuit was made.
When [ reached Osceola, | put
"whitc face" in the stable, and went
to bed. Being little excited over my
peculiar horse trade, | was of course
visited with a night mare. In the
morning, called at the office of the near
est Justice, and stated the facts of the
case as have related them.
Before niue o'clock a large party
visited the scene of the shooting. My
poor pony was found dead. having evil
IDENTIFY been killed outright, and pro-
fusion of blood on the leaves at the side
of the road left no doubt that Jim had
been severely wounded. The entire
gang had disappeared, no one could tell
whittier, carrying their disabled "pap'
with them.
They had been well and unfavorably
known in Pulaski and Cass counties as
unmitigated scoundrels; cut>throats of
the first water. They lived much in
the same style as the celebrated Lowry
gang in North Carolina. They had
but lately changed their base of opera
tions having lost one of their number
in an unsuccessful night attack on a
stage coach, which event made matters
unpleasantly warm in that region for
"road agents"
AS none of the gang was afterward
heard from, kept the "wrong horse
as trophy. The pistols are in the Of
fee of the Sheriff Of st. Joseph county,
where Jim or any of bis murderops
crew may identity and claim them-ii
they think it expediert.
Subscribe for the REPUBLICAN