River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1875-10-29
Tragic Ending OF the Life of a Noted
Despcrado.


was descending the hill from the Pocahon.
tas river to the mining village of Rosita,
IN the southern portion Of this territory,
he was met by body ofarmed men, who
leveled their pieces full at his breast
The major who had faced death thou
sand times in nearly as many forms,
paused and peered into the murderous
muzzles befor him, drawing himself to his
full height and standing like statue,
without sign Of agitation, but with a
cold, cruel CLEAN III his flashing eye. The
dreadful silence WIS soon broken up by
the sharp, quick words of command ::
about iace-run y and Graham turned
to obey. Hardly had he turned when a
yolley was fired and he fell pierced by at
least twenty bullets.
This crime was one of many less tragi-
cal, but not less lawiess, attending long
struggle over the ownership and posses.
sion of the famous Pocahontas mines,
and the history Of this mining trouble is
but the repetition Of the history Of many
others in the Territory since 1859. The
only feature Of special interest in this
case is the fact that Instead or submitting
to the law > delay, as the custom has
been Of late years, 1.-THE camp adopted
the old system of tactics, and appealing
to miners law oustcd the party IN
possession Of the mine and turned the
property over to its local owners.
Graham was one of the guards at the
mine. lie was bloody, desperate man,
and when he met the party advancing to
capture the mine, they knew, if he was
let to live, some Of them would not fail
to die, and he was shot as matter of
protection. lie had been shot often and
desperately on previous occasions, and
had always recovered in an incredibly
brief space of time. They laugh at
wounds who never felt scar, but here
was man who seemed to laugh at
wounds, though covered with scars from
head to heel. Some of them were honor.
ably won in service to his country, But
far the most came during the eyentful
years Of his wild border life.
Graham was born in the State of New
York. where his family is respectable,
and where the war found him smooth
faced boy, remarkable for nothing but
cool and quiet daring. Entering the
army as a private, his bravery soon dis
tinguished him, and he rose rapidly from
the ranks by sheer meritorious service.
lie was insensible to fear, and seemed
even then to bear charmed life, for his
comrades say that he could and did ex-
pose himself to the fire of a whole regi-
ment, and came off untouched. At the
close of the war he was commissioned
IEajOr in the regular army and assignee
to the frontier, serving i'll Utah and sub
sequently at Fort Leavenworth. But he
came to be wild, reckless, unprincipled
and dishonest, and was finally dismissed
from the service in disgrace, just in time
to prevent his marriage to most esti-
mable lady at Leayenworth, who had
been beguiled by his dashing manner and
handsome face. The crime for which he
was court -martialed was horse stealing,
the stock in question being the property
of the government, and his sentence was
a fine and ten years Imprisonment. His
friends paid the fine, and a mistaken
clemency averted the Imprisonment.
From that moment Graham abandoned
himself to life of crime, and was soon
known and feared all over the West.
In the spring of 1873, this community
was startled by the announcement that
an attempt had been made to rob Unit
ed States plymaster near River Bend, on
the Kansas Pacific road, by the then no-
torious Maj. Graham, and that the latter
had been shot and mortally wounded.
Except as to the last clause, the report
proved true. Graham was brought to
Denver in dying condition, as the doc
tor testified, and placed in the city hos
pltal. a few nights later policeman
saw a strange negro limping along one of
the lower streets Of the city, and under
the impulse Of n sudden inspiration, he
followed and arrested him. Much to the
officers surprise, the negro offered him
$500 for his liberty. which was refused.
The prisoner was Graham. The dying
man had proved himself a very healthy
corpse by rising from his death-bed and
running away. He was locked up secure
ly and soon recovered. On his trial he
denied the intent to rob the train, and
claimed that his only object was to avenge
an insult offered To him by Paymaster
Brooks. The plea was ingenious, and pre-
vailed with the jury to the extent Of re.
ducing his sentence to two years in the
penitentiary.
The Colorado penitentiary is not much
of an institution as yet, and with any
larger tool than a toothpick an able
bodied inmate can easily break out. Dur.
ing his confinement within its walls Mai.
Graham amused himself by breaking out
periodically and getting shot nearly eve
ry time, though it seemed utterly impos-
sibe to kill him. He escaped last fall, in
company with several others, and for the
first time succeeded in getting arms and
starting out Of the country. The party
encamped one night in a deserted cabin
near Roslta, and were discovered BY n
party Of miners, who surrounded their
temporary fortress in the night and
waited for the dawn. The morning broke.
and when the suns first rays fell upon
the cabin door, it opened, and Maj. Ora
ham stepped out. The gus Numbered
in one swift instant and the Major fell
mortally wounded for the dozcnth time in
his eventful career. They didn't pick him
up az first but sat down in a sort Of In.
dian circle around him, waiting for him TO
die. Presently somebody suggested that
the other prisoners had TO bc taken down,
aud Graham might as well be taken along.
as lac could die IN the valley rs we'll as on