The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1877-11-13
arms and, everything else worth taking

away. ,q g l.,
Somebody was doing terrible work.
and that somebody was old Jim Watson.
He arrived at Brownsville about once a
month to replenish his stock Of ammu-
milton and to secure three or four days
rest, and bis friends knew very well who
it was that had rendered himself such q
terror to the San Juan Valley. Robbed
Of wife, son and all that made life pleas.
ant,the old Texan had sworn to get even
With the greasers. He was not seven"
when a Mexican paper at Monterey sta
ted that the midnight rider had killed in
one month twenty one horses, over fifty
head of cattle and eleven herders, and
that he had poisoned over Eve hundred
head Of sheep, and set FIRE to three or
four store houses 81
The coming winter made no difference
with the work OF the ayenger. Bands of
|greasers hunted for him, but could not
and him. Herders surrounded. thickets
and gullies in which they we're sure be
was hiding, but be was not there. Dead
horses and cattle marked his route as he
rode up and down the river, crossing
from bank to bank. and not week went
|by that some Mexican was not found
with bullet through his head. 4
In January and February old Jim
Watson was laid upin Brownsville with
knife.cuts and bullet wounds. Those
two months were marked in the calendar
Of San Juan Valley as without the death
of q herder or head of live stock In
March the old man suddenly disappear
ed from Texas, and before April was ten
days old the ranchmen of the San Juan
we're saying ,toseach other in whispers :
THAT mysterious deyil--he is here
again !" Ssz73 40 gi,g.1 ante
lac A herd Of cattle would be oil right at
daybreak, at sunset q hundred would
bee dead, their bloated bodies sand
CLASSY eyes furnishing proof that poison
had been the means used by the willy
foe. Ranchmen, riding along in : the
dusk OF evening, tumbled from their sad
dies. dead before they reached the
ground, and when June came reward
Iof 1000 was offered fol, the capture or
death Of the mysterious assassin. Some
lone-perhaps one of the party raiding
Jim Watson's ranch-at last surmised
that it must be this old man who was
thus avenging his wrongs. Spies we're
sent into Brownsville and other river
towns, and they picked up word here
and clue there, and were at last certain
of their man. But identifying the old
man and, doing for. him, were two differ
lent things. He did not remain in Texas
when warned that hundred greasers
were on his track, but when the spies
thought him penned up in Brownsville,
he crossed the river and left his bloody
mark within mile of Its bank.
1t was only the other week that the
avenger was cornered !; q hot pursuit hy
q well organized force drove him to the
| bead OF the valiey, and be finally syngh
cover in the mountain range to the neIths
west OF Saltillo; here, with oil chances
OF retreat cut of, he stood at bays and
knew that HE time had come. The raid
ling band Of cattle-stealers had killed his
wife and son; in return he had killed
| over forty Mexicans. They had taken
away his stock and burned his ranch I, in
return he had destroyed more than two
thousand head, and had burned a dozen
ranches and store-houses. For, every
life be, had exscled twenty for every
dollar lost by him, he had destroyed the
worth OF fifty. Now, when he knew that
This hnnr had come, he must have cast up
bis figures with grim satisfaction. His
life was nothing to him; be was through
With it now. s. =
For two days aud nights, as reported
iby Americans who happened to be a,
ISaltillo, hundred or more greasers held
1.-THE old man surrounded ir rayine, JUS
cowsrdly enough to plan to starve hin
out, instead Of daring to close in on him
On the morning OF the third day his
| mustang came out, starved and thirsting
l The lines. were closing in little nearer
when old Jim Watson stalked out t.
meet his fate He had a Henry rife arc
1.-Two, ,reyolyers., He stood In the center
OF circle Of excited and infuriatel
lMsyieaass and for bali an hour he KEEP
them out Of range, dropping horse O
man .atleyeryIreport When he had nc
more cartridges he broke his rife scros
D. stone end took shelter behind . bowl
der. For half an hour the Mexicsn
] held him under a hot rife fire, and fthel
1.-The circle closed in, some mounted ant
q some on foot. Even when thirsting TO
j his blood, they could not repress tbei
: admiration for the nerve and courage o
the old man.. He rose up, unharmedg b,
J their, volleys, and with revolver il
either hand, be turned from right to lef
and sent his last compliments at tn
swarthy foe. He knew he had to die
but be stood there as steady and cool q
: q hunter firing st small game. s,si5
, They killed him, Aye, more thai
> that they cut his poor body into string
! almost; but they bad as many dead AM
wounded to carry back to Ssltillo as
wagon would hold. frina
i A hundred to one is long odds, bu
e old Texans care not for numbers whe
they look into the eyes Of death an
know that their time has come, i, .a
wE A Eberle, an actor of over 2
] years experience, was seen to be strange
I ly at fault in his part in the Albany Thes
!, ter few nights ago. He had the reputf
|. ton of being '.letter perfect, but on tbi
: occasion be was al loss for words. wer
ION and off the stage at wrong points
}. the play, and gave the audience the in
# preston that he WAS drunk. 4 At lenet
he advanced to the footlights and said
q ri don't know what ie the matter With m,
Q but l. certainly am not druHk-Inevs
II drink anything intoxicating Was PEI
feet In my part at rehearsal this morning
n huf n N m I car uot roaal q, uord NJ ikjt II