Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1880-02-23
THE KILLING OF cuRLEy.
Detective Llewellen Arrives
in Yankton and Gives
His Version.
Tho outlaw sho. while Making !. Bold
Stroke for Liberty on .
Fast Horse.
LIewellen Will start for peadwood In Z
Few Days-The Result OF the
Inquest.

rev = no N0S0lI OF In0
Inquest. +
Detective Llewellen came down from the
upper country Saturday night and will re:
main in town q few days attending to some
business matters. Shortly after his arrival
q Press and Dskotaian representative called
his attention to the charges made against
him by the newspapers Of Deadwood in
connection with the killing Of the outlaw
Curley aud the announcement that q
coroner's warrant had been issued for his
arrest. He stated that he had seen some of
the newspaper talk before reaching Yank-
ton and that he should telegraph to the
sheriff Of Lawrence county that he would
70 to Dsadwood as soon a. he could finish
up some business matters here. Such
q telegram was sent by him this morning.
Mr.. Llewellen then added, the proceed
ings will never 60 further than q prelimi.
nary examination"
Subsequently be gave an account Of the
operations of Curley. bis arrest and his kill.
ing. Curley was one Of the leading mem
bers of the now dctunct Doc. Middleton
gang of the Niobrsra. and stood on a par
with Middleton. Nolan and johnson for
deeds of outlawry and deyiltry. He had
been a terror of the plains for q number Of
years, pursuing bis unlawful calling with
relentless vigor and defying arrest. Garry.
ing his life in bis hands be bad become y
man of desperate tendencies and it was no
desirable job tosattempt bis arrest. The
officers of the law bad been tracking him
him here and there for months and finally
the case was placed 10 the hands of Detec-
tives Llcwellen and May. A, short time
ago the latter encountered his man in a
canon of the Black Hille and the two rode
side by side for several miles. each tying
to get the drop on the other. but neither
succeeding. Finally the outlaw sidled
away from the officer and made good his
escape. Mr.. May not being able to get his
gun IDOL him. After this adventure Cur
ley went out on the Pierre route and knock
ed around among the various camps and
ranches. Llewellen learned that he was
with Appel's telegraph party, on Elk creek
and. accompanied by May went to the
camp of this outfit. As they rode up to
the wagons Curley was Been folding his
blankets, having JUS: .crawled out of .
wagon where be had been sleeping. The
officers came upon bin so quickly that he
was unable to reach his weapons, and the
shot gun of Llewellen covered him and
forced his surrender. He was hsndcuffed
and placed on his horse.
As this horse figures prominently in the
charges made against the officers, it is prop
er to say something about him. Llewellen
recognized the horse as one stolen from
Captain Bsssett, on the Niobrars, last April.
He was a fleet footed animal Of great endu-
rance, and Curley has won considerable
money with him at races. The report that
Curley was mounted on a weak Indian pony
at the tine Of his escape is therefore wholly
incorrect. Llewellen says thai after the
death of Curley the horse was taken to
Deadwood and placed in a stable where it
was seen by scores of people and its owner
telegraphed to regarding the recovery of
bis property.
After Curley had been hsndcuffed and
had started with his captors for Deadwood
he complained that the irons made him
cold and asked that they be removed. Az
the weather was severe the officers complied
with this request, after FIRST receiving q
promise that he would not attempt to ca.
cape. Curley was placed a few feet ahead
of his captors, who rode side by side and in
this order the trio started for Deadwood,
fifty miles away. Llewellen and May were
armed with double barreled shot guns and
revolvers, the former loaded with buck
The party stopped at Bull Dog ranch and
at McFaIland's ranch and at the former all
three took q drink Of something warranted
to keep Out the cold. At the last ranch
Curley was detected BY Llewellen in the &C,
of concealing q heavy stick under his coat,
] Just before mounting his horse, ard com.
PEELED to drop the cudgel. 1t was late a,
night and in the darkness the prisoner
nearly succeeded in securing the stick unob.
serqed. A short distance further on the
tragedy occurred by which Curley lost his
life. 1t was about eleven o'clock and the
night was dark. Curley was riding
ahead Of the officers, their
-
r~elative positions being the
same as at the start. Suddenly Curley gave
his horse the signal, leaned low in his sad
die and was of like an arrow, headed
towards a clump of trees a short distance
from the road. As Curley started Llewellen
fred one barrel of his gun over his head,
thinking it might stop him, but as it did
not, the two officers leveled on him and
gave him the contents of their guns. As he
did not fall Immediately, Llewellen drew
his revolver and prepared to fire, but at thi.
juncture Curley tumbled from his horse to
the ground and when the officers reached