The Tombstone epitaph., 1881-12-26
THE SITUATION.


 the cowboys obituary organ," hay ing acknowledged its imbecility, has called to its aid one Amicus" and our venerable friend, Judge Reilly, who adopts the old Donnybrook style of hitting head wherever seen, and as consequence, Cum, Spicer, Randall, Gray, Marshall Williams, the Earps, and several others come in for their share of whitening ex- coriation. The playful cowboy and the gentle stage-robber alone seem to have escaped this Doanybrook at tack. By deduction we are led to believe that Marshall Williams, ells-Fargo's agent at this place, has robbed all the stages; that Budd Philpott committed suicide, and that Cum, while seated inside the coach the other night, shot the off-leader in the neck, Whistling Dick" in the leg, and then took to the brush for the purpose of creating sympathy and getting an Indian agency. We have given the subject much careful thought, but thus far have failed to see the connection between the night attack on the stage and the San Carlos Indians, unless i. is solely in the interest of the Indians. The idea is this: The Indians own the country, and if the timid tenderfoot can be terrorized to such an extent that he will give the territory wide berth, and the few people who are now here can be frightened away, it will rebound greatly to the benefit of the much-abused Apache. He can then roam at will, and there will be no white man to modest or make him afraid. This IS very good, from the Indian standpoint, but if MT. Cum had any such idea, when he shot the poor horse in the neck and Whis ting Dick" in the leg, he cannot be too severely condemned from the white mans standpoint. The EPI- TAPH's patrons and friends mostly be- long to the white race, and the paper naturally sympathizes with them in their views; but notwithstanding this fact it would fain occasionally drop tear for the Apache Indian, the bucolic cowboy, the much. abused stage.robber, and all other persacute6 people.
 Not many moons ago, when Sheriff Shibell, gallant Democrat, for whom half. dozen San Simon cow boys voted l04 times. (very nearly re-electing him) was called upon to arrest poor innocent stage-robber, ] he called around him several faithful followers, armed them with double barreled shot.guns, and slipping up behind the muc h-injured road-agent unawares, filled him full of buck, shot. At that time the ignorant peo- pie were not educated up to the idea of extracting the fangs of the deadly rattlesnake or incarcerating robbers and murdersrs in the county jail un- til they had time to recuperatc, and then to be turned loose by an oblig- ing sheriff. No, the humanitarian influence of the Tombstone press had not yet been felt, and milk of all kinds-especially of human kindness was scarce article. And, strange to say, Sheriff Shibell and his gallant comrades were lionized for having done what would now be severely condemned, namely, shooting a de- fenseless man in the back. But then Charley Shibell was good Demo- crat, and to that favored class of our society much allowance must be made. Not a word must be said against any act committed by a Dem- ocrat, whether it be robbing stage, shooting man in the back or with his hands up, robbing the people by adding ten per cent to an already rSurdsnsome tax, neglecting to summons grand jurors who are dis posed to think a democratic ofice- hdder is not immaculate, stufling bal -iot:boxes, or anything else he may do. And it is for this reason, we take it, that that stern old wheel horse of democracy, James Reilly, has seen fit to throw the mantle of charity over the frailties of his par tizans. It is merely question of political capital, and part of the plan for the Sins" 10 keep in. If public attention can be directed to