The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1883-01-03
Inc Pleasures of cowboy Criticisms.

Mr.. John p. Clum, until recently the
editor of the Tombstone (Ariz.) Epitdph,
is in the city, and tells highly interest
ing story of personal adventure, from
which it would appear that, next to run
ming faro bank, editing a paper in the
uncivilized portions of the West is about
as dangerous an undertaking as a man
can well engage in. He went to New
Mexico in 1871, and in 1874 was ap-
pointed Indian Agent for the Apache
tribes at San Carlos, Arizona. In May,
1880, Mr.. Clum established the Tombstone
EPitdph as a weekly. 1t is now -four
ishing daily. lie vas first made post
master, and afterward Mayor. As post
master he had a hard time of it, but as
chief magistrate of the village, brought,
as he was, into almost daily contact with
the rougher and more desperate elements,
lie grew accustomed to write his edito-
rials in sight of his trusty Colts six-shoot-
er. In attempting to preserve order he
made enemies of the cowboys. This was
the first step in long and protracted
warfare which lasted off and on for more
than six months. First, there occurssd
drawn brittle at midday, between Mr..
Clun's chi, of police and three officers,
and four cowboys. Three of the officers
were badly injured, and three cowboys
killed outright. The fourth, who hap
pened not to be armed, ran away and es-
capped. After this Citizens Commit
tee was formed and paraded the streets
day and night, armed with six-shooters,
needle-guns, and Henry rifles. Mr.
Clum assailed the cowboys vigorously
through the columns of the Epitdph, and
every time one was brought before him as
a magistrate he imposed heavy fines.
Then the cowboys lay in wait for Mr..
Clum, until he was compelled to go
heavily armed, and dared not stay out
after nightfall without being attended
by a body-guard. Every editorial added
new fuel to the flame. The cowboys
rode into town by night and tried to
waylay the editor as he went to his Office
in the morning. Luckily he escaped all
their bullets.
Every ordinary plan failing, the cow
boys banded together, and camping few
mics from Tombstone, in a dsep and
wild canyon, signed death's-head agree
ment to kill Mr. Clum with pens dipped
in blood taken from convicts arm, and
afterward drank from a cup of warm
blood, diluted with pure spring water.
This came to his ears, and he bought an
other six-shooter and another Henry rifle,
| out being accompanied by several mem
| bers of his police force. The chief Of
| police was shot Mt and nearly killed one
night. Things were getting very des-
perate, indeed, and the Epitdph had great
| difficulty in getting out without the
| death of a compositor or an adventurous
newsboy. Mr.. Clum slept in n room
guarded by men armed to the teeth. He
! did not remove his clothes, but kept his
gun and pistol where he could lay his
| hands on them instantly. Life was now
| becoming such decided burden that he
| determined to pull up stakes and
! NOV to some place where the shotgun
| played a Jess constant part in the progress
IF civilization and the maintenance of
! the press. To leave was, however, not an
easy thing to do, for the cowboys, sus-
pecting some such move, had laid their
plans accordingly, and were posted
around the. outskirts of the town in the
bushes. ready 10 shoot him as soon as he
appeared.
-dr. Clum determined to reach Tucson
at any cost, and one dark night about
eight o'clock got in a stage coach and
drove out into the prairie. 1t was bitter
cold, and the horses were gallOping along
in the darkness and snow, and Mr.. Clum
was sleeping uneasily, muffied up in his
overcoat in the bottom of the coach,
dreaming of the good things in store for
an editor when he gets to heaven, when a
loud voice outside cried "Haftw He
jumped to his feet, and the horses sud-
denl V reared back and stopped.
The order to halt and the commence
ment of the firing were simultaneous.
To the command "Hold upw the driver
responded, "All right" but the shots
frightened the horses, and they broke
into run. After running about mile
one of the horses fell dead, and the coach
stopped. Upon examination it was found
that the horse was fatally shot. While
kSis horse was being cut out of the traces
Mr.. Clum stepped to one side of the road
to listen, as a second approach of the as
sailants was feared. Believing that the
purpose of the attack was to kill him, he
decided to leave the coach and take his
chances on foot, as he saw he had no
show of making a fight in the coach. He
walked to the Grand I entral Mill. about
seven miles distant, where ne was kindly
provided for After a sleep of two hours
he started on horseback for Benson, ar
riving there without any further trouble.
From there he proceeded to Tucson, and
Immediately left for the East Mr.. Clum
has sold his paper and will probably not
return to Tombstone.-I Washington Post