Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1883-08-21
Capturing a Desperad0.

Capturing a DesperadO.
In the far West, particularly in the far
Southwest, the newly arrived settler often
| finds that he has strange neighbors-not
only Indians, but white desperadoes, who
are more to be feared than even the Utes
and Apaches.
Two young friends of mine-good, steady,
New-England-bo young men-were so
unfortunate as to buy land in the vicinity
of an especially ugly member of this outlaw
fraternity.
These young men had been brought up
to obey the law, and to respect the property
and rights of their neighbors. They could
be brave enough in the defense of any Just
cause, yet they dreaded and shrank from
the use of deadly weapons against fellow
| being, from a keen sense of the sacredness
of human life, and the criminality involved
in such acts.
Such were Gilbert and Charles Small
Plain, farm-bred boys, they had, by steady
labor and economy, saved up capital of
seventeen hundred dollars. With this they
had emigrated to Colorado and started a
small stock farm, fifteen miles from Ala
mosa.
By availing themselves of the Homestead
act and the Presumption law, they secured
tract of three hundred and twenty acres
OF land. lying upon creek, with range
extending back over the hills, which was
not likely to be taken by other settlers.
Att point a short distance below, where
mining trail passed them, and where they
judged there would in time be a railroad,
they bnilt a frame house, which they open
ed as hotel, and in which they also kept
a stock of groceries. For, like many other
enterprising young immigrants, they had
an ambition to found town and grow up
with it.
Some eight or ten miles from them lived
a man named Peter Hergit, who professed-
ly worked mine, but whose place really
was kind Of rendezvous for renegade
cowboys" and other desperate characters
OF the Jesse James type. 1t was intimated
that several daring train-robberies had here
been planned, and also that "Clate Wal
kerr made it one of his stopping-places.
This Walker was a notorious gambler and
dead-shot He was supposed to be the
leader of band Of train-robbers, and was
said to have killed not less than tel men in
various affrays. 1t was said, too, that oc-
casionally, when times became too monot-
Onous because of the lack of excitement,
he would kill man ''for fun" lust to keep
his hand in. He had a habit, also, of rid
ing through small towns and camps, shoot
ing promiscuously at everybody lie saw, to
keep up the terror of his name, a matter he
appears to have been vain of.
1t will seem well-nigh incredible to peo-
pie in the East that such man should be
allowed to escape justice and to Tun at
large. Such is the ugly fact, however, in
scores OF cases, owing probably to the cir
cumstance that no officer likes to ATTEMPT
the arrest of these desperadoes, who gen
orally carry two and sometimes three heavy
revolvers, and are marvelously quick and
sure of aim.
As an example of the wonderfully rapid
and accurate shooting of some of these
frontiersmen, the writer remembers seeing
'cow-boy' at Ration, New Mexico, ride
his horse at full gallop past a telegraph
pole, to which was pinned the round white
cover of a paper collar box, and lodge four
balls from his Colts pistol in this small
mark while passing. Afterwards he enter
tanned US by throwing into the air, one af-
ter another, handful of pig-nuts, and
cracking each as it fell with single bullet.
Then he did the same thing again, tossing
the nuts up rapidly and twirling the revol-
yer round his fore finger after every shot.
Finally, throwing the nuts up more slowly,
he replaced his pistol in its sheath at his
hip after every shot, drawing it for each
succeeding nut, and did not miss one out of
six
This shows the accuracy and quickness
of aim OF many of these lawless fellows, and
such marksman was Clate Walker, who
added to this reputation, moreover, the
more murderous one of being ''killer,"
UH in, nj, <,e+ I,
desperate who will shoot man upon the
east provocation.
Our two young stockmen had heard of
this border monster, but their first actual
acquaintance with him began the week after
putting up their sign of ''Small Bros, Ho-
tel and Grocery
Walker Glanced to pass one morning.
and, seeing the new sign, reined in his
horse, and by way of calling the attention
OF the landlord to bis arrival, drew his re-
volver and opened fire on the sign, shooting
the nrst letter to pieces. Then, dismount-
ing, he kicked the door open, and, walking
in, demanded a cocktail"
Gilbert, who CHANGED to be inside at the
time, told him civilly that there was no bar
connected with the house; for, true to their
home principles, the young men had deter.
mined to keep a Temperance house"-a
greater anomaly in the West than many
may at first suppose.
IA Temperance housel" shouted Walker
and he vented his astonishment and disgust
in burst of oaths and revilings. sNo
man shall keep hotel with nothing to
drink in it in these partsv' he said. "If
you don't have liquor, and good liquor, too
the next time call, won't leave whole
dish or bone here!"
And, as a foretaste of what he would do
next time, he kicked over the table and
smashed three or four chairs, by way of
leave-taking.
With such customer on their hands, it
is little wonder that our two young friends
felt very i'll at ease. Still, they were bold
men, and were determined not to be bullied
into keeping rum; so they went about their
business as usual.
Nothlng further was seen of Walker for
a fortnight, when he again appeared early
one morning while Charles was getting
breakfast, Gilbert having gone out to look
after the cattle. The first hint that Charles
heard OF his visitor was another volley of
shots into their sign-board.
This time Clate had shot the second letter
to pieces. 1t was apparently his way of
knocking. Immediately he kicked the
door open as before.
onoer the circumstances it is not very
strange that Charles stepped out of back
door at about this time, and went behind
tne corral, from whence he heard Walker
nrlng repeate0ly. and making a great