The Bozeman weekly chronicle. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1883-1889, 1883-10-31
COWBOY RIOT AT GLENDIyE.
4 Graphic Account Of the Affair BY the
Glendive Times.

to the shooting affair on Monday morn
ing, and will endeayor to produce tht
whole story as it happened. We do thit
regardless of any ones ideas or feelings
and with deliberate intention of plac
ing the cold facts before a public who
have listened to all kinds of yarns.
Three Texas COW boys, in the employ
of Scott & Hanks, left Keith on conductor
Browns train for Glendive some time on
Sunday afternoon. It was stated al
Keith that the7 came at the wish o.
Grown, who parsed them to Glendiye
free. Whether he had his plans laid
and wished the town taken or not we
VII not judge. However, thee is but
little doubt that he b,orsht them up
fee and remained with them un..l the
shooting. On their. a:r:val here they
proceeded 70 boyl up. The first trans
gression that We can find was The shoo.-
ing o: sign by the smaller o. the three.
Sheriff Taylo-, who was in The s;;ez
saloon at the time, playing the popular
game Of stud POKER with one of the TO,
arose and went out, NEE. ng the offender.
He caught him by the collar and the se-
volver, and endeavo-ed to tell him to
keep quiei; also that he was the she-ii.
At this he was covered BY the other who
had followed him from the saloon, and
told him to let up, which he promptly
did and received blow with the but o;
a revolver from COW boy No. l. The
sheriff made no attempt to Arrest at this
time. The trio then repaired to the Star
and carried things with q high hand,
ordering drinks for the crowd, including
the sheriff. They paid literally for what
they ordered. At this time the under
sheriff was present. and the night police
man Boyd, came and went several times.
No effort seems to have been made TO
arrest them. We jump over a space Of
from q half to one and half hours, du.-
ing which the COW boys were sometimes
separated and their guns were frequently
in their holsters. The COW bows finally
went over near The freight depot, accom-
panied by conductor Brown. In the
mean time posse was collecting behind
the stairs at Pontet 4 Gallasher's corner
and the command to "hold up yorr
hands," was given (you viii notice that
this is the road agents command). At
this the COW boys began to retreat and
the posse to fre upon them! The COW
boys c.awled under the trucks of freight
car and waited. After from twenty-five
to fifty shots had been fred the crowd,
imbued with some courage, scattered and
made their way to TIE freight depot.
M. G. s. Willicombe accompanied, at
quite distance in the rear, by two
others, one of whom was John Boyd,
approached the car where the cow .boTs
were, placed his hand against the side Of
the car and peered beneath, when almost
simultaneously came three sho;s, going
through his heart and breast scarcely one
inch and hall. apart, and ether one
would be fatal. At this his companions
retreated. What the balance Of the
crowd were doing at this time is not
degnite, as each man seems to have been
his own keeper, but presently they fornd
themselves safely on the 81 eet or behind
shelter.
It does not seem to have been known
at this time that M. Willicombe was
shot. There seems to have been report
to that effect and cont-adic:ed. How
ever, from fifteen to twenty-five min:tes
a;S.er he was killed his body was recov-
cred. The crowd leaving at the time Of
NJ. Willicombe's being shot gave the
COW boys clear field, and they let for
the bluffs. Mr.. Willicombe's dea.h
seemed TO have effec:ually que!led all
desire on the part of the posse to again
search until morninS.
From all the inquiries We have made
we cannot discover that any attempt waf
made to arrest the COW boys or any de-
mand on the part of the officers for theil
surrender. The only time they were
asked to give themselves up was the
command by Malony(who seems to have
had more sand than the ofhcers)to throw
up their hands, and this was immediate
lu fo1louad nv f3rin0
That morning after daylight one of ftht
boys came to the depot to catch the train
He was covered by Malony with Win
chester, with the order "hands up" L
was "dead cinch" and he complied
being Immediately covered by the under
sheriff and Morris Cain. Two we're still
at large and two posses were sent t.
Keith, one on horseback and the othe
by train, but they were not to be found
In the afternoon Billy Allen and Ber
Coleman were hunting for a horse o,
Sand creek, when they discovered tn
two COW boys Returning at once the.
reported and posse was made up, whicl
fortunately found them asleep and a
once took them in.
The sacrifice of a life was entirely un
called for, and the whole affair is darl
blot on our usually peaceable town
After a careful consideration OF this affai
and how it was conducted, we want t
| 20 on record that court Of law will nc
convict them of murder.