The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1883-08-02
CAPTURING A DESPERATE.

In the far west, particularly in the far
southwest, the newly arrived settler Of.
ten finds that he has strange neiphbors-
not only Indians, but white despera-
does, who are more to be feared than
even Utes and Apaches.
Two young friends of mine-pood.
steady, New England-born young men
were 80 unfortunate as to buy land in
the vicinity ofan especially ugly men,
Der 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 TO brave enough in the de-
tense OF any just cause, yet they dread
cd 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. bv
eteady labor aud economy, saved ND a
capital OF seventeen hundred dollars.
With this they had emigrated to Colora-
do and started q small stock-farm. fif-
teen miles from Alamosa.
BY availing themselves of the Home
stead Act and the Presumption Law.
they secure1 tract of three hundred
and twenty acres Of land, lying upon a
creek. with range extending back over
the hills, which was not likely to be ia
ken by other settlers.
At point short distance below.
where mining trail passed them. and
where they judged there would be in
time a raiicoAl. they built frame
house, which they opened as a hotel.
and IN which they also kept stock of
groceries. For, like many other enter
prising young emigrants, thew had an
ambition to found q town and grow nm
with it.
Some eight or ten miles from tn em
lived man named Peter Hergit, who
professedly worked a mine, but whose
place really was kind of rendezvous
tor renegade Cowboys" and other
desperate characters of the Jesse James
type. 1t was intimated that several
daring train-robberies hal here been
planned, and also that "Clate Walker"
made it one OF bis stopping places.
This Walker was notorious gambler
and dead snot. lie was supposed to be
the leader ola band of train-robbers.
and Was said to have killed not less
than ten men in various ARRAYS. And it
was said. too, that occasionally, when
times became too moDotonous because
Of the lack of excitement, he would kill
man "for fun" just to keep his hand
in. He had a habit, also, of riding
through small towns and c ,mps, shoot
ing promiscuously at everybody he SAW:
to keep up the terror Of his name, q
matter he appears to have been vain of.
1t will seem well-nigh incredible to
people in the East, that such man
should be allowed to escape justice and
to run at large. Such is the ugly fact,
however, in scores Of cases, owing prob
ably to the arrest of these desperadoes,
three heavy revolvers, and are marvel
lously quick and sure of aim,
As an example of the wonderfully
rapid and accurate shooting of some of
these frontiersmen, the writer re-
members seeing ''cow-boy" at Ration,
New Mexico. ride his horse at full gal
lop past a telegraph-pole, to which was
pinned the round white cover ola paper
collar box, and lodge four balls from his
Colt pistol in This small mark while
passing.
Afterwards he entertained us by
throwing into the air, one after another,
handful Of pig nuts. and cracking each
as it fell with 4 angle bullet. Then he
nut up rapidly an twirling the revolver
round af his fore.tinger after every shot:
slowly, he replaced bis pistol in it,
sheath at his hip after every shot, draw
ing it for each succeeding nut, and did
not miss one out of six.
This sho ~ the accuracy and quick
ness of aim of many of these lawless fell
lows, and such marksman was CIate
Walker; who added to this reputation,
moreover, the more murdcrous one Of
being killer" which in the phrase OF
this section means desperate who will
shoot man upon the least provocation.
Our two young stockmen had heard OF
this border monster, but their first &C.
tual acquaintance with him began the
week after putin up their sign of 'ShAII
Bros, Hotel and Grocery"
Walker CHANGED to pass one morning,
and seeing the new sign, refined in his
horse, and by way Of calling the atten-
ton Of the landlord to his arrival, drew
bis revolver and opened fire on the sign,
sho oting the first letter S to pieces. Then
dismounting, lie kicked the door open,
and walking in, demanded ''cOck- tail
Gilbert who CHANGED to be inside al
the time, told him civilly that there was
no bar connected with the house; fol
true to their home principles, the young
men had determined to keep item.
perdnce hOuse"-a greater anomaly in
the west than many at first suppose.
"A temperance house," shouted Wal.
ker, and he vented his astoEishment and
disgust in burst of oaths and revilings.
mo man shall keep hotel with nothing
TO drink in it in these parts!" h. said
you don't have liquor, and go,d
liquor, too, the next time call, won't
leave q whole dish or a whole bone
herei'
And AZ foretaste of what he wound
do next time, no kicked over the table
and smashed three or four chairs, by
way of 1eave-tak'ng.
With such customer on their hands
it is little wonder that our two young
friends felt very i'll at ease. Still. they
we're bold men, and were determined
not to be bu:lied into keeping rum; sc
they went about their business as usual
Nothing was seen of Walker for fort
night. when he again appeared early ont
morning while Charles was getting
breakfast-Gilbert having gone out t.
look after the cattle. The first hint tina
Charles had Of his visitor was another
.volley Of shots into their slde-board.
This time Clate had shot the secon.
letter to pieces. 1t was apparently hi
way of kicking the door open as before
Under the circumstances it is not yer,
strange that Charles stepped out Of
back door at about this time, and wen
behind . barrel, from whence he hear,
Walker firing repeatedly, and making
great smashing inside.
when at length the desperate ha
taken bis departure, it Was found thu
he had made complete wreck Of tn
crockery and furniture; and in tn
grocery: room he had helped himself t
tobacco: and emptied his revolver at tn
kerosene. barrel, which. tapped in hal
adozen places, was deluging the floor.
/ shall not undertake to say what th
duty of my young friends was,-whethe
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