The Lincoln County leader. [volume] (White Oaks, Lincoln County, N.M.) 1882-189?, 1884-05-31

HARDENED w~uanERAR5
New Mexican Cowboys who Accepted
Lynching With Resignation

"The eastern papers are having
II good deal to say about cowboys
lately" observed Secretary Edward
Wctzcl, of the Colorado Stock
Growers association, ycstcrday,aS
Inc suspended his work on a cattle
inspectors report, put his pen IN
his car. leaned back in his CHAR
and addressed an audience OF about
fifteen visiting cattlcmen and two
reportere. Now, Eve been Il
cowboy myself, and believe |
know something about them and
their habits. They're not a, bad
as they're paintcd-ot course we al
know that and they are generally
courageou, fellows. don't believe
| ever saw such gritty men as !
have met among the cowboys,
continued the secretary warming
up with the subject, and divcrging
from the general outline OF his DIS
course. =,
''You all know that old deserted
ranch on the I'ccos river, in New
Mexico, near Bosque Grande. don't
YOU? OF course you do. Well, |
passed by that place one day about
four years ago, when | was helping
drive some cattle from Texas to
Republican ranges up here, and we
c,mnnd in'that ranch for thCnight.
1t was Il dismal old place. The
roof had fallen in and nothing but
the old adobe walls remained with
three or four beams across. Cactus
soap weed, sage brush and mes
quite bushes grew in rank prolu-
sion around it in the sandy soil,
and about twenty steps lr"m ii
flowed the Pccos. muddy and deep
The ford near by had ecndeserted
for that at Bosque Grande, and
don't suppose II human being hat
passed along there for months. a
few steps from the ranch saw as
walked around something rhat
looked like a grave, a mound, with
two piles of stone at is head and
feet. and | asked Bill Johnson, one
Of the boys with me, who had tor
merlv been one OF John CAisum's
cowboys. what it was.
"Whv," said he, that's where
Felix Poussicr is buried. He killed
our roundup foreman, John Bar
bed, about ten miles from here six
months ago and we linched him.
Hung him to that .joist yonder,
pointing to one of the beams lying
across the walls, and helped
string him up. We didn't have
any cottonwood trees around and
SO we hung him where we slept.
We'd been on the roundup for
about two days, and that. morning
the boss gave Felix an order which
he didn't like, and he made a re-
mark that drew out the reply from
the boss that he would discharge
him if he didn't obey. We were
riding along to the roundup meet
ing pretty fast, iuld after that Felix
rode as il the devil was after him
until he got half mile ahead Of us.
The boss was in the lead.
"Suddenly Felix wheeled his
horse and came towards lis on the
dead run until he got opposite the
boss, when he pulled a pistol and
shot him through the breast. The
foreman fell from his horse, and
although we rode up as fast as we
could, he WAS shot twice before
we reached him. As we came up
we could hear Barber ask Felix to
spare his life Tor the sake OF hie
wife and children, but TIE little
devil-he was only eighteen years
uld-was determined 10 kill him,
and fired his last shot through hi,
head. When we came to the place
he threw his pistol into the Pccos,
near which the trail ran, and TOLD
us to 90 ahead with Il hanging,
which ne knew would come. Ii,
hadnerve, you bet. We took him
back to this ranch, took a laria.
from one of the boys saddles auC
put # round ms neck, and askc,
INN if he wanted to say his pray
ers, No he didn't he, said.
''IIe WI, IL Louisiana creoie,m an,
he had been taught to consider thai
the man tnatiusu.ted him deserve,
death. He was glad he kiIlc,
Barber, and he would do it again
lie wanted to write a letter to hi
mother in New Orleans, and we le
him do it. Then he Int a cigarett,
took a few pufls, threw it away
told us he was ready and we swun.
linn up. lie hardly struggled a
all and died in a few seconds ]
seemed to Us. We buried hin
here and | sent the letter to hi