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


til-uiu. t.lu Inspector thurman,
a. " ci1ul Hnlsucd. " cid YOU ever.
hear %. the way Bob llde, one ol
tu.-uiu cJWOo1s, The one taCt
called 'One-natl Bob, died lie
got ms nickname from his right
iorc-lingcr, on which he had a nail
nearly Two inches long. lie vas It
desperate sort of a character, al
ways getting into u quarrel with
somebody, aud Chisum used to tell
him that he'd get killed some day
il he didn't hehaye himself. But
Bob got worse and worse. got drunk
whenever he got a chance and the
other boys used to steer clear of
him. lie saw this and began to
think everybody asafraid OF him.
lie was rather lavoritc of Chisum
in spite Of his meanuess, and al
though he finally got SO ne wouldn't
take any orders from the foreman,
he couldn't be discharged. The
emo had TO come.
The outfit was rounding up
and branding one day on the Rio
Felix, ten miles from Roswell,
when Bob, who had bought a lot
Of whiskcy AT Roswell, and had
been wing around the camp drink
ing it and doing no work, got angry
at one OF the boys vino said ono
thing about his Sinking, and pull
ed his Gun and fired at him. The
bullet missed, but it killed Il fine
COW pony belonging t. one OF the
boys. The man he had shot at
jumped on, and disarmed him i'll a
minute and shouted for the rest OF
the outfit. They came riding ana
running into camp, and pretty soon
there we're about ten OF them
around, aud the fellow hal told
me this, said they had u regular
trial on Bob, with Judge, lawyer
and jury. Bob said he'd plead his
own cause, but he couldn't have
done it very well, for the jury de-
cided, after hearing the arguments
Of the prosecuting lawyer, who
brought up all previous misdecds,
that he had to DC strung up for the
good OF the community.
Bob accepted the verdict reck-
lessly, and the outfit Immediately
knocked off all work and started
with him tor Cottonwood Springs
They got there in the afternoon,
took Bob to a cottonwood which
had Il Limb about thirty feet above
the ground and put the loop OF a
lariat around his neck. They
started to tie his hands.
''Never mind that" he said.
I'm go up the tree and tie that
knot on the limb myself"
fIe took off his hat, climbed up
the tree with the rope around his
neck and all his other clothes on,
crawled out On the end OF the limb
and tied the lariat around it.
Then he said, boys, | guess
you are right III roplnS me. Ia
have killed some Of you if you
hadn't, guess, and I'm not partic-
ularly sorry to die. Bat there is
one thing want You to do tor me,
he continued to the cowboys stand
ing around at the foot Of the tree
and looking up at him, as he sat ON
the limb swinging his legs back
ward and forward easily. Give
got no letters to write and no pray
er8 to say, but | want you to take Il
message to a man for me-
$50 ahead " said the boys.
While he was speaking, Bob
had been working his boots off his
feet until they hung upon his toes
by the upper part OF the legs.
"Now," he said, "you'ye all heard
old Chisum say many a time that !
was going to die with my boots ON.
wart YOU TO 90 to him and tell
him that | say he was 4 Id liar. "
lie kicked his boots off to the
ground, as he ended, and jumped
off the limb. There was Il crack
Of his neck as the rope straighten.
ed out, and lac didn't move a mus
Gle after he tell. He was buried
right at the foot Of the tree
Ibid Chisum ever get the mes
sage % was asked.