Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1885-11-25
"IOTHER Osborne"
y Famous Character of wyoming Life-
Tie cabin Near the Trail.

y Famous Character of wyoming Life-
The cabin Near the Trail.
LANDER, WYo, Nov. 1G-Yostorday
there arrived in this place migrating
cowboy from the Yellowstone country.
lie was going South for the winter. The
Globc-D Democrat correspondent overheard
him, ON street corner, speak Of "Mother
Osborne The name struck a chord In
the sCribc's memory that loudly res
pended, and he stopped and asked the
cowboy what he knew of "MUthcr OS-
borne" Nothing was the answer,
"only she died two weeks ago of siarya-
ton and cold in an old cabin ON the Clarll's
fork OF the Yellowstone And so the
wicked shrcwd and ugly old harridan
was dead at last Memory at once
brought to the scribe the scene in which
he saw Mother Osborne for the first and
last time. 1t was In the month OF August,
1873, The scribe was an employee of a
Cuttlc-owner of the Dry Cheyenne coun-
try. The region was new, uvcrrun with
desperate characters, and especially rang
with the name OF "MothCr Osborne
She was represented in all the phases OF
superb I've wickedncss, and the repre-
sensations were but bare Justice.
Two years before she had made
her appearance in the section,
and located ON Beaver creek, a
running tributary of the Cheyenne. She
! was as gross In person as in passions
| Her bulk equaled her wiCkcduCss. Weigh
| ing over 200 pounds, there was no horse
| she would not ride and no deed she would
not attempt, She had two or three men
with her, and building cabin of large
Dimensions, she gathered about her in a
short time as desperate a gang AZ ever
rode through the gloom Of night. The
Black llillA and Cheyenne stage route ran
near Coach after coach was pluudcred,
aud the road in that vicinity came to be
soon known as "MOthcr Osbornc's trail ~
| Carrying her fifty years as lightly as II
they were twenty -tiye, she rode with the
gang. she was shrcwd aud daring, and
| Mother OSbornc's plan was never known
TO "giVe uut' or her nerve to fail.
| In August the outfit TO which The scribe
| belonged was ordered to take a bunch OF
cattle over to the Beaver bottoms and
| turn them loose, freshness OF range being
| the object sought The drive was duly
made, and the herd soon grazing on the
| luNurlant Beaver grasses We camped
on the bank of the stream the night we
! reached 1t, just rs we were retiring for
| the night the camp was suddenly sur
| rounded bY score of as desperate ruff
| fans rs ever rode TO the call of plumber.
| Their leader, an active and tluculcnt.
looking bandit, strobe into our
midst and said that we were only
a few miles from "Mothor Os.
borne's" ranch, aud the good old
lady desired our company to u late tea
and dance. There was no resisting such
an invitation, pruffercd as IL was, and we
were soon riding in quest of the danger.
Gus hospitality. pur capt0rs and guides
rode at a rapid lope, and we pcrforct
kept up Soon the lights Of the roost
burst upon US, aud then came to our ears
the sound OF a violin, skillfully played
Riding up to the door we dismountct
and soon stood before Mother Osborne
la an immense armchair in the mddl,
ol capacious room, sat an enormous wo
man she was loaded with fat. ArounC
her huge glrih was sunk a broad belt
supporting two heavy reyolycrs
while a Winchester rifle wa,
yearly lost IN her lap, Abou
her gathered half dozen brazen women
She welcomed us cordially and heartily
aud ordered refreshments tor us at once
ih'h NAANhN NllN alfubl az ll'ANWll, lilNl
the floor was cleared and the dance be
gan 1t was wild scene. The hra2cn
shameless women, the pouring whiSk,
aud the dense tobacco smoke, the stai
wart, iancilully dressed bandits, l0adu,
, with pistols and knives, aud las
but no least the huge bulk o
"Mothcr Osborne" herself, RS bis
tolls in belt and Winchester Il
hand she with active corpulcnc
waddlcd through tie figures OF quad
rillo. As morning approached the I'm
grew diabohcal in character. Vile Ian
guagc and dire threats came from n
, sides Mother Osborne drove several 4
her followers from the room ut the mui
1lo OF her Winchester, and her heavy bul
was more than once thrust lcarlossly b,
tween cooked reyoNers Finally cam
E the dawn, and With it Mother Osborn
bado US farewell,
! Two years atterward Mother Osborn,
A taking to husband one of the band thirt
d years younger than herself, started Fla,
70 live "rospectably, land the log cabl
r on the Clark Fork Is the last scene.
$ a Connecticut man recently paid del
) list twenty-five cents for pulling a loot