The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-08-16
RILEY's READY REVOLVER.
The Thrilling Story of n Western Desperate
"A Cowboy as q Shield.

San Francisco Call.
An Eastern journal recently published an &C.
count of the shooting of eight Texans by Matt Ri
ley IN Kansas some years ago. The article con-
| cluded with the statement that Riley, some years
after the tragedy described was attacked with par
alyss and died in the Eastern States. The state
ment Is true as far as it describes the paralysis,
but In all other particulars is erroneous. Riley
did not die in the East, but, the contrary, IS
alive and resident of San Francisco where he
has lived the greatest portion of the time since
his celebrated adventures in Kansas caused
sensation throughout the Southwest The man
ner in which the eight Texans were killed diff
fered considerably from that described by the
eastern writer. Matt Riley or Matt Foster the
| latter being his right name was, at the date of
the occurrence referred to, one of the most
noted and desperate of the nrofes-
| sional fighters and gamblers of the West
He about thirty years old, and in physique
| the counterpart of the redoubtable John L., of
| Boston. His whole life had been passed in
scenes of rough adventure. When boy he
tered the civil the confederate side, being
| native of Arkansas, and finally graduated as a
full fedged bushwhacker. AT the burning of
| Lawrence, Kan, he obtained considerable share
I of booty. and, growing tired of fighting for his
party. concluded to do some for himself. At
| that time the sparse population and peculiar
conditions of life in Kansas offered great induce
| ments to desperate man, and Riley made the
great State his sojourning place. He filled
several positions-was sheriff at Ellsworth, and
was deputy marshal at Newton at the time of
the sensational adventure with the Texans. Nc
| Cluskv, the marshal of the town. was Rileys
partner
Riley had formed McClusky's acquaintance ct
| Laramie. where he met him in company with
some of the most desperate characters that ever
| infested the West. subsequently, McClusky
and Riley met on the Atchison 81 Topeka road,
| and they became partners in the preservation OF
the peace and the proprietors of hurdy gurdy
| and gambling-ho at Newton On the day OF
| McCluskys death, Riley had been out hunting
horse thief, and got back in the afternoon
Wmle standing outside the dance house talking
to someone, he noticed that the place was doing
a lively business There were eight women
dancing on the floor and many more peddling
drinks, and the cowboy element was numerous
| and uproarlous. McClusky sitting
| chair, with his back to the wall, looking at the
| proceeding, when of a sudden party of Texans
who had planned to kill him sprang forward
from the crowd and began to shoot at him. Nc
Clusky had killed one of their men some
| time before, but was wholly unsuspiciOus of
an attack, and he riddled with bullets before
lie could draw his pistol. The desperate charac-
ter of the man asserted itself in the death of
| agony and his last movement to cock his
pistol and point it at his assaants. He had not
strength to press the trigger, however and he
| fell on his face, dead.
His murder not long unavenged At the
first report of the Texans pistols Riley started
for the dance-house His quick eye took in the
| tragic situation of his partner at glance, and
in an instant he had seized the nearest Texan by
the neck and holding him up before him as
| living target he opened fuSillade on the asSaS-
sins. When the firing ceased there were nine
| men lying on the floor dead and wounded. When
Riley loosened the grasp of his herculean arm
| from the neck of his human shield, the tenth
| victim of the terrible encounter dropped
lifeess to the boards. He had been desa
before the encounter had we'll begun but if he
had not succumbed to the pistols of his
radcs there was Is cartridge In Rileys third ps
| toll at his service. Eight of the dead and
| wounded m n TpyanS VIII
| had murdered McClusky. The other two men
who had been killed in the ARRAY were railroad
men and onlookers at the tragedy. 1t spoke
| volumes for the closeness of the shooting that
only two bullets had flown so VIDE of the in
tended mark as to bring down innocent victims
in the crowded dance hall. Riley remained in
| Newton three days after the sensational ARRAY,
and then found it eXDedient to leave for parts
| unknown. He subsequently figured in several
desperate affairs on the line of the Union Pa
cific railroad. and through Colorado, Utah, New
| Mexico and Nevada. Orders had been issued on
| the Union Pacific railroad to allow no monte
| gamblers to ride on the trains, and. in obedience
to this command Captain Payne, of the Omaha
depot police, tried toeject Riley and his partner
| Sullivan while travelling from Council
| Bluffs to Omaha. He put off Sullivan, but
Riley refused to leave the train, and in the
| struggle which ensued the Captain was
knocked senseless by blow from the despera-
| dos pistol After this the trains of this Union
Pacific were uncomfortable for Riley, and he
moved his headquarters from Council Bluffs.
His partner. Sullivan. like almost every partner
he ever had met a tragic death, another gam
bier, named Duval, shooting him in Chicago.
After parting with Sullivan, Riley formed
partnership with the notorious Jack Virgins.
and opened large saloon in Salt Lake City.
On the opening night Mormon known as Dutch
John, who had figured as Destroying rel,
entered the saloon and intmated to " IS
that no gentle would be allowed to run su an
establishment in the city. Some hot words .ol-
lowing, the Destroying Angel seized bottle and
and hurled it through the large mirror behind
| the bar shivering the glass into fragments
| Virgins had his pistol out almost before the
Destroying Angel swung the bottle and the
crash of glass was drowned in the report of a
| shot that sent Dutch John to eternity. For this
! inauspicious incident of the opening night,
! Virgins arrested tried, and sentenced to
death
With that lofty consideration which
distinguished Mormon Nor justice, Wigens
by hanging or shooting He chose the rope,
although exhorted by his rough friends to select
! the bullet as the most expeditions and respecta-
| bic agent of extinction. When reasoned with by
| Riley he stated that he preferred to be hanged,
'for," said he, i've seen many good man shot
and Want TO see one hanged"
A few days before the date of execution Riley
| managed to secure an opportunity for Virgins
to break Jail, and which that worthy improved
with alarcity The fugitive was concealed for
eight days in the cellar under the Walker House.
Riley had sold his saloon. and spent all his money
| to secure the escape of Virgins He had hired
notorious character named Bill Bean to take
the fugitive to Evanson, W. T., on horseback,
from that point he could get East in safety
On the night when Bean was to have taken
| Virgins away the later asked Riley
to give him his pistol as he had only
two of his own, and he wanted another
for Bean whom he expected to fight for him, if
necessary. Riley refused at first, as the pistol
was an old friend, but finally yielded to
Wigginss opportunities and handed him the
weapon. The moment Virgins got the pistol
he became almost insane with passion, and,
Selling Riley, thrust the muzze of the cooked
revolver down the iatter's throat till it nearly
choked him. Before Virgins could carry out
his threat to blow the head off his partner, Bean
| and others interfered and Rilev mazda bic