Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1885-11-26
MATT RILEY.

NV a.rosr s..srn journal recently pup
in h. ,.sssn occount of the shooting OF
p~sans by Matt Rileyin kansas
lS ota i.,.. iAs .s,rs ago. The article concluded
l0Ooycc Coz ~ % statement that Riley some
. did no. 20 1sti .sor the tragedy described, was
was u fs'ss IA with paralysis and died IN
Fi ' BY he y y EARN States, Riley did not die
covering r.st. but, on the contrary, Is
a. crop etssss ". a ] resident OF San Francisco
|oaid SSr ss - q has lived the greatest por-
lIs guess Ia t,be time since his celebrated
he census w. in Kansas caused a sensa-
ss,ssssa s.o,obout the Southwest. Matt
down To- 2sMsJ Watt F~oster-the latter be-
~ y "a "a name-was at the date
by our aacurrence referred to one OF
IN m1 ss,., TIM Y saost noted and desperate OF
is given. tsN mySss;onal fighters and gamblers
TIE total NY Wnst. He was about thirty
in p srse I'M Y mi and in physique the counter
to 20 down = The ~redoubtable John l.. OF
\ ths new have ID His whole life has been
Il not beS ~ WI n scenes OF rough adventure.
"s boom . \ how he entered the civil war
t%roaghoTSs, ! ssN q. I. confederate side, being a native
have b.tn. d,s stansss, and finally graduated as
We prsa aS aadced bushwhacker. At the
NNSpyA ztpu nj Ig1NItiltts NtNA'
crop and pm y ! considerable share OF booty,
E at w sns gas rowing tired of fighting for his
Eas discoEns, ~ concluded to do something for
Ioazssness asd d Ia Az that time the sparse pop
part Of ~. " p;tan and peculiar conditions OF life
EEc S nave ssa q gausas offered great inducements
careful srs desperate man, and Riley made
Of the ss .,aat state his abode. He filled
toTrp n nj nositions-was sheriff OF Els
hset the ds-sa I'm and was deputy marshal at
| ,rD assaIad frron at the time Of the sensational
rIy as ~ s. ~ raTtnre with the Texans. MCClusky,
"eEs some 0a1 marshall OF the town, was Rlley's
Prked injrT. bIsv had formed McClusky's ac-
a tra' VI Is an sntance at Laramie, where he met
tors tLrsstt,, 4 h company with some OF the
iattt, Ahs II desperate characters that ever
j, 2sS'4 saga e E~ted the West. Subsequently Nc
make tbs rsa [sky and Riley met on the AtckisOn
w i Slssss Efopeka road, and they became
ore than was NJ rnsrs in the preservation OF the
|IssEelans " ~. and the proprietors OF a hurdy-
baFotsS II . gas Nm and gambling house at Newton.
|ucIns stats he day OF McClusky's death Riley
- " been out hunting a horse thief,
only toe, cot back in the afternoon.
Tor prohltao Ie standing outside the dance
~ talking to some one he noticed
oletg n the place was doing a lively bust
'ou "hsst There was eight women dancing
n Moure eor4 the floor and as many more ped
eriion in ~ no drinks, and the cowboy element
4 numerous and uproarious. Nc
Lsky was sitting on a char with his
anu cohted * TO the wall looking at the pro-
burned to f ncs when Of a sudden a party of
Irans who had planned to kill him
IN, was instai Esg forward from the crowd
ang;r. =. began to shoot at him.
ToGnstoI Cusky had killed one Of
er men some time before, but
Jr, was ID [s wholly u~nsuspicious of an attack,
for starm he was riddled with bullets before
1t get bgdJ could draw his pistol. The desper-
character OF the man asserted it
,o,, in the death agony, and his last
'"'9! O4A Dyement was TO cock his pistol and
|tlce WI ~ int il at his assaiiants. Hehadnot
rngth to press the trigger, however,
toner's ofSl diel on his face, dead.
oo,a.n AZ the first report OF the Texans
SouNa kos, Riley started for the dance
- "'''O' use. His quick eye took la the
OF Piankiutu FgC situation of his partner at a
/ taxation "a Enee, and IN an instant he had seized
nearest Texan by the neck, and,
(ding him up before him rs a living
PcSet oooGw Egpt, opened a fusillade on the as
and S5i5 Sns. When the firing ceased there
lie riding N pc nine men lying on the floor dead
a~ftervad wounded. When Riley loosened
by a friend a grasp OF his herculeau arm from
neck OF his human shield the tenth
In who has tim OF the terrible encounter drop
hieless to the boards. He had
'u p''NU1 Fndead before the encounter had well
|dlcal missa gun, but il he had not succumbed
has at tfeaJ the pistols OF his comrades
I oil trustees he was a cartridge in Riley's third
onsentedte1 Etol athis service. Eight OF the dead
ds for thea wounded men we've OF the partvo of
FIans who had murdered McClusky.
* horse tA other two men who had been
|ariteptiar ed IN the affrav were railroad
- na ndsand o]n-lOokeTS Ill The tragedy. 1t
, ~ Ls exc volumes for the closeness OF the
i' "' ooting that only two bullets had
pgn 50 wide OF the intended marks
|ner saysHa 70 bring down innocent victims in
Lroftabeej e crowded dance hall. Riley re-
D.o hos ont anned IN Newton three days after the
ons;n bas nsational attray, and then found it
' pdlentto leave for parts unknown.
subsequently hguredin several des-
Is have b rate affairs on the line of the Union
ce. The a enc railroad, and through Color
<, register Utah, New Mexico and Nevada.
and John uers had been issued on the Union
nty, andt1 Acinc railroad to allow no monte
mbers to ride on the trains, aud in
elenee to this command Captain
|VIse y" E!he OF the Omaha depot police
ioSSe'' "a to eject Riley and his partner,
hungry I'd HEah, while travelling from Council
surrsplsr Iisto Omaha. He put off Sullivan,
Srtbors1 tRiiey refused to leave the train and
q bonds ed usstruggie which ensued the captain
"a 1and inn y Knocked s~enseless by a blow from
IJice. sft1vd roesperado's pistol. After this the
i. D!E WI OF the Union Pacific were I'M
+, -, nlortaole Tor Riley, and he moved
Id MS Gag neadquarters. His partner. Sulli-
to BiernalA y IKE almost every partner he ever
made owl met a tragic death, another gam
Nh ofthskd m Duval, shooting him in
.L A. sAl AhgU.
Aler parting with Sullivan, Riley
Med o partnership with the noto-
ioiston ' u JACK Virgins, and opened a
rial bar % e saloon in Salt Lake City. On
riot court Opening night a Mormon known
putcn John, who figured as q de-
,o;o, AN Sylng angel, entered the saloon and
j. lIated to Virgins, that no Gentle
James ny gd be allowed to run such an es-
TO "a Ashinent III the city. Some hot
he. TIE fri ustolowlng, the destroying angel
Fuestown al \ a bottle and hurled it through
hcinc a hr Mrge mirror behind the bar, shiv-
we're rreisJ the glass into fragments. Wig
Foure torne shaa MS pistol out almost before
he prinepd uestroyng angel swung the bottle,
Gland shots \ lhe crash OF glass was drowned in
waiting, pm sporC OF a shot that sent Dutch
1mpleton ~ TO eternity. For the i%nauspi-
ne. The ru Y incident OF the opening night
hours. sns was arrested and sentenced to
b at sHHrO With that ,oftv ,!h
uu'" amsulshed Mormon justice, Virgins
hundred Ru1 gwen the choice ofdeath by hang
Rd or shooting. He chosa tha yono