The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1885-02-20
A FEMININE DESPERATE
THE WOMAN WHO WAS HANDY WITH
REVOLVER Or ENiFE.
Evenis In EHcr Carccr-EiIiiug n Man
aud tniinid stiny R7iN Com
paniOnS-A NcritnDIc Amazon.

tliio CItE lOI assault. enc is wanted IN q
dozen places, and had several complaints
against her before the one on which she is
now held was lodged. She lived here
quietly until a woman who was Jealous
of her revealed her identity to the police.
AS soon as she found that she was an OBJ
Jcct OF suspicion she attacked her enemy
with club and almost beat her brains
out Maud Raynor has been a notorious
character In this State, the Indian Ter
rltory and Kansas for several years. She
gained the title of woman desperate by
reason of her rccklessness of human life
and her iondness for fights. She goes
armed to the teeth, shoots with unerring
ann, and is quite as much at home with a
bowie knife or a club as with a revolver.
She has managed 10 escape arrest hither-
to by reason of the fact that all manner
OF stories concerning her have been in
circulation, and her actual appearance is
very different from the idea which the
people generally have formed of her.
She is of compact frame, and about me-
dunn height, with a graceful carriage.
Her features are small, her eyes steel
gray, and her hair long and abundant.
In jail to-day she was raving because her
Keepers had taken away her pistols and
knives.
~ suppose I'll never see them again,
she said. "When you get into one Of
these calabashes they always help them
selves to what you've got, and whether
you're sent up or not they keep all that
they steal. I'll bet I've furnished half
the sherilTs in Texas and Kansas with
good weapons in the last five years.
They don't get money enough together
at one time to buy such things. but they
know just enough to pinch them when
they get chance. played it on a de-
tcctive up here in Panhandle once. He
had been following me for about a mocth.
and finally when he got me he took two
guns and three knives away from me.
saw his eyes bung out as he looked at
them, and | says to him:
"'Iou'll be we'll hceled now. won't
you2"
Gle pretended that he didn't care
anything about the weapons and showed
me some of his old frecracker pistols,
and wanted me TO admire them told
] him one of my guns was worth a bag
full of his, and after getting him little
excited | grabbed one of my weapons to
show it to him. | pointed several of the
/ good points, and then turning it on him,
| said:
1" 4 want to see your heels right lively
! now
ale thought was footing for a second,
but when the pistol clicked he knew
7 it was business. Then he backed off,
and wanted to trade with nc | had his
/ guns and mine, too, but | told him |
wasn't trading. Just to hurry him up a
1 little | sent bullet mighty close to his
| ear, and moment later as he was edging
/ of put another one near enough to his
other ear to SINCE his hair. Such run
ming you never saw. | watched him out
] of sight. Then | took his guns and
threw them in the river. | wouldn't have
/ been found with them on me-"
Maud Raynor went through the Indian
| Territory once with about Il regiment of
Indians and white men on her trail. She
had been up at ranch on the Arkansas
river where great many desperate char
actcrs were congregated, and in shoot
ing alray in which she took a prOmi-
nent part the bartender was killed.
Every man sWorc that the woman was
the guilty party, and she recklcssly adj
mitted it, though it is probable she was
not the real offender. Some friends of
the murdered man came along Just then,
and organized to lynch her. Getting
wind of the programme, she stole
horse and set out for Kansas, the men
following. Several Indians joined the
pursuing party at various places, until
finally there were about hundred men
on her trail. She managed to clUde them
for several days, and coming finally
E al, Il
boys, she made them believe she was
prosecuted innocent. Her new-found
friends promptly agreed to defend her
against all corners, and when her pursu-
ers came in sight they were met by
volley which brought them to a stand.
In the course Of three or four days they
concluded to abandon the search.
The exploit of which she is proudest
occurred a year or more ago in the Indian
Territory. She had been up in Kansas
on the warpath, and making her way
back to Texas had fallen in with rough
crowd of plainsmen. One Of these was
a man named Dutton, whom she had
known many years before. In the course
OF an evening passed at a ranch on the
cattle trail, she had quarrel with this
fellow, and after some harsh words he
rushed at her with a knife. She was
too quick for him. lie had hardly got
within striking distance before she pat
bullet through his heart. As he Jumped
in the air and fell back dead his com
rades made rush at the woman, and
would have finished her then and there
if one of the men had not taken her
part in mild sort Of way. AS they
stopped to parley, she made this propo
sition:
I'm fight the whole pack of you, one
at time. l killed that man. and I'm
glad of it. ought to have done it years
ago"
One man went out with her, and the
two stepped of twenty PAGES, turned
and fired. The man got bullet in his
shoulder, and wanted to quit. The wo-
man was unhurt. Standing there reso-
lutely she called on the others for vic
TIM but nc one stirred Then she tainted
them, and finally, when she found that
they were not disposed TO annoy her