Bent County register., 1886-10-09
TRAGEDY OF THE PLAINS.
TWO LONELY sRAyHs Lxyr ON rHK
BANKS OF THE RED RIVER.

Cheyenne Letter to the New York Mail.
The writer met on the streets of
Cheyenne few days ago an old
friend, last seen on. the southern cat
tie trail. Old times were talked
over. Our friend still followed the
Texas long horns, and many scenes
of past days were recalled and many
trail adventures recounted. In the
course of the talk Red river crossing
was mentioned and our friend said
he must tell me of romantic trag-
edy marking the crossing of the
stream by the herd he was with this
season. In the outfit starting to
gather cattle for the trail IN the
early spring, was a young fellow
about whom hung mystery. He
had been with the outfit since the
fall before, and such was his reserve
that six months had not succeeded
in making him any better known to
his companions than when he joined
them. He was slight and delicate
in appearance to girlishness, yet his
duty was always performed as well
as that of the most stalwart rider.
In the spring, when the activity of
the cattle gathering begun, this
young fellow, to whom the boys had
given the sobriquet of Lady" be-
came restless. An eager anxiety TO
see every stranger encountered on
the range seemed to have taken
complete possession of him. He
seemed to know by intuition when
q stranger was about, and was GER
tain sooner or later to get sight of
him. "Lady" carried a good Win
chester habitually, and knew exactly
how to use it. 1t soon became a
recognized fact in the outfit that the
young fellow was looking for some
one, and the wild cowboys looked
eagerly for the denouement 1t did
not come until the herd had been
gathered and reached the Red river
crossing. The night the outfit camp
ed on the banks of the red stream
there rode into the camp stranger
looking for work. He was stall
wart, sun-burnt fellow, apparently
about thirty years of age. As the
foreman arose from his supper to
meet the newcomer there came the
rapid beat of hoofs. A horse dashed
up to the group around the supper
fire, a girlish form leaped to the
ground, the freight shone on the
barrel of leveled Winchester as it
covered the stranger, and voice,
clear and stern, was heard: "Make
your peace with your God at once,
James Saunders. 1t is l, Ella Nor
row, who speaks to you" A spell
bound silence endured for seconds
space and then the report rang out
and james Saunders pitched head
long from his horse, shot through
the heart by LADY," the woman he
had deserted. Scarcely had the
smoke wreaths fioated upwards when
another report came and "Lady" had
taken her own life. On the person
of the girl, who had so long braved
the hard life of the cattle frontier
for the purpose of taking vengeance
on her false lover, was found letter.
This told in pathetic terms the story
of her wrongs. Up to her 18th
birthday, three years from date of
the tragedy, she had lived happy
and beloved daughter, amid the
grand hills of New Hampshire. On
the 18th birthday there came young
stranger to her home. He was
handsome, accomplished and win
ming. Teaching, the winter term of
the district school Ella was one of
his pupils, and the close companion
ship in which they were thrown de-
veloped love on her part. II was
the old story. Then came desertion
and the secret departure from her
home to avenge her wrongs. She
had traced her betrayor to the Texas
frontier and knew that if she only
had the patience to wait long enough
she must meet him. Her task COM
pleted she no longer desired to live.
ReverentIy the rough riders who
had SO long known her as a comrade
dug for "Lady" a deep grave on the
spot witnessing her vengeance and
laid her therein. The body of the
seducer was carelessly flung in
shallow hole and the next morning
two lonely graves were left on the
banks of the Red river.
Fl. Tolen, living on the Yankee