Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-06-03
Nm FOSTER AND OLD BENNETT
4 Horse.Steating Tale of Deadwood
Foster Didn't Stretch Hemp.
From "a Nelo Y0rk Nm.


From tie velo York Sun.
DEADwooD, May 17--At the Drum last
night some OF the pioneers of the Black
Hills were talking about the old timers,
wheu one Of them said:
But nobody ever found out what be-
came of Jim Foster"
mo. nobody ever heard from him." said
b9Ifa dozen at once, and then the crowd
became reflective, as if wondering what
had happened to Jim. After a few min
utes' silence, one man said that Jim FOs-
fer was good fellow, but that he ought
TO have been hanged all the same, and
others observed that he would have been
hanged if he had been caught at certain
period in mis- career.
AT this jupcture stranger, who had
heard all that had been SAID, asked what
there was about Foster.
"Oh, nothing much," was the reply of
the first speaker. Jim was one OF the
bows who was first in here, that's all, and
he went away rather sudden. He never
was cut ont for pioneer, he want. He
was born for tenderfOot. He'3 no mOre'n
cot into the hills before he began 10 figure
on the best way OF getting out. A more
hOmesIck chap you never saw. He didn't
seem to get along very well, either. He
was out OF money, though nobody knew
it at first. and he found that be had make
a great mistake in coming here. One fine
morning Jim turned up MISSING, and with
him went horse that belonged to a man
who believed in having somebody hung
for every horse that was stolen from him.
That was the worst break of Jim's life.
He had to skip, and he had to steal a
horse, but he didn't have to steal one of
old Benefits horses. Well, they went
after him hot, but be got away and wasn't
heard from. We've often talked about
MIN, because there wasn't so many of us
then that we'd be likely to forget any,
body, and he was good chap, take him
all in ALL"
'eThe funniest thing about the whole
business, though" said another, ''was
the fact that for two or three years every
thing That went wrong in the camp was
charged up to Jim. II there was stealing
which nobody could account for it was
laid TO him, and there was time when If
he had shown up here he would have
pulled hemp sure. He's the first man that
ever got away trom old Bennett, | think.
pve known Bennett to follow fellows
more than a thousand miles, aud il never
made any Inference to him whether they
were generally square men or not. He'd
let a man starye, and then if he stole a ra-
ton he'd hang him. His heart was harder
than quartz"
well nOw," said the stranger, 81 hap
pen to know something about this case.
Foster stole that horse because he had to
get out of the country or die. He cut
across the country Tor Pierre and rode
day ard night until he got there-a trip
that was not promenade in those days.
When he got there be solo the horse for a
small sum, and by beating and working
he managed in about six weeks to get to
his home in Michigan. His father was
well off, and as he died soon after, he left
Jim good business, which be attended
to right up TO the handle. Nobody there
knew anything about his horse stealing
in the hills, and he soon became a man OF
considerable prominence. be married
one OF the DTettiest girls in the town, built
himself a new house, and was living in
fine style, when an Old man who said he
was from the Black Hills arrived there
with an officer and notified the City Mar
shall that he wanted Jim for horse steal
ing. He had been on his trail for more
than two years, and had found him at
last. The Marshal was a friend of Jim's
and leVel-headed fellow, and at his
earnest suggestion Bennett agreed to keep
the object of his visit quiet until he had
seen Jim at his home. That night the
Marshal and old Bennett called on Jim,
and the whole thing was talked over. The
old man at first refused all offers OF COM
promise, but after he had seen Jlm's wife
he wilted, and said be would call the
thing square and leave it, where it was.
Jim managed to get hundred-dOllar bill
into the old mans hand just as be was
leaving, but 1t was only by waiting until
the train was pulling cut that he did SO.
Now, that shows that he stole the right
horse. doesn't it?'
All shook their heads, and one after
another said that that could not have
been old Bennett. 1t was some other Ben
nett.
perhaps Pm some other Jim Foster,
them" observed the stranger, as be re-
moved his hat, and looked the crowd
steadily in the eyes. "Pm the man who
stole the horse"
The Old timers were speechless for a
minute or two, and then they got around
Jim and told him how they had suspected
him all the time, though, TO tell the truth,
there was no resemblance between the
well-dressed Foster OF to-day and the des-
perate Foster Of ten years ago."
"Oid Benefits been dead mOre'n a
year." some one said. "He lost every
thing that he had, and died without a
friend"
Gle had one FREUD" said Jim Foster,
"aud he is here now 10 mark his grave. y