Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1888-04-21
Letter from Lame johnny.

$3.50 - ~ ~
issue Of March 30th you say, some one
skulking under the nom de plume OF
Cowboy has a lengthy communicated
in the CHRONICLE. In writing TO the
CHRONICLE l signed my name and did
not sign Cowboy. The editor probably
failed TO SO publish it, for the reason l
had thus signed the communication to
the News.
You say l go for you for expressing
an opinion. You are aware when you
state that, you make a false assertion /;
and right here let me say, it was for
making false assertions, / said anything
about you; and l am very sorry to find
it has not cured you. You never ex-
pressed an opinion. You claimed to
express the opinion of all the law abid-
ing citizens of Buffalo Gap, and say,
! they all say the shooting was j~ustifia-
|, BILE" 1t is my opinion you know you
were not stating facts when you wrote
it; and | am sure it was not facts. at
least, for some of the few very law abid-
ing of Buffalo Gap you spoke of, have
declared that the case should not be
tried in this county, for the reason that
tic feeling was too strong against the
defendant. That they could not get a
fair and impartial trial and that they
would ask for a change of venue TO Law
renee or Pennington county. The prose-
cution want no change. Does that look
as if the feeling was all with the defense?
In your answer to my letter in the
CHRONICLE you say | i%nsinuate that you
have a spite at cowboys in general,
which is rank misrepresentation. | al
ways try to tell the truth, and to try and
get you and your kind to do the same, is
why | write. In your issue immediate
ly after the shooting, you say 1.-TWO
drunken cowboys endeavored to do the
bad nan act as laid down in dime
novels, and according to the traditions
Of their calling. After filling up with
poor whiskey, they run amuck up and
down the street, firing at every head in
sight" And you 60 on and say that
Lovett was Knocked insensible; that
Davidson was severely wounded, and
that the citizens turned out en- mass and
fired a full broadside, &c, and that it is
the unanimous opinion the citizens done
right and that both Potts ard Arthur
were out of employment, hanging around
the ranges waiting for a job Now, how
many of these statements are true? In
your last issue you say the cowboys are
as g~entlemanly, warm hearted, and
equal to men in any other calling. Then
it was not true they were following the
traditions of their calling, if they were
violating the law. And it was you, and
not me, who made the false statement.
Did | not have grounds to insinuate you
had a spite at cowboys in general, when
you said it was q tradition of their call
ing to fire at every head in sight? Have
you found out, since that first puhlica-
ton, that they are better men than you
thought? Ifso, why did you not say so?
Why wait until some one else called
your attention to it through the press?
Or did you think it the popular side,
and have found your mistake? There
are a few men in Buffalo Gap who have
found that out by this time, or amt it a
fact, you thought it was only two cow
boys killed, they can't reply the other
papers of the vicinity will blow ! will
OUTFLOW the best of them regardless of
truth; regardless of the feelings Of a
large number of the citizens of the com
munity? Or is it one Of the traditions
of your calling to keep as far from facts
as possible? | don't wish to i%nsinuate
anything against the News or CHRONICLE.
The News at the start was of the opin.
ion that the shooting was j~ustihable, and
probably is yet. But | have not heard
of its editor trying to stop investigation.
The CHRONICLE will not stoop to low
| petty falsehood at the dictation of any
set Of men; and if it makes a mistake, will
either rectify 1t, or give room for the
parties wroIged to reply. You say
that Potts and Arthur were firing at
| every head in sight. 1t is not correct.
That Lovett was knocked insensible.
| Not true again. That Davidson was
badly wounded. Davidson was never
touched. That the citizens turned out
en- mass and fired u full broadside, &c.
What do you call en- massP So far, hav-
ing had nearly one half of Buffalo Gap
on the witness stand, it has only been
possible to prove that three men fired,
and one of them, Walker, you say, it is
said, there is no evidence to prove he
fired. That would, according to your
way of putting it, leave a mass of two.
their broadslde hit both men in the
back. You say both Potts and Arthur
were hanging around the ranges wait
ing for a job. Potts has not worked on
this range since he came to the country.
ne ONucu II TislCu ON Lame johnny, ana
some stock lived at home, and boarded
at the same place. AS to their comrades
in the saddle not approving of their
course, you tell the truth for once since
you're been ut the Springs. When they
drank whiskey they done wrong and
when Arthur fred in the street, he done
wrong. But you can't find a cowboy
who justiGes the killing; and there
are other things. they, nor any other
law abiding citizen justifies. They don't
justify a paper hat will not tell the
truth. They don't justify a citizen who
tries to evade the law by opposing in
vestigation of men charged with crime,
or by covering up and hiding facts.
There is an old saying, IF you want a
good neighbor, you must be one YOUR
self" And if you wish a law abiding
community, you must be a law abiding
citizen. Suppose Potts and Arthur
violated the law, and for the sake of
argument, suppose the shooting was
lawful, why then make a howl when
there is an investigations A fair, truth
full investigation, and a decision accord
ing to law, is all the friends Of Potts and
Arthur ask; and they have no quarrel to
make with any man because he differs
with them as to the right or wrong of