Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-01-31
COWBOY VENGEANCE.
THEY HANG HORSE THIEVES IN A
SORT OF RELIGIOUS FERVOR.

Three "Strays' Steal Mustang Each and
Are Pursued-One Is Captured and
Hanged, the Others Die from Exhaus-
tion-EmbaImed In Red Pepper.
w. G.. Alexander, who for many years
lived at Bryan, Tex, told at the Palace
hotel the other night OF the fate of three
horse thieves.
"A horse" said he, was considered of
more value In the Lone Star state some years
ago than a man. The desperate who killed
companion or who put out the light of a
tenderfoot took high place in society, but
If hestolea horse-well, he was jerked higher
Sometimes In the speedy administration OF
justice the wrong man was strung up;
sometimes man was hoisted for taking his
own horse, but, as tho victims of the mistake
never complained, little was said about the
errors. You know, the cowboys In Texas
had a saying that it was better that 100 in
nocent men should be hanged than that one
horse thief should go unpublished Among
the more cultivated and reverent that was
believed to DO culled from the Ten Com
mandments, and the cowboys pinned it TO
the pommels Of their saddles.
his TOES CRIss-CRossED
'On one occasion we were driving herd
through New Mexico, and had not a horse to
spare. Every animal was in use and we were
very careful of them, as we had a long ride
The trail was dotted with 'strays,' fellows
who had no headquarters and whose business
was that of horse stealing. One morning We
awoke to find three of our best mustangs
gone, with saddle, bridle lariat-run clean
of. Half n dozen started in pursuit of the
thieves, who were not moro than five hours
ahead We knew they daren't leave the trail
and 1t was only a question of endurance on
the part of the horses. AL day we rode, but
never got sight of them. 1t was agreed that
we should ride for couple of hours after
dark, and, saving the time of cooking, make
so much on the thieves. The chase began
again early in the morning, and the ride was
hard and fatiguing. In the afternoon we saw
horseman leave the trail and strike away
for the hills. We gave q yell One Of the
thieves had 'petered' out and had been left
behind. We spurred on and saw that he in
tended TO make the chase long one To in
tercept him we had TO make II wide detour
and we knew darkness must DO on us before
we captured him. Our mustangs showed
signs OF fatigue, but IA cowboy would rather
lose half a dozen animals legitimately than
see one carried off by pirate So we piled
rope and spur and in a couple OF hours we
got III bullet range of one man. We began
popping at him, moro to draw his fire than
anything else, as we cared neither to kill him
nor cripple the horse. Tie couldn't hit barn
and his gun was soon useless. Then we dashed
up and one of the boys dragged him from the
saddle We asked him no questions
You've lost the Others" he said.
Vegetation was scant there but we took
the highest we could find and dragged him
srratf IL hn, r
the limb and his toes criSs-croSsed the ground
as he swayed He struggled frightfully and
wriggled one of his boots of. The buttons
on his clothes gave way, and when we left
him he was almost as naked as when he was
born"
SOMETHING DEAD IN FRONT.
I'VE struck the trail again and halted for
rest, The horse we had recovered was al
most played out, and the others were In a
very bad condition. The pursuit was over
for good many hours, and we needed the
thought of one man caught and hanged to
buoy US up. All the next day we followed,
and when we took supper we began to think
w0had done the best we could Some were
for giving up the chase, bumt was decided TO
spend another day on the trail
'In the morning the air was loaded with
the faint of vultures. We could sec the car
rion eaters like specks against the white
clouds
They're going to pay their respects to
the man behind u.s. said one of the party.
Hes finished long ago was the reply.
Boys, Tiers somethin' dead i'll front
I'VE mounted again, and as we rode the
vultures became thicker We followed their
flight, and by midday we snw hundreds of
headstone like birds Off on the plains The
trail of the horse thieves was at an end The
vultures arose and hung over us as we rode
up TO the place of the feast. BY the side of
the brown skinned man lay pile of bones,
wet yet, but heshless The bones of the
horse thief were as clean as if he had been
boiled.
They haven't started on this one,n said
one Of the boys kicking the body that had
not been devoured
Nor they won't said the man who told
us 'somethin' was dead in front He's
Spaniard, an so full OF red pepper that a
vulture won't touch him had heard the
boys say that before and did not believe It.
But there the man lay, perfect as when he
dropped from his horse through fatigue, and
by his side lay the clean bones Of a man who
had fallen with him. And there he would
lie for months and at the end of that time
would give no signs of decomposition, but
every day the elements would steal from him
something Of his humanity, and at last he
would become as the dust Of tue plains We
took up the trail very leisurely, and got to
the herd without trouble San Francisco
Chronicle