St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-05-16
LOVE AND 4 LYMCHING.
A Story Of Horse Stealing and Flight in
Z Texas Town.
IN THE RIO GRANDE'
How Old Nsalon Headed 4 Regulators
Posse and Got His Fugitives Safely
Into Eternity.

TObS0 ana uOt dlS Su9luV66 o&IoIy
Into Eternity.
In the latter part of 1881 and the
early part of 1882, a great many horses
were stolen In and about the village of
Pianos Anchas.
All efforts to capture the thief we're
futile.
The Rio Grande is within half dozen
miles of the little settlement, and bold
rider had only to swim his stolen mounts
across the river to be comparatively safe
from pursuit.
Col. Yorke's roam colt was the first to
20. He was taken from before NealOn's
saloon in the middle of the evening,
while his owner was inside taking his
first after-dinner toddy.
Bart Hawkins bay mare was next
run off, while she was feeding in the
foothills. Then followed several
minor disasters.
This much Planas Anchas could
stand.
The community allowed percentage
yearly for horse-stealing. just as i'm
p0rters allow leakage and breakage in
their shipments.
They Of course kept their Winches-
tiers and shOtguns loaded and followed
the thief's trail TO the edge of the river;
but nobody considered the matter in
very serious light until Neal0n's big
black stallion, that had made the best
time at every fair in half dozen coun-
ties for three years and more, was
taken.
THE LAST STRAW.
That was felt to be blow struck at
every one on the Planas Anchas.
Black Buck had won money for every
man in the camp. and there was not
one of them who would hesitate an in
slant before putting his last blanket on
race in which he ran.
The night after the stations disap-
pearance there was meeting of citi-
zens at Nealon's.
The bar was free during the meeting,
and there was full attendance.
The prevailing impression was that
the men of the neighbOring town of
San Manuel had had more to do with
the disappearance Of the stallion than
was neighborly.
Various citizens remembered that
after the race in which Black Buck
most bankrupted the town, various heavy
losers had uttered threats against the
victorious stallion.
Frank Shannon, the young black
smith, remembered that Old John Hill,
who ran the faro game at San Manuel,
and who was almost forced to close his
bank because of his losses on the race,
had offered bets that Black Buck
wouldn't win another race in that
county.
Then some one else called to mind
that Hill had had lots Of money lately,
though it was common talk that the
bank had lost heavily on various recent
occasions.
Young Shannon, as the prospective
son-in-law of the owner of the missing
stallion. was considered to have family
interest in the matter under discussion,
and the fact that for several months he
had lost nearly every time he had
bucked at Old HIPS game was not men,
toned.
THE CHARGE TO THE JURY.
When this much was brought out the
presiding officer set drinks all around,
and then presented the case.
His horse-no one thought about the
others-had been stolen, he said, and
there was no doubt in his mind that
somebody in San Manuel had stolen it.
This settled. it only remained to de-
eide which particular San Manuelano
was guilty. This also was soon settled.
Relations with San Manuel had been
unusually strained since Black Buck
had won his last race-nOt directly be-
cause of the victory, but more on ac-
count of the casualties that followed it.
Planas Anchas lost her own faro
dealer. who acted as one of the judges,
and San MaDuel's sheriff, who shot him,
didn't live to see the smoke from his
pistol blow away. Consequently there
was little travel between the two towns.
and the only man from San Manuel who
had been at Pianas Anchas for more
than day at a time since the race was
Old Hill, who now on off weeks opened
his game at Nealon's, as the place left
by the death of the Judge OF the horse
race had never been filed.
oThe citizens meeting, without a
dissenting voice, decided that John Hill
was the guilty party. They would not,
however, condemn him without a fair
trial. So they decided that when he
opened his game at Nealon,S. which
would be the next afternoon. he would
be taken. prisoner and tried at once.
i lie UuIlSIIllCIlU. IL uC WCiC COuNiCtCus
to be also decided then.
This calm, if not perfectly fair, plan
would undoubtedly have been carried
out if it had not been for Hill himself.
THE PROG RAMME DISARRANGED.
The gambler came in OH the o'clock
stage, and, as usual, Immediately opened
the bank.
A big cowboy at once stepped up to
him with q cooked SiX-ShOOter in his
hand.
"Gimme your gun, Hill. We're going
to try you for boss stealin'.
The two reports rang out almost at
the same moment, and both went down.
Hill's bullet passed through the cow
boys breast. and he never got up again.
The cowboys bullet struck the old man
just where hair and forehead met.
Old Hill knew well the feeling toward
San Manuel men in Planas Anchas.
They thought both were dead, so old
Hilps body was not filled with bullets.
But the impromptu constable's ball
only plOwed a furrOw a few inches long
in his head, and, though he fell like all
OK. the wound was hot serious. BE was
however. and before he could
further defend himself he was pris-
oner.
There was no more talk of trial.
Hill's~guilt was considered proved.
The old man was marched mile out
of town and placed under tree with
the rope around his neck.
''Got anything to say, prayers. Or"
Old Hill kicked his interlocutor in
the stomach, and in an instant was
dangling ten feet above the ground.
Frank Shannon was not one of the
lynching party.