Bismarck weekly tribune., 1889-03-08
RATHER A COSTLY JOKE.

xOk1 III tllt IA OVO1AA ROOAAs
A SCARE THAT WAS CAUSED BY
AN UNSIGNED BOGUS DISPATCH.
Mystery OF tho Rio Grande Indian Excite
ment in 1883 Cleared Up-"Judge'' Bean
and His Jovial Companions Play Prac-
tical Joke.
There are probably not half dozen people
living who are aware that the terrible Indian
raid in southwestern Texas, along the Rio
Grande, in the spring Of 1883, was bogus
affair Fewer yet know the origin of the
farce, which arose simply from drunken
spree, cost the national government and the
Southern Pacific Railroad company thou
sands of dollars and caused the people along
that road such fright as they will not soon
forget
The facts in the case are given as follows
| by writer in The st. Louis POST Dispatch:
On Jan. II, 1888, connection was made be-
tween the 'Sunset, I" or g. r. and s. A. rail-
road, running west from San Antonio, Tex,
and the Southern Pacific, running east from
San Francisco, Cal Both roads had been in
course of construction for several years, lead
ing through wild. desolate and uninhabited
region of country. The counties through
| which the roads were built in the Pecos and
DEVILS River countries, were unorganized,
and since the labor employed along the line
consisted of probably as rough an element of
rsvyi i1ofi0 fho f1,oiAx
very little semblance Of law or order among
the thousands and thousands of men in the
grading camps strung along the line. The
principle of existence was every man for him
self, ETC.
REPRESENTATIVE OF LAW AND ORDER
Finally murders, highway robberies and
other crimes became SO frequent that the con-
tractors and the railroad company united in
| a petition to the governor of the state to ap-
| point justice of the peace clothed with the
additional functions and authority of coro-
ner, with jurisdiction over this entire terri
tory. The petition was granted, and the man
appointed at the request Of the petitioners to
fill this important position was Roy Bean.
"Judge" Bean, as he was called, was
| short, stocky man of about five feet eight
| inches in height, about G2 years of age, illit-
crate, stern, pompous and courageous.
His honor, as lie frequently asserted, was
the law, the judge, the jury, attorneys and,
if need be- witness on both sides. He sworei in
the Renaissance style, and his decisions were
brilliantly bespangled with salient and pro-
nounced forms of ancient and modern impre-
cation.
But after exercising such arbitrary author
ity over territory larger than several east
ern states thrown together, as soon as the
connection was made, the camps deserted
and the men scattered, Othellos occupation
was gone, and the judge had to HE him to
pastures new. He went westward on the line
and opened out the eagles Nest" saloon
at Langtry, which station was inhabited by
the operator and the tankman until Judge
Beans arrival
But to our episode. During the warm sum-
mer months of 1883 the writer happened to
be in the little border town of Del Rio one
day about nocn. The village was wild with
excitement over dispatch coming from the
west worded: 'sThe Indians are upon us!''
The operator did not sign his station, and
what its locality might be or where the In
dians might bewas left to conjecture. The
| supposition was that the poor fellow had
either fled for his life or had been scalped.
The kilograms kept flying, and anxious inqui-
rfes were made of each passing train, but moth
ing could be learned. Finally the excite
ment grew so intense that Superintendent
Van Week, in San Antonio, was literally
/ showed in with kilograms beseeching: 'sFor
Gods sake, send us trains to take us to q place
of safety!" Trains were made up taking the
employees and their families to either Del Rio
or Sanderon.
In the meantime there was company of
United States cavalry at the post Of Del Rio,
commanded by Capt. Randlett As soon as
there seemed to be good grounds for action
the captain wired Gen. Stanley at San An
tonic, com1nandant Of the southwestern mill
! tary system, asking what he should do in the
premises. The general telegraphed at once
to the secretary of war at Washington ask
ing instructions, and was ordered to have
Capt. Randlett's company to go to the scene
Of action at once At O'Clock the morning
after the alarm the cavalry were aboard the
cars and whirling along to the fray. They
were gone week or ten days, callarruping
around over the prairies in search of the
bloody hostiles, and returned with the report
that no one had been killed and not a living
soul could be found who had seen or def1nite,y
heard Of an Indian. The fears Of the people
! gradually subsided and the incident became
a thing Of the past.
THE MYSTERY CLEARED UP.
During that summer the writer had occa-
sion to go to 1.angtry, where Judge Bean was
conducting his establishment for the dispen-
sation of liquids Incidentally the judge de-
tailed the facts, with much glee, about the
cause of the recent 50 called Indian outbreak
They were as follows: One forenoon there ar
rived at Langtry ranger and q cowboy.
who announced to his honor that they were
going over into Mexico, about half a mile
away, to hunt deer and turkeys! They drank
considerable before starting, and shortly after
arriving on the Mexican side Of the river
they discovered wild Apache buck abont