Mower County transcript., 1890-02-05

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not even arrested, and he went around
Dragging about the graveyard he had
started; but this crime was 80 cold.
blooded and brutal that the name Of
Long Haired Brown excited detestation
whenever mentioned. Some of the gem
tlemanly desperadoes Of Carson and the
Comstook tried to draw Brown into =
quarrel, and having got the drop on him
put him under the daisies, but he would
back down every time If it came to TAX
ing even chances in an exchange of
leaden compliments with men like Jack
| Williams, Bill Burns, Cherokee Bob or
Bill Maytield, known to be dead shots,
quick on the trigger and always ready.
They could not get fight out of him,
and b'acklegs as they were, they were
not willing to kill him in the way In
which he had dispatched his victims.
He was not the fearless man that many
thought him to be. He was easily an
gered and was q regular thug as regards
the taking Of human life, but he was
quick to see it If he was overmatched,
and he left that sort of fight to some-
body else.
| After the murder Of Mckenzie, Brown
soon found the atmosphere OF the Com
stock so disasreeable that he determined
to take up his quarters at Aurora, which
was then one Of the livoliest and wild
est camps on the coast. Some time in
the afternoon of July 9, 1851, accom-
panied by Alex Henderson, he stopped
on his way thither at Lockhart's saloon
In Genoa, and remained drinking and
| clustering for two or three hours, and
| then galloped on to Vansickle's station,
where they found the proprietor, Henry
Vansickle, alone. Stepping to the bar, he
said in his course, blufing style: "Set
out your best whisky for two, and
if you don't want the top of your head
| sheared with a bullet be darn quick
| about it." Vansickle, very quiet but
| very determined rancher, answered.:
''You can't get any whisky or any thing
| else at this bar. You are not wanted
here; SO you may as we'll travel on" )"
For moment Brown looked in mute as
constituent at the presumptuous station
keeper; then like = fash his hand
dropped on one of his sixshooters. Van,
being unarmed and knowing too we'll
what that motion meant with Brown,
darted through an open door into the
dining-room, Brown following close after
| him, pistol in hand. There were about
! fifteen men seated at the long dining
| table, eating supper, and as they all
| jumped to their feet when the two men
| rushed into the room the confusion
| which ensued prevented Brown from
getting a shot, so that Van made his
escape into another apartment.
After relieving his pent-up feeling by
few oaths and the threat that he
would blow off the top of Vansickle's
| head before he was done with him,
Brown remounted Betsy, who stood
quietly waiting for him at the door, and
galloped off on the Mottville road to-
ward Aurora, followed by Henderson.
Vansickle's first move, after getting
safely away from his assailant, was to
get his double-barreled shotgun and
| double charge it with buckshot or pistol
bullets. Thus equipped for war he re-
turned to his bar-room. But the man
he was hunting for was gone. He could
leisurely cantering up the valley. Five
| minutes later Van was astride of his
best saddle horse, shotgun on his shoul-
der and in hot pursuit. Brown saw him
coming and knew perfectly we'll that he
| meant fight; still, he did not quicken his
pace or try to get away, which he might
have done, fsr though he had ridden
Betsy thirty odd miles already, she was
good for many miles more if he would
urge her. Vansickle rode up to about
one hundred yards of the two men,
yelled to Henderson to get out of the
way and turned loose both barrels at
Brown, but missed him-the distance
| was too great.
While Vansickle halted to reload his
gun he was joined by five or six men
from the station, who had followed him
on horseback to see how the row would
| end. After the first shot Henderson
turned off toward the East Fork of the
Carson, and Brown kept on up the main
road alone. Again Vansickle approached
and raised his gun, but Brown jumped
to the ground, interposing his mare as
shield, and fred over his saddle at his
shotgun pursuer, who was out of pistol
range, however, and neither Of tho two
men nor the horse of either received q
wound.
Thus the duel between shotgun and
revolver continued until Brown reached
Walter Corben's cabin and entered it.
It was now getting too dark to see to
shoot accurately at distance, and Van
sickle was too wary to go within range
Of the cabin so long as itheld Brown and
his two revolvers. Still he would not
draw out Of the fight, for he knew that
If Brown escaped then he would never
rest until he found some way to murder
him. Thinking that Brown intended to
make the next station, Lutte Old's place,
to stay all night, he deemed it best to
ride on ahead, lie in wait for him there
and tackle him at close range as he
came up. He had figured it out right.
He had not been at Old's station half
hour when by the bright starlight he
saw Brown riding up to the barn
in front Of which he had dis
mounted and taken his station. u Brown
rode straight toward the barn, thinking
no doubt if there were any enemies of