Sacramento daily record-union., 1890-04-05
CONAECHE JACK. !"
PICTURES FROM THE LIFE OF A FAM
GUS BORDER HERO.
He Has Hanged Seventeen Men and
Killed Thirty-one-Capture of
"Mexican joe"
From the Philadelphia Press |

! trlOlA tAC 1IeSs
No scout in the Indian Territory is bet
ter known than "Comanche jack" N,
Deputy Marshal is more feared by th,
Territory desperate than John Stillwell
| The individual answering to either o
these names, the latter given him in youth
the former achieved by life of daring anc
years of residence in the land of the hos
tile Comanche, is striking figure. HI
has just turned so, and time has sprinklet
with gray the black hair that curls over
his large, well-formed head. Exposure
has bronzed his fat, chubby face until it i:
almost as dark as an Indians. His mas
sive form of FIVE feet eleven would be as
erect and as athletic as when he was an
adventurous young man were it not for
the wounds given by battling savages and
desperate men-ten In ali ne carries upon
his body; one, bullet wound in his leg,
necessitates limp and the use of cane.
His big blue eyes, however, are as bright
as ever and sparkle with the same good
natured cunning as in the past
Stillwell is one of the best shots of the
Territory, and no man is quicker than he
in drawing gun and pulling the trigger.
Two beautiful ivory-handled revolvers, a
present from army officers at Fort Reno.
are never out of his reach, asleep or awake.
There is not desperate in the Territory
but knows this TO be true, and breads the
day when Jack gets on his trail. He
knows that the deputy will have him, dead
or alive, unless the old man himself is
killed. Jack is thus often hunted as he is
hunting, and less cunning plainsman
would have been sent 'over the divide
years ago. Whenever q desperate charac-
ter is wanted Jack is called upon to make
the arrest.
Early in the SOS Stillwell was sent after
Mexican joe" notorious thief and des-
perado, who had stolen herds of cattle and
killed two Deputy Marshals in the Chick
asaw Nation. As soon as the desperate
heard that Stillwell was looking for him,
he sent word that he would kill the officer
on sight. A week afterward Jack stopped
for night at deserted ranch on the CHS
holm trail. He had scarcely lariated his
horse when he saw coming towards the
place man on horseback, and the nearer
he came the more convinced was he that
the rider was the notorious Mexican Joe"
"MExlCAN JoE' DESCRIBED.
The stranger was mounted upon mus
tang, lariat hung from the pommel of
his saddle and a double row of cartridges
glistened like the teeth of an angry beast
in the belt around his waist. On each hip
was a large revolver, and Winchester
rife swung in the scabbard of his saddle.
His small black eyes and dark face looked
even uglier as he stopped in front of the
cabin and deliberately eyed the Deputy.
The latter returned his s;rutiny carelessly
and felt easy in the thought that he was
not recognized.
The latter dismounted at Jacks invita-
ton, and, after tying up his horse, walked
toward the cabin, carrying with him his
saddle and arms
'Pretty well armed, stranger" said Jack.
"Yes," was the reply, land there is one
man | am laying for. When / find him l
am going to use them all at once"
"Who is that?" innocently inquired the
deputy. "Jack Stillwell. Do you know
himW
"Know him? Well, | should say So"
replied Jack, with an oath, "and | will
shake with you, stranger. Between US US
both we can do him."
They spread their blankets side by side
on the floor of the cabin, and, at the
Mexican's request, Jack gave description
of the hated deputy which would have
ruined saints reputation for truth. Joe
soon fell asleep, hut was awakened by Jack
rolling clear over him.
BEG pardon" said Jack, apologetically,
as the desperate sat up eyeing him closely
by the light of the moon, which shone
through the broken window, 81 am terri
BILE fellow to roll in my Sleep
They both lay down again, and were
soon apparently asleep. Again Jack
rolled over the Mexican, and when the
latter awoke he found himself hsndcuffed.
"Well, stranger, you are - of a
fellow to roll in your Sleep" said the
desperado, still game, what be your
name, anyhow
"Jack Stillwell," was the cool reply.
The desperate, seeing that he had been
cleverly caught, and knowing that resist
ance was useless, was hurried of to Fort
Reno. He was tried at Fort Smith, Ark
dl tile liONluR " Tic Z ulltu
District Court, convicted and hanged.
How many arrests Stillwell has made in
his lifetime he pretends not to know. But
seventeen men he has sent to their death
by the hangman's moose. Thirty-one, it is
said, he has killed. Even in that wild
country, where men who have killed "their
man" are not few, he is pointed out to
strangers with feeling of mingled awe
and respect. He never speaks of himself
except when he has been drinking too
freely Then he will tell, IN way pecul-
iarly his own, how some one met his death
through his assistance.
In the northern part of the Territory
there operated about FIVE years ago a most
notorious gang of desperadoes, headed by
the Wade brothers and called the Wade
gang. Many thefts and murders were laid
to their credit. Jack, with trusted party
of men, determined to break them up As
result of this raid Bob Wade was, in
September 1856, brought before Judge c.
G.. Foster, of the United States Court ot
the District of Kansas, found guilty and
sent to the penitentiary. His brother
sought refuge in the wilds of the Missouri
mountains, and the members of the gang
with few exceptions, were arrested the
following year and either sent to the peni
tentiary or driven out of the Territory
| Those who did remain knew that price
was set upon their heads, and were deter
! mined to sell their lives dearly.
One day in the spring of 1888, as Jack
was riding from Fort Reno TO kingfisher
he saw along the trail, far before him, {
| horseman. As the two men approached
each other the deputy recognized Gray,
member of the Wade gang, who had sgorr
to kill him if ever they met. 1t was
beautiful day, the sun shone bright, ant
the air had that peculiar clearness anC
buoyancy that add zest to existence. Be
fore and behind them stretched the trai
until lost over the divides There wer
no other human beings in sight. No;
human habitation broke the level monot
ony. Life was sweet to both of these men
| vet they felt that one or both would neve