News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1890-07-24
A WESTERN sHERIFF,s COURAGE,

Locking Himself in Corridor with Fiv.
Prisoners to Subdue Them.
Il think that the bravest man / evel
KNEW" said the colonel, twas one O,
the worst. His name was Kit Castle
and for some years, SO long ago that
my hair grows grayer when think Of
it, he was sheriff of Uintah county,
Wy. T. Kit had his own peculiar code
of morals, like good many other west
ern men of that day.
He borrowed money in tho most
reck ess fashion, but he always paid it
back to the last cent. He never broke
a promise. But he would cheat at cards
at every opportunity. He couldn't help
it. Every one knew that he cheated,
but no man was ever bold enough to
say SO in his face, for Castle was not
afraid of anything that walked or
crawled and he was dead shot every
time his big finger pressed a trigger.
He was over six feet in height, lion in
strength and tiger when enraged.
He started out alone on horseback
once when he was sheriff to capture
two horse thieves. He was gone for a
week, and people began to think that
Kit had got the worst of a hard fight.
when he rode into town one evening.
Where are your men, kitp some
one asked with a laugh, thinking they
had slipped him.
THE sheriff pulled from his belt
three revolvers and laid them down.
Then he went out to his horse and un-
fastening two pairs of spurs from the
saddle came back and threw them
Jingling and ringing on the counter.
One of them revolvers is mine
said Kit slowly. All the rest is SOU
venirs -'sooveneers' he pronounced it.
L had sixty miles to ride back, and I
hadn't the time to lead two horses with
the cOrpses of two horse thieves tied
on their backs.' This was all he ever
said about the fight.
Perhaps a more villainous set of
scoundrels was never collected than
the prisoners whom Castle always had
in the county jail. The jail was of
stone and was at the rear of the court
house. Inside the place was lined
with sheet iron and along the end ran
the heavily barred cells. One evening
the sheriff went into the jail to see if
his prisoners were all right for the
night. One of them had gotten out of
his cell and had then released four
other desperadoes. When Kit opened
the door into the Jail the men started
for him with rush. Kit had time to
spring through the door and close it,
and his prisoners would have been as
secure in the iron walled corridor as in
their cells. But the sight of the five
men maddened him and he threw the
door shut with a loud clang, locking
himself in the room with the others.
Drawing his revolver he leaped at
the men, believing in his anger. He
was too enraged to shoot them. He
wanted to punish them for daring to
attack him. His strength and energy
were tremendous, and he hurled the,
five men into one of the iron corners.
Pushing them and knocking them
about, he beat them over the head and
shoulders and arms with the butt of. =.
his revolver until they screamed at the
top of their voices in their helpless
agony Then, his teeth shut close to-
gether in his great jaw, he picked them
up one by one and pitched them into
their cells, securely fastening the bolts.
"Such daring and recklessness as his
could belong only to a man who did /
not know the name of physical fear.
He was q born fighter, and as a soldier
in battle would have been remorse-
lessly fierce. New York Tribune.