Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1890-08-28
AN OUTLAW.

reD6l 6ONll6ry WSI0 uIGlo DcObCA Ihoh
outlaws. The strong hand Of the mill
tary authorities soon downed the major
ity, but there were others who preferred
to die in the woods or swamps rather
than return to ways Of peace. When
they had been given reasonable time
to come in, and when it was seen that
they openly dehed the power OF the gov
eminent, they were outlawed and price
set upon the heads Of the leaders. More
over, small detachments Of soldiers
hunted them down, and army scouts
went out IN pairs and had many stir
ring adventure. While these outlaws
were e1-rebels most Of them had been
guerrillas in the war, robbing both
friend and foe, and the regular rebel
soldier who had made a regular surren-
der had no sympathy with them.
In September, 1896, word came into
Helena that an outlaw named Bill Traver
had taken up his retreat In the woods
few miles below and ON the Mississippi
shore Of the river. Indeed, the word
came to Us direct from him and was
brought by colored man. Not being
able to write, he had to send verbal
message, and it was TO the effect that he
hated the government, had killed fifty
Yankees during the war, and now def1ed
the military force to capture him. VIII
liam Bastrop and myself, both being on
duty as scouts, were detailed TO investi-
gate The order detailing us meant this:
You are hereby granted ten days
leave Of absence TO kill Bill Traver, out
law. or to be killed yourselves"
The negro disappeared after delivering
his message, and we waited two days
before making a move. We were then
set across the river in a skiff at night
and left to pursue our plans. Traver
would be expecting us to approach his
retreat in front and by boat, while we
proposed to go in by the back door, if at
all. He might be in the woods and he
might not, although the negro was honest
i'll telling his story. We doubted if any
human being could live in the woods at
that season on account of the torment of
the insects. We had in mind an old
cabin in clearing two miles back of the
river. A squad of fifteen of us had once
captured five outlaws in this cabin, and
in the fight two more had been killed.
For this reason no one would occupy the
cabin, not even Il negro squatter.
Whether Traver would be affected 10y
a like superstition we did not know, but
proposed to find out. We each had
Winchester and a revolver, with pack
of provisions, and an hour before day
light we were in hiding close to the
cabin. When day broke we saw that
the dOor-there was but one-was shut,
and that an old coffee sack had been
nailed over the only window. These
were evidences that the house was occu-
pied by some one, and from our ambush
behind log, and only pistol shot away,
we kept a closer watch.
1t was about 6o'clock in the morning
when a cOlOred man came out of the
cabin and built ATTIRE on the ground and
began to cook breakfast. We could
smell the frying bacon and catch the
odOr of the coffee, and we felt sure that
Traver or some other white man was
inside. 1t took the man about half an
hour to prepare the meal, and during
this interval we made up our minds that
we had never seen him before. When
he had everything ready he went to the
door and called, and five minutes later
Traver appeared. There was no mis-
taking him, as he tailed point for point
with the description given us. He was
n ragged, dirty, desperate looking fell
low, and he was evidently imbad humOr.
he kicked the negro aside and sat down
to his breakfast, and for tenminutes he
kept up continued growlingt and ours
ing. The negro retired to log ten feet |
away, and while he made no reply to |
the abuse heaped upon him, he did not |
seem much disturbed by it.
There was no doubt that Traver was
well armed. Had he not considered him |
self perfectly safe he would not have
stirred outdoors without a weapon. |
While he had been outlawed, and while |
we knew him 70 be robber and muir !
derer, we could not kill him,off hand. |
Either one Of us could have sent bull |
let into his head from our ambush, and |
we knew that he w0uldsshoot us down |
like dogs If he had the chance. We final
" decided to flank him right and left,
and hope to get so near the cabin as to
cut of his retreat to it when we called |
upon him to surrender. I passed to the
right and Bastrop to the left. He had
the best cover. When I had accom-
plished half the distance the negro sud-
denly rose mp, alarmed by the breaking
Of twig, saw me, and uttered whoop.
Bastrop rose up and demanded a surren-
der, while fired on the outlaw. In an
instant both men were in the cabin with
the door shut, and our game was blocked.
We dropped to the ground, and five min
ntes later one passing by could not have
told that there was human being with
n twenty miles of the spot.
After quarter of an hour of the
deepest silence we moved back until we
came together. We had Gagged our man,
and the negro was evidently bad one
rs well. We had the advantage Of being
able to command the only exit from the
house, but there was no telling what
sort of a dodge Traver would be up to
rs an offset. We decided to guard the
door and window for the day at least,
feeling certain that the outlaws had no
supply of water in the cabin. That day
seemed long enough to make a fun
week We were tormented by mos
Iuitoes, had only bareback to satisfy
'ur hunger, and our thirst was quenched
With water unfit for an OK to drink.
We were constantly expecting to see the
men open the door and spring for cover,
'nly few feet away, and the situation
vas constant tax on the nerves. Noon
anne, m1o afternoon came, the sun went
lOWn- and not tho cl;czh4oc4 ...s==. Ii !