Johnstown weekly Democrat. (Johnstown, Cambria County, Pa.) 1889-1916, 1890-05-09

stopped report WOulu De received Unat
at the Bad Lands station hundreds of
cowboys and other tough citizens were
waiting for the marquis, and that he
would be riddled with bullets the mo-
ment he stepped from the train. The
train pulled into the depot at the Bad
Lands, and De Mores, with each hand
careessly laid, but ready for quick use,
on pair of handsome silver mounted
repeaters, stepped out on the platform.
Bad men galore crowded around him,
but when they saw the plucky nerve Of
the young aristocrat they honored and
respected him for it, and not a single
arm in all that vast crowd was raised to
do him the least harm.
DIME NOVEL CHARACTER.
The story of his life in this country is
quite interesting lie first landed at New
York in August, 1882. Before long he
became attracted by the stories of the
new country along the line of the North
ern Pacific railroad in Dakota and Mon
tana, and soon afterward he came out in
person to investigate for himself. With
q sombrero ON his head, red shirt on his
back, corduroy trousers tucked into very
long legged boots, and with plenty of
silver mounted jewelry in his belt, he
pursued his investigation far and wide
on horseback, and finally decided to
found city. He bought outright six
square miles of land on the Little Mis-
souri, river, which was then considered
to be, by the wise men of the northwest,
about the very worst bit of earth on the
whole North American continent. Hence
the knowing ones shook their heads
gravely and predicted ruin.
He built a rude shack of logs and mud
which he furnished luxuriantly for his
wife, secured large tracts of government
land and bought numerous herds of cat
tie. At first the herders and roaming
cowboys of the Bad Lands looked upon
him to be an adventurous crank, who
would surely leave the country after he
had secured Il few hunting trophies to
carry back to Paris. They hated him be-
cause he had a servant and wore clean
clothes. He was a ''monopolist, they
said, who was going to fence in the coun-
y
they found he had been a soldier once
and would not scare. The cowboys said
he had come to drive them all off their
ranches The hunters declared he was
going TO buy up their buffalo grounds;
and, to own the truth, the young man
did really act as if he were going to buy
the earth
Before many days he won the respect
of his western neighbors in more ways
than one, but still they took him to be
well plumed bird that ought to be pluck
ed and who could be easily swindled
Their ire was raised to the highest pitch
when the Marquis gained control of
about 100000 acres of land in Montana,
which took in the three principal trails
through which the cattle were driven to
the east, south and west.
A STARTLING ADVENTURE.
The cowboys began to shoot the French
mans cattle wholesale and menaced his
herders when the latter were off duty.
Appeals to the sheriff proved useless; SO
finding himself in a bad fix the Marquis
determined to take the matter into his
own hands and stop the matter himself.
He declared if he found a man killing
his animals he would shoot the rascals
like he would steer. In six months he
was shot ut by an unseen enemy no less
than eighteen times His most bitter foes
were man named Mitchell and am old
buffalo hunter called Luffrey.
One day while riding over the prairie,
accompanied by one of his most faithful
followers, man named Paddock, bull
let wbistled by his head, the smoke curl
ing from little bunch of sage brush
about 200 yards in front. Without
moments hesitation the marquis dug his
spurs into his horses flanks and dashed
head foremost directly toward the am
bush. The ringleader of the gang jumped
to his feet and leveled Winchester at
the marquis; but the latter like flash,
and while going at full speed, drew his
little silver mounted repeater, and the
would be assassin fell in his tracks, to
rise no more.
Another of the band was badly wound
ed, and the rest quickly leaping to their
horses, sought safety i'll fight. The
Frenchman was very popular after this
little incident, for his craftsmanship in
stilled great deal of respect into the
minds of the bloodthirsty herders, and
there was peace in the Bad Lands from
that time thenceforth. Nevertheless, he
had three trials before justices of the
peace for the so-called offense, and was
three times acquitted; yet he was again
indicted by a Dakota jury for murder,
and languished in the Bismarck Jail
many days before he finally gained his
| freedom.
The Marquise de Mores is lovely wo-
man. She is an American, but thorough
ly devoted to her brave husband. She
is handsome little brunette, one of the
oest lady rifle shots in the world and
she rides as we'll as she shoots.-St Louis
I T11i,n