The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1890-10-23
LITH N THE FAR FRSg:
How 1 EOrmsI Newspaper Writer Won
Rgpsst b 4 Colorado IOEn.
Rrom rags % AffIuance--An Un.
armed Tramp Captures the
Terror 81 TeFrOrsviIle.

'.Do you see that man in Q gray SOM
brero, with the big diamond" said an
old Colorado prOspectOr to New York
Tribune reporter in the AStOr house 70
tunda last Thursday. "WeIl, that's Tom
de We're. Billy de vere's brother"
"And who was Billy de Veref" asked
the newspaper man, as his eyes followed
the old gentleman's finger. There was q
tone Of indifference in the reporters ques-
ton that the prospector did not like, and
Il was some minutes before he replied.
"Well, II you had been in H City,
COL, in 1872 you would have known who
s'Billy' de We're Is. The de Veres were
New Workers, business men, who had
carried on . substantial banking business
for generations. From father to son the
business had descended since colonial
days, and Billy was the first to kick
over the traces He was q literary kind
Of q chap; newspaper writer, same Is
you, only a blamed sight smarter than
you can even hope to be. All these iacts
found out afterward, for when he walked
into Jim Riley's gin-mill in H-City
that morning there wasn't one Of rs
knew him from Adam. l shall never
forget his appearance. Dressed in the
most horrible rags and covered with the
accumulated dirt Of q twelve days
tramp, he was pitable object. But his
face was the face Of Greek god. have
been through the Leuvre, the British
nl1seum, the New York museum, and
Hundreds Of collections Of statuary, but
Ihave never seen . face, craven or hui
man, as handsome as Billy de Vere's.
"He lounged up to the bar and began
reading a notice behind 1t. While be
was reading the placard big fellow who
had been drinking at the further end Of
the gin mill came up to him and grinned
In his face. Read 1t out loud, said the
newcomer. Billy did 50: Five hundred
dollars reward for John Higgins, alias
Indian John, dead or alive. The above
reward will be paid to the captor Of the
aboye-named John Higgins, by Henry
Re-, marshal Of H. county, COl.'
Ny friend concluded de We're, who
guessed who the big fellow was, I'm
hard up and Pm going to earn that re-
ward. You come along with me-
Higgins laughed out an oath and
drew q big Colt, but before he could cock
Il his hand was knocked up and de We're
had struck him across the face with O.
whisky bottle. Then, grasPing the pis-
tOl, which the astonished rufiian had
dropped, he said:
"'NoW, will you come?
Higgins was struck dumb. For two
months he had been running the place.
shooting everyone who had crossed his
path, levying tribute on all the citizens
and killing those who refused him. He
had shot two marshals and wounded the
present one, and was consequently con-
sidered pretty tough man. Therefore,
when this boyish-lOoking tramp held his
own gun in his face and said come on,
he was very much puzzled. After gazing
ct dc We're for some seconds, while every
one in the place held their breath, he
said:
"By -, you've got mel III 90 with
yOu.'
after that nothing was too good for
de We're in H City; he was made
deputy marshal, and BY buying . share
in the Roosevelt mine soon became rich.
But be never got the big head and was
always q quiet, courteous gentleman.
Haim was freed In Q few months, for
they didn't hang for murder then in Col
orAdo, and no horse theft was proved
against him. He became . much Quieter
citizen and always had q wholesome
dread Of do We're. Whenever he became
noisy or developed q tendency to run
things, Billy would march him 10 the
lookup and keep him over night. But
Hiezins was a cowardIy dog At heart. A
the story Of de Vere,s death viii sbow.
There had been big row in Riley'eI