The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-01-18
DIED WITH HER BOOTS ON.
Horse Thief That Proved to be a
Handsome Young Girl.


Handsome Young Girl.
In the first days of Leadville wagons
formed the only means of transportation
for the immense quantity of merchandise
needed there, and for the shipment of the
large output Of ore and bullion. As a con-
sequence horses and mules were used in
large numbers. Trains of freight wagons
lined the roads leading to the great carbo-
nate camp, and it frequently became neces-
sary to turn the stock out after a hard
DAVIS journey to Craze on the adjoining
hillsideS. Leadville offered good market
for work stock of all kinds, as
animals brought from the East
frequently succumbed to the climatic
effect of high altitude aud heavy work.
Many freighter reached the top of hard
pull only to see his best work mule lie down
and die in the harness. Such inducements
and easy sale brought professional horse
thieves in abundance. The immunity from
punishment that they seemed to enjoy and
| high prices paid for their plumber stimu-
lated them to constant activity and made
them bold in their profession. Saguache
county, Col, was a favorte section for the
| operations of this fraternity, these gentle
men making their trips with almost the
| regularity of stage coaches.
After an unusually bold raid party was
organized, determined to follow the trail
and overtake the thieves, and, if the depre-
dators were caught. to save all county ex-
| penses in the way of sheriff fees and trials.
| The party started early in the morning, and
as the trail was largo and hot they were
| able to follow 1T almost at gallop. Follow
| ing along the west side of the San Luis val
lev and then through defile of the Sangre
! de Christie mountains, the course of the pur-
suers and pursued emerged into the Arkan-
sas valley, close to where tho South Arkan-
IGA- a,.NA fhA -. CO. =.
was evident that the two parties could
only be short distance apart The
robbers had taken moro stock than
they could easily handle, and
did not seem to be aware thatNthey
were being followed. Two of the stock
men from the ranches on the route Joined
the vigilantes and furnished fresh horses,
About noon on the following day the thieves
with the stolen stock were discovered
camped at the north Of Cottonwood creek
There were but two. One appeared to be a
young boy not over 10; the other was fine
looking young man of perhaps 20 or %
| years OF age On being called on to sur
render the boy pulled a six-shooter and
| fired on the vigilantss. At the same time
he and his companion jumped down behind
| the bank Of the river, from which place it
was found impossible to dislodge them
| without the loss of at least three or four
| men.
After hurried council of war, il was
decided for two men to go down the river,
cross over, and come up on the other side to
a point where the fugitives could be easily
covered and the balance to prevent their
escape from the position they were in Tais
was done, and whom the thieves were again
summoned to surrender, they simply turned
and commenced firing at their two pur-
suers on the opposite side of the river. The
fire was returned, and resulted in the boy
| dropping dead with a broken neck.
and his companion falling with a
| bullet through the lungs. When the
| vigilantes went TO where they Law
the elder was still alive, and the boy was of
course, dead, and proved to be a lovely
young girl, with delicate and refined feat
ures. The one who could still talk refused
to tell who they were or from whence they
came, only that their people were respect
able, and that he desired them to remove
his boots as he did not wish to die with his
boots on. He was evidently man of good
education, but positively refused to give
any information. In few hours he also
was dead, and thu two were buried beneath
the cottonwood near the river bank. Their
identity was never discovered.