The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1890-11-27
DIED WHILE ON DUTY.
How a Former Newspaper Writer Won
Respect in a Colorado Town.

How a Former Newspaper Writer Won
Respect in Colorado Town.
"Do you see that man in gray SOM
brero, with the big diamond" said an
old Colorado prospector to Tribune re-
porter in the Astor House rotunda.
''Well, that's Tom de We're, Billy de
Vere's brother"
''And who was Billy de Vere?" asked
the newspaper man, as his eyes followed
the old gentleman's finger. There was
tone of Indifference in the reporters
question that the prospector did not
like, and it was some minutes before he
replied. "Wel1, if you had been in
H City, Colorado, in 1872, you would
have known who Billy de We're is. The
De Veres were New Workers, business
men, who had carried on a substantial
banking business for generations. From
father to son the business had de-
scended since colonial days and Billy
was the first to kick over the traces
He was literary kind Of chap; news
paper writer, same as you, only blamed
sight smarter than you can ever hope to
be. All these facts l found out after
ward, for when he walked into Jim
Riley's gin-mill in H City that
morning there wasn't one of us knew
him from Adam. I shall never forget
his appearance. Dressed in the most
horrible rags and covered with The ac-
cummulated dirt of twelve days
tramp, he was pitiable object But his
face was the face of a Greek god. l
have been through the Louvre, the
British Museum, the New York Museum
and hundreds of collections of statuary,
but have never seen face, craven or
human, as handsome as Billy de Vere's.
''He lounged up to the bar and began
reading notice behind it. While he
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 it out loud ,
said the newcomer. Billy did so:
$500 reward for John Higgins, alias In
dian John, dead or alive. The above re-
ward will be paid to the captor of the
above-named John Higgins, by Henry
R, Marshal of H County, Colo
RADIO My friend concluded De We're,
who guessed who the big fellow was,
I'm hard up, and I'm going to earn that
reward. You come along with me-
Higgins laughed out an oath and
drew a big Colt, but before he could
cock it his hand was knocked up and De
We're had struck him across the face
with a whisky bottle. Then grasping
the pistol, which the astounded rufiar
had dropped, he said:
Now, will you Gomez
Higgins was struck dumb. For two
months he had been running the
place, shooting every one who crossed
his path, levying tribute on all the citi,
zens and killing those who refused him.
He had shot two marshals and wounded
the present one, and was consequently
considered pretty tough man. There
fore, when this boyish-looking tramn
held his own gun in his face and said
come on he was very much puzzled.
After gazing at De We're for some
seconds, while every one in the place
held their breath, he said:
by George, you've got me! I'll go
with your
''After that nothing in H City was
too good for De We're, he was made
deputy marshal, and by buying share of
the Little Roosevelt mine soon became
rich. But he never got the big head
aud was always quiet, courteous gen.
tleman. Higgins was freed in a few
months, for they didn't hang for murder
then in Colorado, and no horse-theft was
proved against him. He became a much
quieter citizen and always had whole
some dread of De We're. Whenever he
became noisy or developed a tendency
to run things, "Billy" would march him
to the lookup and keep him over night.
But Higgins was cowardly dog at
heart, as the story of De Vere's death
will show.
"There had been a big row in Riley's
place. Higgins and Riley had started a
game of poker with an Eastern man,
and in the quarrel that arose the ten
derfoot' was knocked down, and Riley
and Higgins proceeded to rob him. just
then De We're entered, and, hauling the
victim out of the way, told Higgins to
come along The tough pretended to
comply, and as soon as De Vere's back
was turned he plunged knife into the
deputy marshal's side. De We're fell,
and Higgins and Riley began kicking
him brutally. Then Billy did one of
the 'nerviest' things ever heard of in
territory where one-half the population
were seoundrels and the other heroes.
Turning slowly, fainting all the while
from loss of blood, till he drew his pis-
tol he shot the two scoundrels dead in
their tracks, and then, died. 1t was the
most wonderful case of nerve / ever
heard of. He felt it was his duty to re-
move those two, and he did it."-N. Y
Tribune.