Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1890-10-10
HE DIED WHILE ON purv.
How a Former Newspaper writAr wo
Respect In u Colorado Town.


"Do Won see that man in gray SOM
brero, with a big diamond" said an old
Colorado prospector to a Tribune re-
porter in the Aston House rotunda.
"Well, that's Tom de We're, Billy de
Vere's brother"
and who was Billy de We're 2"
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. swell, if YOU had
been in H City, Colorado, in 1872.
you would have known who Billy de
Vese is. The de Veres we're 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 a literary kind
of chap; newspaper writer, same as you,
only a blamed sight smarter than you
can ever hope to be. ALI these facts I
found out afterward, 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.
shall never forget his appearance.
Dressed in the most horrible rags and
covered with the dirt of twelve days.
tramp, he was pitiable object. But
his face was the face of Greek god. 1
have been through the Louvre, the
British Museum, the New York Mu-
scum and hundreds of collections of
statuary, but I have never seen face,
craven or human, as handsome as :Billy'
de Vere's.
He lounged up to the har and began
reading notice behind it. While he
was reading the placard a 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: Five hundred dollars reward for
John Higgins, alias Indian John, dead
or alive. The above reward will be
paid to the captor of the above-named
John Higgins by Henry r Marshal
Of H County. Colorado My
friend concluded De We're, who
guessed who the big fellow was, Tn
hard up, and I'm going to earn that re-
ward. You come along with me-
Higgins laughed out an oath and
drew big Colt, but before he could
cock it his hand was knocked up and
De We're had struck him across the face
with whisky bottle. Then grasping
the pistol, which the astonished rufian
had dropped, he said:
Z" Now will you come?
Higgins was struck dumb. For two
months he had been running the place,
shooting every one who crossed his
path, leyying 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 gaz-
ing at De We're for some seconds, while
every one in the place held their breath,
he said:
by -, you've got mel I'll 60
with YOU
after that nothing in a City
was too good for De We're; he was made
Deputy Marshal, and ty buying q share
of the Little Roosevelt mine soon be-
came rich. But he never got the big
head, and was always Q quiet, courte-
Gus gentleman. Higgins was freed in u
few months, for they didn't hang for
murder then in Colorado, and no horse
thefts were proved against him. He
became much quieter citizen and
always had a wholesome dread Of De
We're. Whenever he became noisy or
developed tendency to run things,
Billy would march him to the lookup
and keep him over night. But Higgins
was o cowardly dog at heart, as the
story of De Vere's death will show.
There had been big row in Riley's
place. Higgins and Riley had started a
game of poker with an Eastern man,
and in quarrel that arose the tender
foot 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
'nerviest' things ever heard Of in a terri
tory where one half the population were
scoundrels and the other heroes. Turn
ing slowly, fainting all the while from
loss of blood, till he drew his pistol, he
shot the two scoundrels dead in their
tracks, and then died. TWAS the most
wonderful case of nerve I ever heard
of. He felt it was his duty to remove
those two and he did it."-New York
Tribune,
"On1y Little Chap
Il know" said the conductor, as he
finished counting up and lighted a
cigar, that most people consider us q
hard-hearted lot, but we've got to be.
or at least must appear to be. A rail-
road company has little to do with SEN
timent, and great deal to do with bus
mess. I can't afford to let people ride
at my expense, and SO what am to
do?"
No remedy being suggested, he
smoked away in silence for two or three
minutes, and then continued:
CT r1slo,t L.,