The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1890-02-05

ii"oASS' lawn INV SccluCu
by a passion to kill because he
could do so with IMMUNITY, and
a little later on he knitted one Mckenzie
to death at Gold Hill. The terror" was
not even arrested, and he went around
Dragging about the graveyard he had
started; but this crime was so cold
blooded and brutal that the name of
Long Haired Brown excited detestation
whenever mentioned. Some of the gen.
tlemanly desperadoes of Carson and the
Comstock tried to draw Brown into a
quarrel, and having got the drop on him
put him under the daisies, but he would
back down every time if it came to talk
ing even chances in an exchange of
leaden compliments with men like Jack
Williams, Bill Burns, Cherokee Bob or
Bill Mayaeld, known to be dead shots,
quick on the trigger and always ready
They could not get fight out of him,
and blacklegs as they were, they were
not willing to kill him in the way in
which he had dispatched his victims.
He was not the fearless man that many
thought him to be. He was easily an
gered and was regular thug as regards
the taking of human life, but he was
quick to see it if he was overmatched,
and he left that sort of fight to some
body else.
After the murder of Mckenzie, Brown
soon found the atmosphere of the Com
stock so disagreeable that he determined
to take up his quarters at Aurora, which
was then one of the liveliest and wild
est camps on the coast. Some time in
the afternoon of July G., 1861, accom-
panied by Alex Henderson, he stopped
on his way thither at Lockhart's saloon
in Genoa, and remained drinking and
clustering for two or three hours. and
then galloped on to Vansickle's station,
where they found the proprietor, Henry
Vansickle, alone. Stepping to the bar, he
said in his course, blutfing style: "Set
out your best whisky for two, and
if you don't want tho top of your head
sheared with bullet be darn quick
about it," Vansickle, very quiet but
very determined rancher, answered.:
You can't get any whisky or any thing
else at this bar. You are not wanted
here; so you may as well travel on. :"
For moment Brown looked in mute as
tonishment at the presumptuous station
keeper; then like a flash his hand
dropped on one of his sixshooters. Van,
being unarmed and knowing too we'll
what that motion meant with Brown,
darted through an open door into the
dining-room, Brown following close after
him, pistol in hand. There were about
fifteen men seated at the long dining
table, eating supper, and as they all
jumped to their feet when the two men
rushed into the room the confusion
which ensued prevented Brown from
getting a shot, so that Van made his
escape into another apartment.
After relieving his pent-up feeling by
few oaths and the threat that he
would blow off the top of Vansickle's
head before he was done with him,
Brown remounted Betsy, who stood
quietly waiting for him at the door, and
galloped off on the Mottville road to-
ward Aurora, followed by Henderson.
Vansickle's first move, after getting
safely away from his assailant, was to
get his double arreled shotgun and
double charge it with buckshot or pistol
bullets. Thus equipped for war he re-
turned to his bar-room. But the man
he was hunting for was gone. He could
see him and Henderson side by side
lcisurely cantering up the valley. Five
later Van was astride of his
best saddle horse, shotgun on his Shout
der and in hot pursuit. Brown saw him
coming and knew perfectly we'll that he
meant fight; still, he did not quicken his
pace or try to get away, which he might
have done, for though he had ridden
Betsy thirty odd miles already, she was
good for many miles more if he would
urge her. Vansiclxle rode up to about
one hundred yards of the two men,
yelled to Henderson to get out of the
way and turned loose both barrels at
Brown, but missed him-the distance
was too great.
While Vansickle halted to reload his
gun he was joined by five or six men
from the station, who had followed him
On horseback to see how the row would
end. After the first shot Henderson
turned off toward the East Fork of the
Carson, and Brown kept on up the main
road alone. Again Vansickle approached
nd cod hic I,+
to the ground, interposing his mare as
shield, and fired over his saddle at his
shotgun pursuer, who was out of pistol
range, however, and neither of the two
men nor the horse of either received a
Thus the duel between shotgun and
'evolver continued until Brown reached
Walter Corben's cabin and entered it.
It was now getting too dark to see to
shoot accurately at distance, and Van
sickle was too wary to go within range
If the cabin so long as it held Brown and
lis two revolvers. Still he would not
RAW out of the fight for he knew that
f Brown escaped then he would never
est until he found some way to murder
lin. Thinking that Brown intended to
make the next station, Lutte Odds place,
o stay all night, he deemed it best to
ide on ahead, lie in wait for him there
nd tackle him at close range as he
anne up. He had figured it out right.
lie had not been at Odds station half
lour when by the bright starlight he
aw Brown riding up to the barn
n front of which he had dis
mounted and taken his station. i Brown
ode straight toward the barn, thinking
10 doubt if there were any enemies of