The Russellville Democrat., 1891-05-28
A TIN CUP VERDICT.

peaks when Old Jones and his nephew halted their teams for the night Old Jones and his relative were freighters, and the crack of their long, snot filled mule whips and the creak of their heavy wagons had been heard in half of the camps of Colorado.
 The four wagons tonight were swung into the segment of circle. and the mules were hobbled and cast loose from the straps in which, through the day, they pulled. At this relief these grate- ful slaves stood about and attested their joy in the loud cries peculiar to their kind, but which are So unfortunate in their lack of harmony. To stop this racket the nephew went about giving them their vesper feed. This he placed in morrels, or nose bags, which he hung to their hungry heads. Old Jones built a fire and began the compilation of an intricate but savory dish known to those happy ones who have the recipe as 'freighter's stew"
 Supper over, the two freighters sat about in the lurking shadows made by the fires blink and glimmer, smoking their pipes. All at once there was a commotion in the band of mules. Those patient folk who had scrambled and pulled all day over a rough mountain trail with wagons loaded on the princi- pie of 1 200 pounds to 8 mule, and who now, in the proprieties of mule life, should be at peace and rest with the world, were charging about and snort ing in very alarming way.
 "1njuns!o said Old Jones, showing back into the gloom. "Injuns, for thousand dollarsi There ant no animal on earth, bar Injuns, ever makes mules take on that away"
 The nephew thought so too. Old Jones and the nephew did not fear an attack. There were no Indians about that were not described as friendly.
 But what they did fear was that the mules might be stampeded. Stamped ing stock is a great aboriginal industry. The Indian will stampede your cattle or mules and then claim one dollar head for finding them for you. Thus do these wise sons of nature fill their coffers and exact a revenue from those who cross their lands.
 Jones' nephew took Winchester from the wagon and began to work his eau tious, silent way toward the mules. Those last were still snorting and shy ing as if prey to wild alarm. The nephew disappeared in the darkness. Old Jones placed his hand over his pipe bowl so its fiery eye could not be seen and peered after him into the gloom.
 Bang! Bangl Bangl' It was the Winchester speaking it told the Indian policy of the border-and a very sufd- cient good policy it is too. Old Jones, at the sound, heaved a sigh, but ne-'-' moved. After little the nephew in to the fire. He seemed alert, hop and unrelenting as to the Winche Indian policy.
 "Did you stretch one?" said Old Joi
 "I think most likely did," said nephew in sanguine way "Wee tell in the mornin', shore"
 The mules were now quiet. Fireai had no terrors for them. They co stand the odor'of gunpowder, but of dians-bahl No mule of taste co stand it for a second. After anot half hour Old Jones and his neph kicked out the embers of their fires went to sleep.
 Old Jones and his nephew had visit in the morning. The whole Ute tr and their agent came down to the freig ers' camp. The members of the Jo family at once seized their Winchest and alacriously prepared for war Utes ran about, jumping and yellingf demanding vengeance. Old Jones his nephew stood silent and grim beh their wagon and showed their iron tee The agent insisted on peace. "Wol the Jones who had killed the Ute night before give himself up? He wol be guaranteed from harm, but the U insisted on his arrest. They-the dians-would attack the wagons if criminals did not surrender" So spoke the agent--a nervous little incompetent as many an Indian agent is
 "Give up nothin'," said Old Jones de- risively. "You tell them Utes if they want anything round here to waltz in and get it."
 The Utes howled and danced still harder and higher at this, and the agent talked more earnestly than ever. He threatened the Joneses with the power of the government This was too much. They would fight the whole Ute tribe, but they were afraid of Uncle Sam. After brief barley the nephew stepped out and gave himself up to the agent. He would have displayed more sense if he had remained behind his wagon and died in the smoke of his Winchester.
 The agent, the nephew and the Utes did not go mile toward the agency be- fore the Indians took the nephew, and tying him to a pine tree spent several blissful hours in torturing him to death. The agent was powerless to interfere.
 Jones, the elder, found the truth the evening of the same day. He turned a little pale under the thirty years of tan which Drowned his face, but said noth- ing. As well as he could he hitched up his teams and went ahead. His course was slow. Where the going was easy the nephew's team-eight mules-could follow the others and got along all right. Where it was rough Old Jones halted them, and, after driving his own team over, came back for them.
 Two months later the old man unload ed his freight at camp in the Gunnison country. He told the story of his nephew's death and charged it to the agent. The populace agreed with him to man. Old Jones insisted the agent should likewise suffer death. Public sentiment rushed to the same conclusion Every man in the Tincup district who heard of the matter Ut once advised Jonao f, sys, hoalr and kill fha rniaara hla