The record-union., 1891-08-01
DOWN BY TIE STA.
HOffmans Pilgrimage Takes Him
to the Ventura Hills.
UpIands Where Once Rolled the Waves
of Ocean-Jef. Howard, the Sheep
herder and Outlaw of Oiai Valley,
and His Forty-Rod .Limit-Ari Hop
per's Bear Story.

The hills of Ventura County are ef
oceanic origin and filed with petrifac-
tions. Oysters, CLAIMS, abalones, mussels,
periwinl1les and other dainty mollusks
may be found ready to the hand Of the in
vestigator, well preserved and in some
cases coated with beautiful shining crusts
of silica, or something of that sort. There
are great many petrified fish, too,
chiefly smelt, and now and then bone
from the vertebrae of some noble mann
moth of the roaring deep The fish are
uneatable. An ostrich might ''go'' few,
but they do not appeal to the palates of
civilized beings, although Neptune may
have enjoyed them as very rare pre-
serves. Smelt, when fresh, are good, but
smelt in the latter stages of their exist
ence are not good.
1t was on these hills, with their great
stores of petrified fish, that JEFF. Howard,
the imam with the little Henry" had his
stamping away back in 1S75-6-7.
JEFF. was rancher and sheep-raiser. He
lived in a little cabin near the Ojai Val
ley, and killed his own meat He was
one of the deadliest shots in the State, and
had great reputation as deer-slayer
But this distinction made him proud and
with pride that he used to Kick his dog
and then take his rifle down and make
himself apologize to himself for doing it,
Then he grew tired of the simple monot-
Ony of his life. Like Alexander the Great,
he became ambitious, and longed for
greater tTiumphS.
An opportunity came, and he quarreled
with another sheep-raiSer, who had got
his start in business by finding an old
ram on the road few years before, and
by economy had become the possessor of
many tiocks.
jeff. was not slow to take advantage of
the opportunity to distinguish himself
One Of the herders in the employ of the
other man absent-mindedly strayed into
the Ojai and sat down on a rock to rest.
jeff. spotted the lonely ''Greaser," took
down his little Henry rifle and shot him
through the stomach. When he had
watched the herder kick around until
death came 10 his relief, he hid his rifle in
the cabin and came down to Ventura to
tell the Sheriff about his exploit.
The Sheriff was an obtuse man. He
couldn't see the joke, somehow, and ut
terly failed to appreciate the fine humor
of the man with the little Henry. jeff
was arrested and jailed, and spent his
time forecasting his future which was
not a pleasant task, but it was all he could
do Just then.
But there were unseen forces at work
uDnOlSLGfetl
building IN which jeff was confined.
One day a fine cake was sent to him. and
as the old man sat down in his cell, broke
the sacred loaf across his knee and took
out of ii an old caSeknife with the edge
filed in an appropriate and skillful man
ner, he smole fearful smile of joy, and
went capering around his cell, saving
ever and anon at the leg of his boot and
performing sundry and divers panto-
mines, which, had they been seen, would
have gained Tor him good big doubt as
10 the healthful condition of his thought
digester.
y few days later it was discovered that
the redoubtable JEFF had sawed the bolt
OF his door and escaped. Then there
was mounting in hot haste, and people
were found who had seen Mr.. Howard
fleeing away through the dusk in thous-
and different directions at one and the
same time. The Sheriff and his posse,
armed with double barrelled shotguns
loaded with horseshoe nails and slugs.
1Ong-range rifles, telescopes and Self-cOck-
ing navy revolvers, tore like a cyclone
through the streets, looking into saloons.
stores, hotels and restaurants, turning
over drygoods boxes and disturbing the
staid old deacons who were holding
prayer meetings in the churches, but at
none Of these places was the redoubtable
JEFF.
Then it was reported that rancher
SOIlitiS " LOWu Uau IGdfu something
whIz by him in the dark, and had seen
something flee into canyon above the
graveyard.
The Sheriff7s posse Immediately lit out
for the canyon, and followed it until they
reached a thicket.
Hist y said a deputy. Hes in there,
surer'
Are you sure?'' asked the Sheriff.
Il bep' said the deputy.
Then" said the Sheriff, lets go home
and lie about it.'
They silently trailed away. The next
day they went to Jeff's cabin on the Ola
1t was aWfuIIy lonesome there. Jeff7S
rifle, which had been there a short time
before, was gone. At any moment there
might be q loud bang in the woods
and somebody might feel sick at the
stomach. 1t was decided that the best
way 10 catch JEFF would be to go back and
offer a reward.
Not long afterward the Sheriff received
kind, fatherly note from Mr.. Howard.
He praised the Sheriff and informed him
that he had secured his little Henry. He
also regretted that he could not visit that
official al his Office, but if he would come
mp TO the Olal and not get nearer than
forty rods he would be pleased to see
him at any time and converse with him
on the topics of the day-provided he
came along. Considerable stress was
laid on that part Of the letter relative to
the forty-rod limit.
'Git one step closter than forty rods"
wrote Mr.. Howard, land you are ded
man!n
This invitation was accepted. When
ever the Sheriff felt blue and longed for
little animated conversation, he took an
audiphone, speaking trumpet and a
spyglass, and went up to the Ojal and
talked to JEFF. jeff would sit down on
the top of one hill, and the Sheriff would
sit down on the top OF another, and then
they would hold a high-toned conversa-
lion for an hour or two, the Sheriff telling
Jeh how the rest of the boys in Jail were
getting along. how they missed him, and
how awfully lonesome it was there with
out him. jeff would "holler' back that
he WAS very sorry, and would urge the
Sheriff to be very "keerful an not git
closter than forty rods"
So things went along for some time. but
one day the Sheriff couldn't find jeff In
vain he shouted through his trumpet, ap-
landscape with his spyglass. Then il be-
came evident that the old man had evap-
Grated.
The Sheriff wiped tear out of his eve
and rode sadly home.
1T was doggoned mean of jeff TO give
feller the shake like that" he said. and
be went back to his Jail and polished up
his handouts and leg-irons.
He'll come agin some day." he said.
sententiously, ''and FL be so glad to see
him I'll just load him with iewelry and
keep him here indefinite"
And, sure enough, he did come again.
lie was found III Arizona, where he was
wanted for surreptitiously dealing in
horses, and was recognized and arrested
The Ventura Sheriff heard Of it and ltir-
ried down TO Arizona. He grasped Jefl7s