Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1892-12-02
LUCKY BILL,
The Way He Punished an Erring
d~T Trnigraat.

- -
How Justice Was Administered In the
Early Days of Utah-After Being Mer-
ciful to Others He Was Denied Mer-
cy-Hanged by "Vigilantes"
In the early days when what is now
the state of Nevada was Western Utah
well'knownscharacter among the res.
idents of Carson valley was William
Ihorrington, man who was so for
tunate in all his undertakings that he
was familiarly known far and wide
among the valleys lying along the east
ern base of the Sierra Nevada noun
tains as Lucky Bill" Although
Lucky Bill' owned fine ranch at
the upper end of Carson valley, with
other outlying lands and many cattle,
he was good deal of q ''sport" and
spent much of his time about the sta.
tions on the overland road during the
season when the emigrants were
pouring in across the plains. He de-
lighted in giving 'luck u chance" and
IL is said that he captured his full share
of the spoils to be found among the un-
sophisticated pilgrims from the mother
states. k#t a ttsS%S W 4
MeMarlin'ssastation. swasssa afavoriter|
place of resort for Lucky Bill" and
other sporfs' during the 5srrpmer runyof /
eastern sue cl1ers" 4 sthis station was
situated on the Carson river at the
mouth of Gold canyon (where the town
Of ,tn ~ - IL -.
which rich placer mines were then be-
ing worked, eas"sportp ircquenting ~
had tw o strings to hisabow -Acouldworl
both the emigrant and the miner.
Lucky Bhf' ghad with him AT McMar-
lin's!fn tie Spring and summer Of
1858 q partner named Hugh Tate,
high-toned~ sport we'll known in the.
mining camps of California in the
days of forty-nine," and the pair
capture la good deal of the dust dug by
the Col ! canyon miners either at poker
or thru e-card monte. However, the
miners presently refused to bite at
monte, and poker was then the main
dependence of Bill and Tate until an
emigrant train rolled in. Then at once
out came three-card monte in all its
glory.
AS the emigrants arrived at McMar-
Inns fresh from the tolls and tor
rors of the great Humboldt desert they
generally halted there a few days to
rest, recruit their stock, do washing,
bake bread, mend harness, repair
wagons and otherwise prepare for the
last grand effort before rolling into the
land of gold-the crossing of the Sierra
Nevada range, seen looming up some
twenty miles TO the westward. When
"Lucky Bill" and his partner found
good piclSingg" in a big cmigrant
train they frequently followed it to the
base of the Sierras, working their
games at each camping place. One of
these camping places was Eagle ranch
(now Kings ranch), near where Carson
City now stands.
On one occasion Lucky Bill' was at
Eagle ranch at time when big emil
grant train from Illinois was camped
there. A poker game had been run
ming in which Bill had taken hand
with his usual good luck, Presently
some exeitemen started that attracted
the attention of the players and broke
up the game. Bill got up and rushed
away, leaving upon the table stack
of gold dust and his pocltetbook, con-
tanning valuable papers and a consider
able amount of money.
An hour later Lucky Bill'' missed
his valuables and returned to the table
to look for them, but both dust and
pocketbools had vanished. AS soon as
he made known his loss the cry Of: "a
thief in camp!' was raised, and there
was big excitement. But there was
no clewto the thief; no particular per-
son was suspected, and so nothing was
done in the matter further than to ut
ter threats of hanging the thief in case
of his being found, that being then the
penalty in California for such crime.
Two or three days passed without
anything being heard of Lucky Bills"
pocketbooll and gold dust, when n boy
about sixteen years of age belonging
to the Illinois train came to Eagle
Dutchman of the train, travelling with
DR.. Pinigre, had shown him pocket
book and asked him to read some
papers, not being able to read writing
himself. The boy said that in looking
over the papers he had seen Thorring-
tons name on several of them.
At this time there were no courts or
officials of any kind in western Utah,
Carson county having been dismem-
bered and all its records removed to
Salt Lake City, therefore the people
were ''law unto themselves when
occasion required. This being the case,
the people about the station called n
meeting and appointed W. S, Cooke,
now justice of the peace in Virginia
City, "alcalde,"
Men were sent to the train to bring
in the Dutchman, the boy being taken
along to point him out. DR.. Pinigre
was greatly astonished at seeing his
man arrested on charge of theft and
would not believe he had taken the
missing valuables. The doctor and q
great crowd from the Illinois train
went mp to the station with the Dutch
man and the settlers who had him in
charge, all curious to see what would
be done by the impromptu court
The alcalde held his court in the
open air, and as soon as the prisoner
was brought before him ordered him to
be searched. On his person were found
both the pocketbook and the sack OF
gold dust. The valuables were identi
fed by Lucky Bill" as being his
property. Bill found the dust intact,
but some of the money was missing,
and also number of valuable papers
among others note for $500 on par
ties in California
The Dutchman made clean breast