Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1892-12-24
Hank Lovett Really Dead.

r Of those who knew him paid little atten-
: ton to it, and at any time they would
r not have been surprised to hear that
: once more he had "bobbed up serenely"
: But Hank was really killed, and the
last report was based on facts. He died
with his boots on in the Big Horn
: Basin, and the man who took his life
! has been tried and acquitted. The fol-
lowing sepecial from Buffalo, Wyoming,
: gives the details. not only of the trial OF
the slayer, but of the shooting, and will
be OF interest TO those Of our readers who
knew Lovett, some by reputation and
others by actual acquaintance, aud
through unpleasant experiens a.. ,si,h
him:
The trial Of Ira ID. Walter, for the
murder of Hank Loyett in the Big Horn
basin last June, resulted last week in a
verdict Of acquittal.
Hank Lovett was a fugitive from
justice and "a bad man." in the western
acceptation Of the term Walker,
young man of % years OF age, was en-
gagged in ranching, on shares, with q
settler named Tankersley, on Beaver
creek. lie and Lovett were on friendly
terms until the latter took the notion
that Walker was acting AS a spy on be.
half of whitecaps." The notorious Jack
Bliss was then supposed to be in the
basin, and certain parties at Paint Rock
were known to be hunting him in the
interests Of the law. A visit paid by
Walker tn Paint Rock seems to have
confirmed Lovett in his suspicious, and
he determined TO run Walker out Of the
country. Tankersley, with whom
| Walker was working. declined TO send
him away, and Lovett, who Was man Of
violent temper and great strength, de.
clared that he would either drive Walk.
| er out or tine country or xiii MIN.
CUSTOMS OF THE COMMUNITY:
| To those unacquainted with the repu.
tatlon of portion Of the Big Horn
basin, Tankersley's Indifference TO the !
gravity Of the situation may appear
strange. He merely told Loyett that he !
wanted no trouble On his ranch. and !
that II he wanted TO carry out his threat, |
| he must find some other place To- do it, !
and he warned Walker Of the threats |
against his life. Men Of Loyett's char /
acter and antecedants appear TO be SO ,
| plentiful in that country that il is un-
desirable to provoke their hostility. |
Walker declined TO be ruu out of the |
country and remained, hut he went |
prepared for trouble and kept bright
lookout
A short time previous to the tragedy
he found evidence that Lovett was try
ing to waylay him and kill him. A few
weeks afterwards a letter was received
from Lovett alluding to Walker as THAT
niger" and warning TAnkerslery that
unless he fred him there would be a
murder on the ranch. This letter was
shown TO Walker, so that when Lovett
was seen approaching the house the
morning after, he was anticipating
irQRple.,, ....p. .r.a spI,-, u.
Walker took up his position u fhe
porch, and as Lovett rode up, called to
him to keep outside the fence. Lovett
had previously been warned by Tank
ersley not TO come TO the house How
ever, he disregarded the warning of
Walker, and came on, carrying his
Marlin rifle across his knees. Three
times the warning cry was uttered, and
then Lovett with string of oath
declared he always went where he
pleased, and grasped his rifle with his
left hand. At that instant Walker fred,
and Lovett fell dead from his horse.
/
to which the jury evidently gave ere.
dence. although the only person who
professed To have seen any thing OF the
shooting. Uttered somewhat in his testi-
mony. Tankersley aud his wife did not
see the shooting at all, as they had with
drawn from the house Oh Lovett's APP
proach.
LET THE LAW TAKE IT'S COURSE.
| Immediately after the fatal act Walker
who made no attempt TO disguise the
truth. gave him self up to the nearest
magistrate, and after a preliminary !
hearing, was held in 500 bond to ap-
| pear at this term Of court. Since that
time he has been working for we'll !
known cattle company in Wyoming and
| Montana. and he was the first to sur
render at Buffalo when the district |
court convened.
The theory of the prosecution was that
Walker. with Tankersley and his wife,
had coDspired together TO murder Low
ett and that Walker had been detailed !
TO do the killing. Some color was lent |
to their contention by the absence at |
tins trial of the two Tankersleys, who |
have left the country, and whose evi- |
dence at the inquest and at the preliini-
nary hearing Was admitted by stipula- |
4
true inwardness of the situation it is !
very clear that they found the neigh
borhood an undesirable one in theii
position as witnesses. The name OF
Jack Bedford, lately killed. it is sup
posed bv vigilantes, near Bonanza, WAS
brought up in the case as that OF u friend
and associate Of Hank Lovstt, and
letter found upon his body threw sonie
additional light upon the character Of
the class with which Lovctt associated.
The prosecution contented that the
two Tanksrsleys had designedly placed
themselves In . position where th0y
would be unable TO witness what passed
between Lovett and Walker, and that
Walker, instead of acting as he claimed
he did. shot his unsuspecting victim
from the corner of the ranch. 1t is
difficult to discover any motive in so
doing, and it is plain that the jury did
not attach any Importance TO this
theory, as in less than ten minutes after
leaving the court il returned with a
verdict Of mot guilty"
WALLER DEAD.
A later dispatch from Cheyenne.
Wyo., contains news of the death Of Ira
Walker, Hank Loyett's slayer. The
dispatch reads as follows:
Cheyenne. Wyo., Dec. 20.-A letter
received in this ,ity this morning from
Hiattville. johnson county, Wyo., dated
the 18th, gives the particulars Of .
bloody fight between Deputy United
States Marshals James Hun and VIM.
N. Nutcher and . band Of horse and
} cattle thieves on No Water river, six
Z miles below HiattviIls. The officers
succeeded In bringing down three ofthe
outlaws, when both were killed. The
thieves fed and left their dead and the
bodies ofthe dead deputy narshals on
the ground. Among the thieves killed
. was Ira Walker, Of Hiattville. who was
{ tried at the last term OF court In Buffalo
for murder. Another was Ace Schuck,
q well known and dangerous horse and
cattle thief A strong posse has started
out after the thieves.