The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-06-14
He DIED WITH HIS BOOTS ON.
Some 1nsIsh. Given Into tho Despera.
dos Character and Habits HIS Cap.
ture OF tho Mexican Town of Vegas
and His Ignominious Surrender.

shot to death IN Ills satoons Rt tue now
mining camp OF Creole, by Marshal
Kelley. 1t is a curious coincidence that
Ford died much in the same manner as
did his victim. Jesse James He was
taken by surprise, and ahot down with
out tho slightest opportunity to defend
himself. It seems that Kelley and Ford
had quarreled over a game Of cards, in
Pueblo, about a week before the shoot
ing, and that each. had sworn to "shoot
at sight" For week or more their
paths did not cross, but this evening
Ford, who was standing in bis own
dance house in Creole, was caught
sight Of by Kelley, who, raising Win
chester quickly tohis shoulder, before
Ford could draw his pistol, fired, and
sent. q 45.caliber bullet tearing through
the throat OF his enemy. Ford fell as
though stricken by q lightning bolt, the
blood gushing from the severed iugular,
and, with 8 gasping, inarticnlate cry,
died, az lie always claimed he would
die, with his boots on
Bob Ford was o well-known charac-
ter in Colorado, and was not consid-
cred, on the whole, as q "bad man" in
the peculiar Western meaning OF the
term. He was a saloonkeeper aud
pamblerby profession, and for several
years carried on his dual business in
Walsenburg. Col, where he made
little money, and was tolerated as a
sort OF necessary evil, oil no especial
danger to the peace and good name Of
the town; but yet not exactly an object
Mt which the decent citizens could
tipoint with pride" There was always
aclopd over Bob Ford. Even the men
OF htgown class could never briRgthem.
selves into state OF hearty comrade-
ship with him. He was not n bad CONF
.panion; hewas lavish with. his money,
entertaining in his conversation,
Square in his gaming yet nobody
could forget the manner IN which he
killed his old companion, Jesse James,
and this fact created a deep:seated dis
trust in the minds of all who had any
thing to do with him; q distrtist which
was never openly shown, but which,
none the less, was felt by him.
In spite Of an dir OF b7a7ado and an
appearance or reckless gayety, Bob
Ford was knoYn TO be anything but a
happy man BY those who were in his
confidence. The quiet and good order
OF Walsenburg palled upon him, and.
when the excitement broke out at
Creede Camp he was among the frat to
ioin!the stampede'tor the new discoy.
cry. He did not rush into Creole Camp
fred by the prospector's ambition; he
did not expect to become rich through
the discovery Of great mine; but he
did expect to find something more
precious to him than gold, more neces-
sary to him than silver, and that was
excitement.
He plunged into every whirlpool Of
dissipation that eddied between the
frowning cliffs which shut in the camp
at Cteede. He gambled wildly, drank
deeply, and when these diversions grew
tame he would go up to Denver or
Pueblo to attend the races, to find new
excitements and to drown that sense Of
Loneliness which was one Of the punish
,ments he experienced for the killing OF
Jesse James.
Human nature. is much the same
thing. In essence, the world over. The
high aud the low, the rich and the
poor, the good and the bad, have, to be-
gin with, the same general characteris-
tics. Circumstances, environment,
personal endeavor, modify the indiyid-
ual and mold the class, but parallels In
in thought and action run through all
classes.
So Il was with the class to which
Ford belonged. Ithad its popular men,
its leaders, its followers, Its pariahs, its
models, It's outcasts, just as has good
society and, respectable communities.
Among the gamblers at Creede Camp
"soapy Smith" was considered square
mann and worthy Of due respect and
consideration on the other hand,
ftAfontc Barker" was not considered
Straight and was rolegated to the
'tfrinre OF society" as a "tin-horn
gambler. Fob Ford was neither adj
mired nor despised by hiS associates.
He occupied sort OF neutral POSITION,
being considered square" but not
exactly the right kind Of a man to "tie
TO-"
Ford conaded TO his intimateJ his be-
lief that he was doomed to die with his
boots ON, and was often heard to say:
aTm not afraid to pass in my checks
thai way, boys, but II j knew who the
fellow was that's going to get the drop
an ma. wouldn't down him? Well,
Won can lust bet I would. But predes-
tination doesn't work that way, and
Marshal Kelley, who heard Bob Ford
mako the remark quoted, didn't know
then that hewas fated 70 be the avenget.
OF Jesse James and the yindicator of
outraged society.
Asa general rule Bob Ford was not
.ouarrelsome; man, but occasionally
when drunk he was irritable. oyetbear-
ing and dangerous. At such times
those who knew him gave him q wide
berth. Tor he was quick with his revolt
var and always carried two. His pia-
tolls we're curious looking weapons,
being iorty.fiyes Sawed off," that 10,
the barrel Of each had been shortened
or sawed off an inch aud half or two
inches 40 that It would not occupy so
much room in the hip pocket
with these gums" as Westerners call
all firearms irrespective Of the size or
shape, Ford once terrorized the town OF
Vegas and kept IL In state OF siege Tor
five hours, and then he surrendered,
NOT to the authorities, but to the moro
potant influence Of whisky. It seems
mat Ford. took otteuse u q Mexican IN
a Vegas dance house, ald, drawing MS
pistol, would have killed the "greaser'
an the spot had he not, with surprising
nirnbieness,a leaped through an open,
window and escaped. This enraged
Ford to such an extent that he cleared
tho dance hall Of its occupants, and,