St. Landry democrat., 1892-02-13
JACK KIRkUP.
Graphic Description of q Typical
Border Sheriff.


There was only one policeman to en-.
force the law in a Territory the size OF
Rhode Island. He was quite as remark
able in his way as any other development
of that embryotic civilization. Ills
name was Jack Kirkup, and all who
knew him spoke of him as being physl-
cally the most superb example OF man
hood in the Dominion. Six feet and
three inches in height, witk the chest
neck and limbs of ii giant, his three hun
dred pounds of weight were SO exactly
his complement as to give him the sym
metry of an Apollo. lie was cookbook
ing, with the beauty of round-taced,
good-naturcd boy, and his thick hair tell
in q cluster of ringIets over his forehead
and upon his neck. No knight OF AT
thurs circle can have been more pic
turesque figure in the forest than this
"Jack.' He was as neat as dandy.
He wore high boots and corduroy knlck-
erbockers, a flannel shirt and sack
coat, and rode his big bay horse with the
ease and grace of u Skobeletf. He
smoked like fire Of green brush, but
had never tasted liquor in his lite. In
dozen years he had slept more frequent
in the open air, upon pebble beds or III
trencheg Of snow, than upon ordinary
bedding, and he exhibited, in his graceful
movements, his sparkling eyes and ruddy
cheeks, his massive frame and his lmper-
tuobable good nature, degree Of health
and vigor that would seem insolent to the
average New Yorker. Now that the
railroad was building, he kept ever ON
the trail, along what was called 1.-The
rigght of way"-going from camp to
camp to "jump" whiskey peddlers and
gamblers and to quell disorder-except
on payday, once a month, when he stald
at Sproats Landing.
The echoes of his fearless behavior and
lively adventures rang in every gather
inc. The general tenor of the stories
was to the effect that he usually gave one
warning to eyil-doers, and if they did not
heed that he cleaned them out. " he car
a revolver, but never had used it. Even
when the notorious gambler on our border
had crossed over into "Jack's" bailiwick
the policeman depended upon his fists
He had met the gambler and had lad
yised" him to take the cars next day
The gambler, in reply, had suggested
that both would get along moro quietly
if each minded his own affairs, where
upon kirkup had said, "lou hear me:
take the cars out of here tomorrow. =
| The little community lit was Donald, b.
c., q very rough place at the time) held
its breathing for twenty-four hours, and
at the approach Of train time was on tip
toe with strained anxiety. At twenty
minutes before the hour the policeman,
amiable and easy-going as ever in ap-
pearance, began Il tour of the houses. 1t
was in tavern that he found the
gambler.
"You must take the train,' said he.
"You can't make me- replied the
gambler.
| There were no more words. In two
minutes the giant was carrying the limp
! body of the rutfian to a wagon, IN which
he drove him to Jail. There he washed
! the blood off the gamblers face and tidied
/ his collar and scarf. From there the
couple walked to the cars, where they
! parted amcably.
Il had to be little rough said kir-
kup to the loungers at the station, ''be-
cause he was armed like a pin-cushlon,
! and didn't want to have to kill him"
! : Harper's Magazine.