Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-11-01
STORY OF AN OLD FRONTIER FEUD.
A Gang of Rustlers Wiped Out to Avenge
Range Eider's Murder.


z. F. Beckwith, of Ula, Colo, has sought
entertainment at the Great Northern. AS
he stalked through the lobby TO the desk
tine attention of every man in the place
was conferred upon him. There was that
rolling something about his gait that at
once proclaims the sailor the man who
las spent his life in the saddle. Mr.. Beck
with, who is superbly proportional man
of 8 feet inches, wore natty gray frock
suit, dun colored sombrero and pair of
patent leather shoes with high heels-heels
such cowboys wear. 1t might be Incl
dentally stated that Ed Beckwith, as he
is known throughout the west, is a partner
in the firm of Beckwith Bros, cattlemen,
and among the wealthiest in that line in
the world
About three miles from Ula is his ranch
house. a bungalow painted white. with six
teen foot verandas on all sides. The bun
galow is fitted no other house in exist
ence, the only thing American being a
range and a bathroom. For the last dec
ade Mr.. Beckwith has employed his win
tiers travelling in faroff lands and picking
up curios and articles of vertu. These
have been shipped home, and a result
his house looks more like museum than
anything else. Although a bachelor, Mr..
Beck with is sybarite, and the incongruity
of an Egyptian mummy leering under an
electric light rather amust> him. Be it
known that no woman save his sister-in-
law has ever set foot in the charming place
he calls 1.-The ranch"
Several years ago there was a gang OF
rustlers known as the Mccoy gang in cen
trail Colorado that robbed the cattlemen
right and left. So bold did they become
that tenderloin steaks were sold in Coropai
for a cent pound. 1t was through the eff
forts of Beckwith that the gang was prac-
tically annihilated, and that Dick Mccoy,
one of the worst desperadoes ever unhung,
is now doing life" at Canyon City.
But for Beckwith's story. 1T was in
October of 1885," began he, that L found
Fred Arnold dead on Texas creek. Arnold
was one of our riders, you know. There
big hole in his breast, and his legs
We're riddled with Winchester bullets.
Both of his guns were in his belt. l knew
that Arnold was quick man with a gun
and that he must have been ambushed. AS
a matter of fact he rode the western range
because we knew him to be a fighter and
able to take care of himself in any trouble
he might have with the Mccoy gang.
"A quick search showed tracks of
couple of men and horses behind the will
lows on the other side of the creek. The
trail of of the men revealed that he
had dragged his left leg trifie. That
meant Dick Mccoy sure. After following
the trail of the horses for five miles, and
seeing that it pointed to the Mccoy ranch,
l. bhihct DtiSh anu piNhtrA pOOi <AIhOHl up
and took him to the ranch The verdict of
the coroner's jury was, Murdered by per-
sons unknown It's the regulation form,
but it didn't suit us. So we called meet
ing of the cattlemen a, d talked it over. 1t
didn't take long to come to the conclusion
that if we wanted to pxatect our interests
and save the lives of our riders and our
selves the Mccoy gang had to be wiped out.
''In the early morning two days later
sixteen men rode through the gulch that
ended at McCoy's ptace. There wasn't
any shelter, and we h;ai to ride for it. In
the corral were seven men killing rustled
cattle On the fence were half n dozen
hides with the brands cut out. The sight
made crazy, and with yell we dashed
forward. The rustlsrs cut loose first and
two of our men dropped out of their sad
dies. One billed, the other shot
through the shoulder. We got six of the
seven. The seye.%h was old Dick Mccoy,
whom l winged as he was trying to hide
behind a COW. The rust lers in the ranch
skipped out when they saw how it was go
ing. Peg Leg Smith and couple of others
who got away are now doing time at Can
yon City for robbing Denver and Rio
Grande express train.
1--WE didn't kill Mccoy and put him out
of his misery, but thought he'd suffer more
if he was patched up and sentenced for life
for half dozen murders. He's enjoying
himself in Il tennis suit in the pen in Can
yon City now."-Chicago Inter Ocean.