The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1892-05-06
JIM FORD'S IIEARTHSTONE,

Jim Ford lived on the north fork
of the Walhalla river when | was in
6onoma county, and his neighbor
was old Gilbert Marsall from the
north OF Ireland. The Lowry ranch,
which was my stopping place, crowned
the top OF q big mountain that looked
out on the ocean and it's dense fogs of
aunlit blue, and between jim Ford 8
place and the Lowry ranch there was
an airline distance OF mile. Yet to
reach there you would have to slide
down O precipitous side hill of red
woods and crawl up u dry, grassy
precipice, for the country is rough
thereabouts.
Jim Ford wasn't popular at the
two nearest towns-Fisk's Mill and
Timber Cove. / couldn't understand
why, because he was so fond OF liquor,
aud that was an excellent recon-
mendation in any logging camp.
However, there were traditions con-
corning him which didn't learn for
several months after my arrival. No
body would or could say what he had
done long ago I'm the sixties when
murderers and horse thieves were
common, but they limited at an awful
crime. 1t is very difficult to make
Missourians in Mendocino and nor tn
1rn Sonoma county tell all they
know. The legends of the counties
involve 80 many strange deeds that
the families there feel q certain pride
I'm forgetting them. But about Ford
--On several occasions this reticence
would be overcome, and the man sit
ting around the big fire in loggers'
nuts would say that they didn't like
the look in Jim Fords eye nor the
stories he told.
"How long has he lived here2"
asked one night.
al guess thirty years." replied Bill
Ham.
"Oh, he's been here more'n that,
put in Bob Lowry. "Why, that old mig
ger over across in Litchell's says her
members him way back in the fifties
"What did he ever kill2" | asked
filling a pipe.
al never knowed him to kill any
thing 'cept hog an deer meat" re
sponded Bill Ham, handing me fire
brand for light.
Every one in the little, smoky, dim
lit room turned toward Lowry, anC
there was O silence for several mo
ments, while we all pulled at the pipel
and knew what was coming.
At last Lowry said: 81 don't know
much about him, only first met hin
down at Charley Hoff's in '63. H,
was stuck on drinking pure alcoho
and he d come down there for supplies
Charley told me he had o woman way
up in the mountain that was his wife
and he'd brought her clear from Sulli
van county, Missouri, across tn
plains.
"Cbarley Hoff said the woman wa
Just pining away because she didn'
never see nobody and appeared to b
lady. He said he knew this becaus
one night Ford was drunk and sait
to Charley that he had q wife upol
The hill that had been raised in st
Louis and was real lady.
"0nce and awhile letters used t,
come to Fisk's Mill for Jim Ford, bu
he'd tear them up without openin
them. ] was down at the postofiic
one day Just about that time and go
q letter, and was going to read il
when he snatched it up from the ba
where I'd put it, and tried to tear i
up along with his.
Just drop that l says to hir
and then caught his neck between M
fingers, when he made for his sly
shooter.
81 could have killed him, because h
was only knee-high to cotton plan
and damned skinny, but | knew he
made a mistake about the letter tina
there wasn't any use nwasting him.
"Well, after we'd fixed things VI
and he'd said he felt wrong shove
him the letter which told about tw
millstones that were coming up frol