The St. Johns herald., 1892-12-15
Attired as a Cowboy.

&ACAlSOs OI bHC LO lucS1Als Od
 Ruth E. Parker and Wallace
 Weatherwax are occupying cells il
 tn e Dona Ana county jail under
 rather peculiar circumstances. They
 were brought here yesterday by C.
 W. Hopkins, Deputy Sheriff at Rim
 con, who relates an interesting story
 relative to their arrest.
 On Tuesday of last week John
 Mcleod and Sam Pollock missed
 several horses from their ranch and
 started out in search of them,
 When on the mesquite plains that
 border the Rio Grande. some nine
 miles from Rincon, they sighted the horses and found them to be hob
 bled. Near by was a camp fire, but there was nobody in sight. Pollock
 was sent back to the ranch to pro- cure Winchesters and Mcleod con- cealed himself and kept watch over the camp. Presently he caught sight of three persons busying them selves about the camp fire. When Pollock arrived with the firearms, he and Mcleod approached the campers and ordered them to throw up thelr hands.
 One of the men, who proved to be John A. Middleton, a notorious character from the neighboring town of Hillsboro, answered the demand with a shot, which Mcleod returned, -Ekilling Middleton. The latter fell dead behind mesquite bush, across the branches of which his Winchester lodged in such manner as tol make it appear that the man had simply dropped be hind the bush for safety and was still pointingi his gun at the inva- ding party. Mcleod took due note of this and fired two more shots, both of which took effect in Mid dleton's dead and prostrate body.
 In the meantime Pollock had covered the other two campers, and fired one shot which shattered Wal. lace Weatherwax's right arm. Then he and the third camper, apparent ly stripling of boy and address ed as "the Kld," threw up their hands.
 The two campers and the dead man, along with their camping out fit, were taken to Rincon, and an examination commenced before Justice Huntingdon ,sswhen it devel- oped that Weatherwax's companion "the Kid" was a woman dressed in male attire. She at first gave her name as Ed Parker, but after her true sex became known said her name was Alice Parker, and she sought to get off easy and work upon the sympathies of the Justice by alleging that she had been forced by the two men, Middleton and Weatherwax, to don boys clothing and accompany them in their dar- ing exploits as thieves and stock | rustlere. But the Court took this with good deal of salt. The pris- oners declared that they had not stolen the horses, but, cowboy fash ion, had merely caught them up for 3 days ride while they rested their own ponies.
 They were not, therefore, held as horse-thieves, but a saddle, rife and other articles in their possession were really identified as stolen prop erty, so they were held for larceny and required to give bail in the sum of $500 each, failing to do which they were brought to Las Cruces and placed in jail.
 Naturally the greatest interest about the woman. When she carried a Winchester and wore about her waist belt full of cartridges, from the rear of which also swung a scabbard holding revolver.
 Her make up was after the typi- cal cowboy style-a flannel shirt and short coat of shaggy maternal, ]