Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1893-12-14
A NERVY CAPTURE.
How Billy Bars ord Arrested
Three Fingered Jack.
The Deputy Sheriff Went Alone Into tho
Teton Basin and brought Out the
Horsethief and TWO OF
PaIs


Teton Basin and brought Out the j
Horsethief and TWO OF
His Pals.
81 say" said Col. George Barry at
the Lotos club one night, says the New
York Sun, IT see they've got Three
Fingered Jack at last Killed him
down on the Strip. He went into q
little town down there with a lot Of
other bad men, and got filed full Of
fine, little holes.
We'll, sir, there was hoTsetllcf
for you He lived simply to steaEhorses-
passion, and he was a most exalted,
supreme high ruler, grand past master
OF the art. There isn't q town in the
northwest where his record is net
known, and not a ranchinan III Ssyom-
ing and Montana who won't be glad to
know that Three-Fingeted Jack has
passed in his checks It's curious, tuo,
I've heard men who knew him say tti;at
Jack was as soft as a woman aboHt
some things, and as hard as a woman
abont others. Barring horse stealing
he was honest as the day, and there
wasn't a man wearing d slI-shooter
who'd go further on risk more to help q
| 'pard' out Of difficulty I've heard It
said that some men don't know what it
is to be afraid. Harry Dacelio used to
say Three-T Fingered Jack couldn't com
prehend fear, when he saw itin others.
rather guess, though that fear is a
4 ,gc-,<I "
ness is. jack never would have been
sea sick. Ill bet that sinking sensa-
| ton OF cold never struck the PIT Of his
stomach. I've often thought that one
reason sailor men arc. as q rule so brave
is simply that their stoinachs are we'll
behaved.
But what l started out to tell was
about the only tine ever heard 81
Three Fingered Jacks being arrested.
He had God knows how many fights
with the officers, lost two fingers AND
got his stinctive title in one OF 'eua, ]
think. But somehow he always man
aged to come out first best Barring
perhaps Scott Hyde, there wusn't a
quicker man with a gun in all Wyoming
Ior Montana, and when he SHOT he
| usually shot straight.
We'll, sir, KNEW 9, man at Cheyenne,
when | was stationed DIT Fort d. A
Russell, whose business was catching
thieves. 1t was a passion with him,
lsjust as stealing horses was with Three
fingered Jac.., only, if such d thing
was possible, it was d - sight bigger
passion. His name was Barafurd, biily
l5arsford, and lie was deputy sheriff OF
Laramie county. lie was IL fine, big
fellow. unusually quiet, and the quick
was any thin. Billy Earsford was afraid
of he never .iset up with it, as they
say out there.
''One day Rilly Barsford made up his
mind he'd get Three-Fingered Jack.
'Ihere'd been a big bunch OF ponies run
off from some ranches in the Sweet
water country, and the JOB was laid to
Three Fingered Jack. Jack had a rcgu-
larry organized band, with headquar-
tiers over in what was then called the
Teton basin, but l see they call it Jack
sons mole now. 1t is just below where
Robert Ray Hamilton's dead body was
found in the creek. Jacks band was
made up Of some of the toughest men
in Wyoming, good shots, fine riders and
hard citizens, as good at fight as at a
drink, and always ready for either The
Teton basin wasn't SO well-:lnown in
those days as it is now. It wasn't SO al
mighty safe for strangers to be dropping
around there promiscu ,usly. In fact,
it was SO little known that it was COM
monty described as being just over be-
You'd the big Teton
well, when Billy Barsford made up
his mind to get Three Fingered Jack
he didn't say a word about it to any
body, but just took his horse and lit
out for Eagle rock. He had to go way
rouud the Tetons and the basin to get
there, but he wanted to make sure Of
the lay of the country before he tackled
the gang. There were heavy rewards
out Tor Jack and Billy didn't regard
them with disfavor, although he used to
tell me that the main thing that started
him was the desire to have the glory Oh
catching Three ing ered Jack all alone
Queer ideas Of glory some men have.
Billy got over to Eagle rock all
right-they call it Idaho falls now, |
believe, and after fooling around there
awhile and finding out what he could
about the Tetons, he went out to the
Shoshone reservation and got an old
chief there to make him a map Of the
Teton country. The old fellow drew it
on single. It was an almighty
rough map, as you can mighty we'll
imagine but it showed the lay Of the
country fairly well. and Billy got a
pretty good notion Of where he was
trying to go.
By CAD, Sir, there wasn't any gristle
I'm the end of Billy Barsford's breast
bone. He's no spring chicken. What
did he do but hang around that Sho-
shone camp four or fye days. longer,
and then make out to the old chief that
he'd burned mp by mistake the Single
OH which the map was made and got
the old buck to make him another
That night Billy compared the two
shingles. The maps agreed in. essen
tial details, and Billy concluded the
old Indian was playing fair with him.
So he started out. He went up over
the Tetons and down into the basin, as
fine II picture Of little valley as a
man wants to see lying out of doors,
with little creek running through
the middle OF it and fine pasture grass
growing. s.s.E
.'.As Billy went into the valley he
made nut little cabin down next to
the creek, several miles from the foot
hills. 1t was morning ana he had lots
of time. He got down to the eek,
got on his horse and made as II lie
were prospecting along the little
stream. As he came along toward tIie
cabin h. saw Ihree-T Fingered Jack atis