The Van Buren press., 1893-12-23
A NERVY CAPTURE.
How Billy Barsford Arrested
Three-T Fingered Jack.
The Deputy Sheriff Went Alone Into the
Teton Basin and brought Out tho
AOrsethlcf and Two Of
His Pals.

Morsethief and Two Of
His Pals.
81 say," said Col. George Barry at
the Lotos club one night, says the New
York Sun, Il see they've got Three-
Fiugesed Jack at last Killed him
dswn on the Strip. He went into a
little town down there with q lot OF
other bad men, and got filed full Of
fine, little holes
WELL SIR, there was horsethief
for you. He lived simply to steal horses
It wasn't business with kim, 1t was
passion, and he was a most exalted.
supreme high ruler, grind past master
of the art There isn't q town In the
northwest where his record is not
known, and not ranchmnn Ia Wyom-
ing and Montana who won't be glad 10
know that Three-Fingered Jack has
passed in his checks. It's curious, too,
I've heard men who knew him say that
Jack was as soft as woman about
some things. and as hard as woman
about others. Barring horse stealing
he was honest as the day, and there
wasn't man wearing six-shootar
who'd 60 further or risk more to help
.pard' out Of difficulty. I've heard It
said that some men don't know what 1t
Is to be afraid. Harry Dacello used to
say Three Fingered Jack couldn't COM
prehend fear when he saw 1t In others
] rather guess, though, that fear il a
question of stomach, much as sea sick
ness is Jack never would have been
sea sick. I'll bet that sinking sensa-
tion OF cold never struck the pit OF his
stomach. I've often thought that one
reason sailor men are 40 rule so brave
is simply that their stomachs are well
behaved.
but what started out to tell was
about the only time ever heard OF
Three Fingered Jacks being arrested.
He had God knows how many fights
with the officers, lost two fingers and
got his distinctive title in one of 'em, l
think. But somehow he always man
aged to come out first best Barring
perhaps Scott Hyde, there wasn't
quicker man with q gun In all Wyoming
or Montana, and when he shot he
usually shot straight
"Well, sir, knew . man ut Cheyenne,
when was stationed at Fort D. A.
Russell, whose business was catching
thieves 1t was passion with him,
just as stealing horses was with Three
Fingered Jack, only, If such thing
was possible, it was - sight bigger
passion. His name was Barsford, Billy
Barsford. and he was deputy sheriff Of
Laramie county. He was fne, big
fellow, unusually quiet, and the quick
est man to move ever saw. II there
was anything Billy Barsford was afraid
of he never met up with 1t, as they
say out there.
lone day Billy Barsford made up his
mind he'd get Three Fingered Jack.
There'd been a big bunch OF ponies ruo
of from some ranches in the Sweet
water country, and the job was laid to
Three-Fingered Jack. Jack had regu-
larly organized band, with headquar-
ters over In what was then called the
Teton basin, but see they call it jack
sons hole now. It is just below where
Robert Ray Hamilton's dead body was
found in the creek. Jacks band was
made up Of some Of this toughest men
In Wyoming, good shots, fine riders and
hard citizens, as good at fight as at .
drink, and always ready for either. The
Teton basin wasn't SO well-known In
those days as II is now. 1t wesn't SO al
mighty safe for strangers to be dropping
around there promiscu ously. In fact,
1t was so little known that it was COM
monty described as being just over be-
yond the big Teton
..Well, when Billy Barsford made up
his mind to get Three Fingered Jack
he didn't say a word about 1t to any
body, but just took his horse and lit
out for Eagle rock. He had to 10 way
round 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 for 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 OF
catching Three-Fingered 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
ewhile 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 a shingle. 1t was an almighty
rough map, as you can mighty well
imagine, but 1t showed the lay of the
country fairly well, and Billy got a
pretty good notion Of where he was
trying to go.
''By gad, sir, there wasn't any gristle
In 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 Ave days longer.
and then make out to the old chief that
he'd burned up by mistake the shingle
on 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