The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1894-01-12
A NERVY CAPTURE.
How Billy BarsfOrd Arrested
Three-Fiugerod Jack.
The Deputy Sheriff Went Alone Into the
Teton rasin and brought out the
HorsotIlicf and Two of
His Pals.

Il say" said Col George Barry at
the LotoS cIub one night. says the New
Ear!. sun, Il see they vc got Three
'iugrrod jack at last. Killed him
down ON the Strip. lie went into =
Nt-ie town Gown there with lot of
ether bad men, and got filed full of
luc. little holes.
~W,+l, sir. there was n horsethicf
-'r yaa He lived simply 10 s.;..;.l horses
h. wasn't business with him. it was Il
passion, AMI lac was a most exalted,
supreme high ruler, grand past master
of she art There isu't a town in the
Herthwc-t where his record il not
known, aud not . ranchmuu in Wyom-
ra- Iud Montana who won't bc glad TO
snow that Three Fingered Jack has
passed I'm his checks It's curious, to.
we heard men who knew him say that
jack was as soft as a yuman about
SOM" things, and as hard as q woman
about others. Barring horse stealing
Hc was honest - the day, and there
wasn't q man wearing q siN-Shoutcr
who'd go further or risk more L. help q
'p- -JJ' ont of difficulty. / " heard il
said sEat some men don't know what IL
ia G., Lr afraid Harry Daccllo used to
soy Three Fingered Jaci. coUldu't corn
rr,h-nI fear when ne saw 10 ia others
{ rather ap,@%; though. tl.at fear - a
-st.,tion OF Stomac1I, much as sea sick
uc.ss IS Jack TevGr would have been
sea sick. I'll bet that sinking
tiun of cold never struck the pit of
stomach. I've often thought that one
reason sailor men are as rule SO brave
is simply that their stonachs are well
behaved
.'But what started ont TO tell was
about the only time l 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 EN-,
think. But somehow he always man
arcd TO come oGt first best Barring
-.rhapS Scott Hyde, there wasn't a
quicker man with gun in all Wyoming
OF Montana. and when he shot he
usually shot straight
well, sir. knew man at Cheyenne,
when ! was stationed at Fort ID. a.
Russell, whose business was catching
thieves 1t was a passion with him,
lust rs stealing horses was with Three
Fingered Jack, only, if such Il thing
was possible, ii was a - sight bigger
passion. His name was BarstOrd, Eiily
Barsford, and he was deputy sheriff Of
Laramie county. He was fine, big
fellow, unusually quiet, and the quick
est man 70 move l ever saw. If there
was anything Billy Barsford was afraid
IF ne never met up with it, as they
say out there.
.'One day Billy Barsford made up his
mind he'd get Three Fingered Jack.
Therc'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 4 rrgu-
larlv organized band, with hcadquar-
tors over in what was then called the
Teton basin, but l see they call 1t jack
sons hole now. 1t Is just below where
Robert Ray IIamilton'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 a. at Il
drink, and always ready for either The
teton basin wasn't SO wcll-knoSvn IN
those days as it is now. 1t wasn't 80 al
mighty safe for strangers to be dropping
around there promiscu ously- In TACT,
ii was so little known that 1t was com
monty described as being just over be
yond the big Teton
We'll, WntD BlliN lbtfSlRi'i liAtitlt u l.
his mind II get Three Fingered Jack
lie didn't say a word about it to any
body, but just took his horse and lit
out for Eagle rock. He had 10 go way
round the Tetons and the basin to get
t.erc. bat hc wanted TO make sure Of
.ne Law Of the country before he tackled
-Ic rang There were heavy rewards
out for Jack and Billy didn't regard
fhc5n with diSfavor, although hc used TO
.cll me that the main thing that started
hin. was the desire to have the glory of
..atching gThrcc-Fingered Jaclall alone.
Queer ideas Of glory some men have.
Billy got over 10 Eagle rock all
rf~ft-thcv call il Idaho falls now, /
s.li,vc, and after fOoling around there
awhile and finding out what he could
about the Tctous, he went out to the
SHoshouc reservation and got an old
chief there to make him Il map of the
Teton couatry. The old fellow drew IL
on "A shingie. IL was an almighty
rough map. as you can mighty well
imagine but IL showed the lay of the
country fairly well. and Billy got a
pretty good notion of where he wa.
trying 10 60.
by CAD, sir, there wasn't any gristl,
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 five days longer
and then make out to the old chief that
he'd burned up by mistake the shingle