The Globe-republican. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1889-1910, 1895-10-10

realize that he had been taken IN anu
done for, though everything was as
quiet and sombre as the graves on
s.Boot Hill"
~
The "gang" was an opprobrius epi
tibet applied to class of people who
lived in Dodge in the "airly days.
The term ''gang" is still applied to a
class in cities, but it is doubtful if it
has deeper significance than the
meaning of the term when applied to
the Dodge crowd of years ago. Be
longing to the gang was applied to
every one who was in sympathy or
in connection in any manner whatev-
er with the gang; but this did not i'm
ply that those who were in sympathy
for revenue or politics, that they were
of the character of the toughs for
whom the term gang was meant.
There we're some tough characters
in the gang, from the killer to the tin
horn gambler, one Of a despicable
and despised class. The tin horn
gambler and the "sure thing man
were more despised than any OF the
other disreputable class. Dodge at
one time was the rendezvous of some
hard characters, who piled their ne
farious traffic between this point and
larger cities. One of the most noted
characters in the confidence games,
was apprehended plying his tricks on
a passenger on the train as it was
leaving this station. This was in the
year 1882, and Mccarthy, the world
known confidence operator, was put
in Jail. Pending his trial in the dis
trict court, and awaiting sentence, he
made his escape-in an interim OF
the court proceedings, when a "miss-
ing bond" would hold no one respon-
sible. Mccarthy made his escape to
a cattle ranch in Clark county, but he
was soon taken down with small pox
and died. He had occupied cell in
the county Jail in which had been a
prisoner who had become sick with
small pox, and afterwards died in the
pest house.
There were many contentious for
supremacy in city affairs by the more
intolerant of the gang element, and
some serious conflicts we're averted by
cooler heads and wiser council. Ora
dually the extreme lawless character
gave way. The ''gun' was the arbit-
er in the diplomacy of gang times;
and we remember when all the toughs
in the country had assembled here in
the settlement of a controversy that
grew out of the expulsion of Luke
Short and others during Mayor Larry
Deger's administration. The city was
a sleeping arsenal, and spark would
have caused serious consequences.
Happily, bloodshed was averted. The
"gang days" of Dodge are over, and
they sleep in the dead past.
~
Dodge City people were generally
generous, without exception, with all
the wickedness, characteristic of the
people of all frontier towns. The
of the city was bad for
many years, because of the character
of many of it's iuhabi! ants; but there
were many good and honest people
here-as good as could be found any
where. The character of much Of
the business of the city was suited to
the desires OF many Of those who
were brought here on business; and
all restraints being relieved, every
thing was done on the ''wide open"
order, and with frankness peculiar
to border life. No screens obscured
the vision; and the gambling table
was as conspicuous as the liquor bar.
Music and dancing were kept up NIL
night, and lured by this enchantment
the seeker after fun could revel to his
hearts delight.
Many of the Dodge City toughs
have 'shanded in their checks" they
have passed" over-"shuf1ed" of
this mortal coil; and perhaps many Of
them met death as they courted it, ut
tho noink IF n niStO0