The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-11-24
THE MURDER BRAND.
The Reason for the Strange Marking
on Maverick Bull in Texas.
Nom ID Galveston DalIv News.


From the Galveston Daily News.
Alpine, Tex, Nov. 6.-Returning from
district court at Fort stockton in Pecos
county, the other day, in company with
Judge ellis, the writer observed upon the
roadside, about thirty miles from Alpine
a swayback, red bull of unseemly appear
ance and far isolated from other cattle
Being a kind Of a cowman and having
my running iron and string on my saddle
and few matches in my pocket, 1 con-
cluded would put my string on him and
maverick him. No SOONER had tied him
down than l noticed a brand on him which
startled and appalled, me, and had it not
been for the cool action of Judge ellis, /
would have left him tied down and pur-
sued my way rapidly. He was branded
thus: Murder. Jan is: 1891" Upon rehec-
ton and investigation I found this history
connected with that bull:
On Jan. IS, 1891, there was a general
roundup at Leoncta, twenty-five miles
northeast of Alpine. at which were gath
cred the various stockmen of the country
and their representatives,. il. II. Powe
was there and had cattle in the roundup
and Fine Gilliland was there representing
the outfit of Du Bots a. Wentworth. This
bull was there, only yearling then, and
dispute arose between Powe and Gill
land as to the ownership of this particular
yearling, POWe claiming il for himself and
Gilliland claiming 1t for Du Bots & Went
roundup several times, and Gililand cut
ii back, until both men became highly en-
ragged. Powe went to horse and saddle
ana got SiX-Shooter, and when he return
ed cut the yearling out and Gilliland pur-
sued it, Powe shot out toward the yearling
it is believed, to kill it, Gilliland, stopped
pursuing it and advanced toward Powe.
They both dismounted, and the firing be-
gan at each other. Gilliland turned his
horse loose and rapidly advanced on
Powe, firing all the time. Powe was a
one-armed man and attempted TO hold his
horse, which was afraid of a gun, and fire
at G!lliland also. He did so, TOO, but with
out effect, as he had a poor chance to shoot
and hold a scary horse with but one hand.
Gilliland finally advanced and grabbed
Powe and shot him to death. This ended
the first chapter. Gllllldnd got away. The
roundup broke, but not before the cowboys
branded the maverick. They put the above
brand on it, and he has been a maverick
since. And, strange to say, il is a runt-
a dogie. 1t is now in Ector county in the
pasture of f.. A. Kelly. and j. b. Irving
Kelly driving it out OF the country.
The rangers stationed here at that time
and the county officers secured the cOun-
try and watched the mountain passes, but
without avail. Fin Gilliland was in the
mountains somewhere T. T. Clark and
John Putnam, rangers, set out with a
pack horse, en- route to Fort Stockton
via the Glass mountains, and incidentally
looking for Gilliland. Neither Putnam
nor Cook knew Gilliland, but il was
thought Gilliand knew Cook. When
about on the summit of Glass mountain,
q
settlement, on Jan. 81, 1891, these two Off
GERS. heavily armed, met a lone traveller.
They were passing each other-Putnam
had already passed Gilliland and as Gill
liland passed Cook, he OGnliland) drew
his pistol and shot Cook Then a hot and
heavy fight ensued. Gilliland was killed
after a desperate fight his horse was
killed, the pack horse and the horse
Cook was riding We're killed and Cook
severely wounded. A dog that was fol-
lowing the rangers, belonging to them,
was also killed. And it is a great won
der that any living thing in the fight
came out alive.
doctors attempted to take the ball from
his knee, but failed. They used a brace
and bit. Cook was sent to the Santa Rosa
hospital in San Antonio and there lin
gered for months, and is to-day a Grip
pie living and working for the railroad
company in FL Paso Tex. Putnam is
living in Preside county. and is work
ing at the Shafter silver mines H. II.
Powe, who was killed, was a man OF
impetuous temper, but an honest, up
right citizen, and served in the confed-
crate army losing his arm in one of the
great battles in Virginia.
Jeff Webb, an uncle of Fine Gilliland.
left Alpine on the night OF July ,. 1889
to go TO the ranch north of Alpine, taking
with him on the horse a pet bear, and
the next morning he was found dead two
miles north of Alpine, on the Fort Stock
ton road, with bullet hole through his
body. 1t was a profound mystery as to
his killing.
sam Taylor, who killed passenger con-
ductor a short while before at Valentine
was the last man seen with Webb the
night Webb left town, and Fine Gillnand
was pretty bad man himself. and on the
night Of Sept. 20. 1890. while Sam TAYLOR
was playing poker in the Buckhorn sa-
loon with several others, he was shot i'm
the breast with twenty-five buckshor.
and a man watching the game a uirht
operator here, was killed with one of the
balls, and "a Mexican shot in the back.
The slayer shot Taylor through tho vim
dow 1llland was suspected of his muir