The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-02-20
NEvApA.s WORST DESPERATE.


NEvApA's WORST DESPERATE.
Incidents in Sam Browns Career Before .
Shotgun Was Emptied Into Him
Among the deeperadoes that dom+
neered and terorized Virgins City,
New, in the early sixties, Sam Brown
was the most prominent figure. His
stature, strength and rufianly courage,
together with his skill with the bowie
knife and revolver, weapons ne was
prompt to use with or without pretext,
gave him pre-eminence among the bad
men of that lawless and sanguinary era
Some of the peculiarities of this
worthy Mr.. Brown naturally made him
an uncomfortable companion at the
gaming table. At poker his habit OF
reinforcing pair of deuces with two re-
volvers aud bowie knife whenever
the size of the pot made it an object,
tended to make conservative players
shy of his company. When playing In
bad luck at faro he would. as q matter
of course, help himself to his neigh
,bors' stack of chips, and it was an ig-
norant o. hardy man who ventured 70
protest Meeting a stranger on the
road whose horse struck his fancy he
soon convinced the traveller by his
characteristic modes of persuasion that
an exchange of animals was for his adj
vantage. His services were in frequent
request by mine and town lot Jumpers
for the intimidation of prior claimants,
and merely his presence on the scene
of contest was apt to turn the scale.
the merits of the case being a minor
consideration after Sam Brown had
taken his side. 1t is told, however,
that in this sor. of business he once
found his match in stalwart and new
ly-arrived young lawyer named Stew
art, now United States senator from
Nevada, who. with hand in hip pocket,
clutched the butt of a revolver, cross
examined Sam at a referees court in .
way that brought this masterful des-
perado dead to rights and won his adj
miration and friendship for the man
who dared so boldly to confront and
browbeat him
In an old report of the United States
States geological survey upon the Com
stock mining and miners Eliot Lord
thus narrates two typical incidents in
Sam Browns career:
"The most prominent figure OF the
crew 1.-THE desperadoes Of Virginia City ]
was a burly ruffian known as Sam
Brown. who had killed thirteen men
in Texas and California, as was re-
ported, before his arrival at Virginia
City. The terror and aversion which
this man inspired recall the nursery
tales of the days of ogres and their
victims. In the summer of 1859 an
agent of the leading western express
company called at station which
Brown then was keeping on the Hum
bolt river and desired something to
eat. Brown pointed to hanging strip
loan of knife to cut off slice. With
an odd smile Brown pulled out his i'm
mense sheath-knife, but Immediately
thrust il back into his bootleg, re-
marking that he had killed five men
with that knife and was superstitious
about lending it to cut bacon The
visitor was equally scrupulous and left
the cabin without the meat.
''One of Browns first exploits in the
new mining district was a murder,
which illustrates wildly the character
of the man and the camp. A weak,
unidentified barroom lounger whose
feeble discretion was lost in liquor
staggered up to Brown one day in a
saloon and made some remark which
the latter considered offensive. With
out a word the giant wound his muscu-
lar arms about his victim. and, holding
him as easily as a cat does a mouse,
drove a sheath-knife twice into his
auivering body, turning it Maltese
fashion in his vitals. Then he flung
the bleeding sufferer on the floor, and
when, a few minutes later, a party
took up the man, still breathing family.
from the red pool behind the bar,
Brown was seen sleeping as calmly as
a child on billiard table in the room. "
Sam Browns last day wss perfectly
in keeping with the rest of his violent
career. He had become offended at a
ranchman of Carson Valley named Van
Sickle, and went to his house in Car
son CITY to kill him. Van Sickle was
not at home when Sam rode into the
ward to carry out his purpose, and the
desperado forcing his way into the
house. searched it from the roof TO the
cellar for his intended victim, throwing
things about and terrifying the women.
Upon leaving the house he encountered
the officers of the law on the street,
and kept up running fight with them
as he rode out of town. A sheriff Z
posse was organized and started in pur'
suit, determined this time to kill OIL
capture Sam Brown
Van Sickle, on learning of the visi,
70 his house. did not join the posse, but
rightly conjecturing that Sam would
make for certain out-of-the-wayr ranch
used by outlaws for the conceaimen,
of stolen horses, rode alone TO this
place by short by-path, and finding
no one there put his horse in the stable
and waited for the desperado's coming.
Sam soon appeared riding up to the
stable. Van Sickle met him at the
door with shotgun heavily loaded
with slugs and buckshot, and instantly
emitted both barrels into him The
ruffian dropped dead from his horse,
but Van Sickle took no chances with
Sam Brown and proceeded TO empty
every chamber of his revolver into him
to make sure Of his work Served him
right" was the verdict OF the coroner,
iury.-N. Y. Sun
Very Much Absorbed.