The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1895-02-15
"a TERROR ~ OUTLAWS.
The Sanguinary Record Of q Quak-I
or in Arizona
He Never Murdered = Man But He Had
Killed Many 4 One in Performing
the Duties Of His ONCE a.
Sheriff.

9WAH ~S~sSAA = 49, SA2SA ~ AAssN0 EAMMa 1
the Duties Of His Once ~
Sheriff.
1.-THE best-known man in Arizona to-
day. q traveller remarked who had
jus. returned from that territory, lis
Commodore Perry Owens, who has
been sheriff of Apache county, city
marshal of Winslow, and is now n of
the guards Of the Wells-Fargo express
across Arizona. He is an Indianian,
who went to Arizona fifteen years ago.
i had q long talk with him the other
day as he rode on the train, his Win
chester rifle and q couple Of navy skies
within easy reach.
.When he learned that / was also q
Hoosier,' writes q contributor to the
Indianapolis News, land knew his
people, Qnakers- wheaivexnear Carriers
burg, in that country, we were at once
on the best of terms. When I asked
him if the report was true that he had
removed from active life more men,, by
the Winchester line, than any other
man in Ari9 ma he looked panied for q
moment. Then he answered:
~ was raised a Quaker, but out
here, you see, a man can't work at that.
1t amt suited to the Arizona climate.
! have done q good deal of shooting,
but it has all been necessary and in the
line of my official duty. I ley MUIR
dered a man in my life, never. My
good mother, back in Hendricks coun-
~, every now and then writes me q
letter. She sees these newspaper re-
ports and she misunderstands them.
You ask if I've shot one hundred men?
Well, no. / haven't-that is, unless
you want to count Mexicans. I've
only killed fourteen white men and
wounded f~fty-three. Some of them
died after they were wounded, but
that was the fault of the doctor.
"'You ask what episode of this kind
Iconsider the most exciting in my ex-
perience? These events arc all more
or less exciting, but l think the live
lest Of these affairs took place yer at
Winslow, when / was sheriff. / had a
warrant for the fellows arrest, and
had written for him to come in and
surrender. He didn't'even answer my
letter, which wasn't treating with
properrespect my official position. So
after awhile I went after. him. He was
at his. mothers house, a double
log cabin, built in L-shape.. ! tied my
horse and went to the house. AS |
knocked on the door [ caughta glimpse
of two faces at a window at my back.
The door opened about afoot, and the
man I was after stuck a gun out. 1let
..I -. ..a -. = l.r->.. ~ 49, - ~ 1T Sc T
heard him dropI fired over my Shout
der through the window. The second
load caught two, killing one and shat
tering the arm of q younger brother.
I knew there was still another man in
the house, and that it was dangerous
to remain on the porch. ] jumped out
into the open ground, and. ats | did SO.
saw a man sheltering himself behind
a blackboard. I ran q few steps and
uncovered him. When ! took account
of stoch there were three killed and
one wounded. There were nc further
hostilities. The coroner took charge
of the effects, as ] didn't it would
be proper for me to act under the cir
cuinst4nces. The whole affair took
place inside a minute.
81 don't drink. ] don't gamble, anc
1 haven't everabeen a favorite with the
Most Of the fellows who ar.
shot get it because they want some
woman to think he's a bad nan
They put on Mexican spurs, q som
brcro, aud &. cut-throat outfit and star
in for trouble. The ron finds then
with their boots on.
81 knew a young fellow up at vii
liamsr, a nervy little chap. never sale
much. but when it came time for worl
he could get his revolver out as quicl
as anybody. Buthc was q perfect gen
tlcman. There was only one thing ht
was afraid of-that was dying with hi'
boots on. One day, by some kind o
accidcut-itccul never be explained
he got into difficulty with o Mexican
and the Mexican shot him. We saw h
was hithard. picked him up and carried
him into d saloon. We asked Dan if n
had any last request to make. In
faint whisper-we could barely hea
it-he said: ''Boys, take my boots off.
As we did so a smile broke over nj
face, and he went out like an angel
SLIM SALARIES.
The Kind OF Pay Upon Which Some Meth