The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-07-14
ONCE a BELLE OF THE BORDER.
A Romantic History Closed With the
Death of SaIIie Mills.

blil DoOlans OF all the once numerous
members Of the daring Dalton band OF
outlaws. And in this last stand Of the rem
nant Sallie Mills lost her life.
Six or seven years ago Sallie was as
pretty as a peach. and as sweet and smart
as she was pretty. In ISIS she went west
from Ohio to teach. school in the Chicka-
saw country. Her modest. demure man
ner. as well as her beauty. won the uni
versal admiration OF all the bordermen and
Sallie became the belle of the Indian coun-
try.
Pete Hills. Dare Devil Pete" the boys
all called him, was a boomer with Harry
Hills crowd. While in camp at Purcell
Pete met Sallie Mills. She was riding out
of town on pony, when a coupe OF
would-be bad men" came shouting and
shooting on horses behind her. She turned
out to give them the road, but the men,
seeing she was alone and apparently I'M
protected, rode up to her and one Of them
attempted to steal kiss. The girl
screamed. There was loud report and
the would-be bad man lay dying at the side
of the road, while his cowardly comrade
rode hastily away.
Then it was that Dare Devil Pete,
who had heard the cry of alarm and had
fired the fatal shot. rode up and politely
| lifting his sombrero begged to escort the
lady 10 her home. Sallie deeply regretted
the killing, but could not fail to notice
how handsome were the features OF the
| dissolute looking stranger who had res
cued her from the rough's embraces. Pete
and Sallie took a mutual shine TO each
other. as they say out west. The man
/ quit his reckless mode OF living, and, as
far as circumstances. and the nature OF
his life would permit, he abstained from
| participating in the deadly rows then so
| prevalent on the border. He was slower
/ on the draw and shot" than in the past,
! and Katie Daniels, the leader Of the fe-
male boomer brigade, then massing for
/ the first grand rush for homes, said that
/ love had ruined Pete. But Sallie Mills
/ did not agree with Katie in her verdict.
/ She was glad that her handsome lover had
! given up his wild mode of life, and when
/ she Joined the female boomer brigade
! herself she was pleased to know that
| Pete Hills was not far away. The two
/ sick kittens" was what Nanetta Daisy
/ called them, but Pete and Sallie only
/ laughed. They bore all this raillery in
a good natured manner.
! Bob Dalton and Pete Hills were boon
| companions. Bob was at that time dep
uty marshal, and had not become noted
as an express robber. Bob met Sallie and
| liked her The girl respected Bob, be-
cause he was her lovers greatest friend.
One day before the final rush Dutch
| Dave" a terror" from the Brazos coun-
try, rode into camp and insulted many Of
| the women, more especially Salle Mills.
Sallie tried to keep this from the ears of
! Pete Hills, but he heard it from some of
the camp loungers, and went out to hunt
up the bad man." All of the old vicious
ness of Dare Devil Pete was aroused,
| and he drank heavily while securing the
country for the man who had insulted
at
| Dutch Dave knew of the designs OF
Pete, and it was only question of which
was the quicker. AS i'll luck would have
IT Pete Hills pistol somehow caught in
the holster and before he could losen II
the other man had shot him dead. 1t was
a whole day before Sallie heard of 1t,
and by that time the boys, thinking 20
spare her pain, had buried Pete by the
side of the river.
| The shock was a terrible one to the girl,
and changed the whole course of her life.
She remained with the boomers. and made
| the race for a claim. but her bright smile
| had disappeared. Bob Dalton had been
away at the time of the tragedy. but to him
the stricken girl went for comfort. Dalton
| swore he would shoot Dutch Dave" on
| sight. and CLEAN in the girls eye prom
Used him his reward If he would do So AZ
ter Petes death Bob looked after Sallie's
welfare, and soon grew to love her as we'll
not let the girl know of his love. He was
afraid of frightening her, and that was one
thing he wished to avoid.
Dutch Dave" remained out of sight I'M
| til the final rush came, and then these two
met. Once more 1t was a case of who was
the quicker, and the fortune of war IA
vored Bob Dalton. Bob fired three shote
into the big Brazos brute before he fell
from the horse to the ground. For the
killing it was sought to cause Dalton's ar
rest, and he was discharged as a Deputy
Marshal. Then IL was that he first Joined
Bill Doolan and began that rapid Grim
inal career that ended with his killing at
| Coffeyville in October, 1892
Sallie heard of Dutch Dawes" DEATH
and of the fact that Bob Dalton had been
outlawed. She remained quietly on her
claim near Edmonds, until one night she
was visited by a man who rode up on
horseback and who remained there all
that night and the next day, while a heav>
lily armed band were in camp not far
| away. The stranger was Bob Dalton
| Without the formality of a marriage they
proclaimed themselves man and wife, and
from that time to the day of her death
Sallle Mills was known as "Dalton's sweet
heart" AS often as he could the outlaw
| visited the home of this woman, who had
had such a romantic life on the border
More than once the officers watched
"Dunns place." as the house was called
great express robber off his guard, but
they failed When the Daltons raided the
banks of Coffeyville and Bob was shot
| to death this woman was heartbroken
! Her hair, once a beautiful golden, began
to turn gray. and she was half suspected
| of being an outlaw herself.
When Bob Dalton was killed at Coffey-
willie his brother Bill was a quiet, steady
! farmer near Hennessy, Oklahoma But in
| a few short months Bill went wrong and
was soon at the head of the remnant Of
his brothers old band. Sallie Mills heard
of Bill and sought him out. He had heard
/ of her from "Bill' Doolan and others of
the band, and took her in hand as a
brother would have done. The officers
said that Sallie had again transferred her
affections this time to Bill" Dalton, but
this has already been denied by the out
law clans. They say that the friendship
between these two was entirely platonic'
/ Sallie was never tired of working for the
welfare of the band, and especially its
captain. When Bits death was reported
she almost went insane and became more