Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-05-14
A DESPERADO'S WITHIN.

"When you're talking of bad men
that are past and gone, don't put any
one ahead of old Sam Brown-Long-
haired Brown. He was the worst all
round one that ever struck the Pacific
slope, / believe. If he had any good
points except sand and strength, no.
body ever found 'em out. Yet l know
one good deed he did, after his own
queer fashion, and why he did 1t
never fully settled in my mind, but /
suspect he sided with one party to
square off a grudge he held against the
other. I'll tell you about it, and you
may judge for yourselves"
1t was old Sam Upton, the proprie-
tor, who was talking. What he
doesn't know about the old Nevada
days, when Comstock mines were
booming, you'd have to travel long
way to find out.
"Sam wasn't exactly a pleasant man
to have round. for nobody could tell but
1t might be killing day with him and 1t
might seem necessary to his content
ment to shoot somebody or carve him
with his big knife. Then it was bad
luck for the first man that got in his
way. Oftentimes he worked up his
drop-got the man that he was laying
for to take drink with him to put him
off his guard and then playfully dis
embowel him as they clicked glasses
together. He having that sort of dis
position you can understand that when
he rode up to where / was camping one
night 1 wasn't bit pleased to see him,
though you can bet 1 didn't let on to
him how felt.
''It was in the early sixties, few
months before Sam was killed by Van
Sickle. 1 was travelling alone by wa
gon from the Lone Pine district to Vir-
ginia City, and had gone into camp
toward dusk at spring known as Ojo
Temelato that came out of a wood hill
grown up with pines and underbrush.
There was an emigrant party already
camped near the spring, well-fixed
outfit with two wagons and some good
stock. The party judged to be all one
family, taking in the son-in-law and
daughter-in-law, and they seemed to be
very decent people. hauled up my
wagon at a sheltered place about hun
dred yards away from their camp,
watered my horses and picketed them
out to feed, and set about getting sup
per. 1 got my fire going and was cut
ting some bacon to fry when big man
came riding up among the trees and /
saw that it was Sam Brown. He was
not only big man, but also a danger
ous-looking one, with a revolver at
each hip, and his long hair held up with
pins under his hat. He rode up to
where I was, looked at me, and asked
gruffly:
"Who are you"
eff most any other man had asked me
that question in the way he did,
should have told him to go somewhere,
but men answered Sam Brown civilly
II they knew who they were talking to.
I told him my name and where was
travelling.
"'H'mw he grunted. I've heard your
name and seen you in Bodie. My name
II
heard of me?"
''He looked at me as If he expected
I'd fall down when 1 heard his name.
But / didn't, because knew him, to
start with, and because there was no
use in doing it.
Keep right on cutting Bacon he
said. I'm going to take supper with
you, and I'm hungry as WOLF
"Of course 1 told him he was well
come, and kept on cutting off slices I'M
til I was good and sure there was
enough for both. He unsaddled and
picketed his horse while got supper
ready, and then we sat down on the
ground and eat together. Scarcely a
word passed between us while we ate,
but two cups of strong coffee and pipe
made him a trifle more sociable.
"'What outfit is that over there? he
asked.
II told him as much as i knew of
them. He got up and walked over
near enough to see them and looked
their horses over carefully. Then he
came back and sat down and gazed at
the fire without speaking. He had the
air Of a man with a set purpose in
mind, and he made no move toward GO
ing away. They were having a good
time over at the emigrants' camp, and
the talk and laughter as it fioated over
to us was in odd contrast to Browns
grim silence as he sat brooding darkly
I'm the moonlight. Presently somebody
over at the other camp twanged a
banjo, and then we heard a girls voice
singing plantation melody, and after
that she sang another and another.
One of these plantation songs had a
Jingle to it that seemed to strike Sans
fancy, for he lifted his head to listen,
until 1t was finished.
"'well, that's rattlerv he growled,
as II he were talking to himself
Reckon I'll go over and make 'em q
visit
"And without another word ne got up
and stalked over to the other camp,
and soon I heard the girl singing the
song again.
THE moon would set early, and the