The Wichita daily eagle., 1896-12-11

Yesterday Governor Morrill, issued ar
ticles OF citizenship to Robert Cross of
Summer county, who will be released
from the penitentiary in a few days, at
ter having served term Of fifteen years,
minus the allowance for good behavior,
for manslaughter in the first degree.
This action of Governor Morrill, recalls
one of the border tragedies of dozen
years ago.
Bob Cross was a cowboy and was
classed generally as one Of the hard bats
of those days. He used to come into
Caldwell, get drunk and in returning
home would commit all kinds of depreda-
IONS. He worked in the strip somewhere
in the neighborhood ofiwhere Albert Col
sons ranch was located.
In those days there was no Bluff City,
but little fellow whose name cannot
be recalled kept small store and post
Office near where the town is now locat-
ed. One days Bob Cross went into this
postoffice took charge of things. mada
the postmaster pull out for the timber,
End in several other ways injured the
property and insulted the dignity OF Un-
| Gle Sam.
About that time Charlie Hatton was
United States Assistant attorney. and he
issued a warrant for the arrest of Cross
end sent it to Cash Hollister, who was
then a United States deputy marshal at
Caldwell.
The day before Hollister went to ar
rest Cross one of the Eagle staff met
him at Kansas City and he said: II
am going home tonight and / have a
presentment that l am going to get kill
ed You may feel surprised if you ever
see me again.
In about thirty-six hours after that he
was killed.
After arriving at Caldwell from Kan
sas City, he found the warrant for the
arrest of Cross awaiting him.
Jack Davidson Of this city was then
tending bar for Wren Moores, and after
hight-fall Cash Hollister, Winchester in
hand, and a trusty six-shooter in his
| belt went into the saloon and said
Jack, / want drink of your best.
am going after Bob Cross, and there is
going to be some killing when l meet
| him.
| The revolver in Cash HOLSTERS belt
| at that time was one he took away from
| the famous Nellie Bailey when he ar
| rested her on the charge of killing
| Bottomly, the sheep man. That same
| weapon is now in the possession of Char
| lie Hatton of this city.
If memory is not at fault, it was a
man named George Davis who went
with Hollister from Caldwell to make the
arrest, and they were joined by the mar
shall of Hunnewell.
| Bob Cross wife was then living in a
| little house near South Haven, and Cross
was located there that night The Off
GERS went to the door and knocked and
Cross appeared heavily armed and shoa
Mt them. The officers retreated. Hollis
| ter knelt on one knee about 100 feet from
| the door, with his Winchester aimed and
booked. Davis and the Hunnewell mar
shal were pilling straw up against the
house to set it on fire, and the agreement
was that when Cross would be forced out
doors, Hollster would order him to sur
render or kill him.
While they were doing this. Cross open
| ed the door about two inches and peeped
out BY the light of the stars he locat-
ed Hoilister. He drew a bead on him
and the next moment Hollister fell dead
Cross sent a bullet through his neck
above the collar-button, and that was
the end of Cash Hollister.
| The marshal of Hunnewell now went
I to the door. placed the muzzle of his
Winchester to ii and waited there until
Gross would be forced TO come out, when
he would blow him to pieces at the
mouth of the weapon.
| Mrs. Cross opened the door. grasped
| the barrel of the weapon, held it to her
kwn breast until Cross had jumped ou,
doors and escaped
A posse of fifty or sixty men was form.
ed from the inhabitants of Caldwell and
Hunnewell and they followed Cross into
the Cherokee strip. He would have got
ten away from them. but his horse ran
| into a wire fence and was disabled. He
was then surrounded, caught and
brought back 10 Hunnewell, where il
was arranged to lynch him. An engine
was down from Wellington with a
sheriff's posse. who saved him from the
hands of the lynchers.
Mrs. Hollister. most estimable lady
now owns fine farm adjoining Hennes-
sy, but she lives most of the time in
this city, where she is regarded very
highly by the physicians as a private
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