The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-05-02
A DESPERADO'S WHIM
For Reasons Of His Own Sam Brown
Aided The EmigrantS.
AN ATTACK ON THE CAMP
He Was the Worst Bad Man on the
Pacific Coast A Little Girls Song
That Caught His Fancy Their
Fate at Browns Hands.


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. i believe. If he had any good
points except sand and strength, no
body ever found 'em out. Yet / know
one good deed he did. after his own
queer fashion, and why he did IL
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 1t. and you
may judge for yourselves"
1t was old Sam Upton, the prospec-
tor. who was talking. What he doesn't
know about the old Nevada days, when
the Comstock mines were booming,
you'd have to travel a long way TO find
out.
Sam wasn't exactly a pleasant man
to have round. for nobody could tell
but ii might be killing day with him
and IL might seem necessary to his
contentment to shoot somebody or
carve him with his big knife. Then II
was bad luck for the first man that
got in his way. Oftentimes he'd work
up his drop-get the man that he was
laying for to take drink with him to
pu. him off his guard, and then play
fully disembowel him as they clicked
glasses together. He having that sort
of disposition you can understand that
when he rode up to where l was camp
ing one night l wasn't a bit pleased to
see him, though you can bet 1 didn't
let on to him how felt.
1T was in the early sixties, a few
months before Sam was killed by Van
Sickle. l was travelling alone by
wagon from the Lone Pine district to
Virginia city. and had gone into camp
toward dusk at "A spring known as Ojo
Temelato that came out of a wooded
hill grown up with pines and under
brush. There was an emigrant party
already camped near the spring, a we'll
fixed outfit with two wagons and some
good stock. The party / judged to be
all one family, taking in the sons-in-
law and daughters-in-law, and they
seemed to be very decent people
hauled up my wagon at a sheltered
place about a hundred yards away
from their camp, watered my horses
and picketed them out to feed and set
about getting supper. / had got my
fire going and was cutting some bacon
to fry when a big man came siding up
among the trees and | saw that II was
Sam Brown He was not only big
man. but also a dangerous looking one,
with a revolver at each hip, and his
long hair held up with pins under his
hat. He rode up to where | was,
looked at me and asked grufily:
who are you?"
IF most any other man had asked
me that question I'm 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.
j told him my name and where | was
travelling.
Hint he grunted I've heard your
name and seen you in Bodie. My
names Brown-Sam Brown. l reckon
you've heard of me-?
He looked at me as If he expected
I'd fall down when I heard his name
But i didn't because | knew him. to
start with, and because there was no
use in doing IL.
Keep right on cutting bacon. he
said. I'm going TO take supper with
you and I'm hungry as a Wolf
"Of course l told him he was well |
come and kept on cutting off slices
until ] was good and sure there was
enough for both. He unsaddled and
picketed his horse while l got supper 1
ready and then we sat down on the /.
ground and ate together. Scarcely a /
word passed between us while we ate.
but two cups of strong coffee and a .
pipe made him trine more So
cable
What outfit is that over there?' he
asked.
Il told him as much as / 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
or a man with a set purpose in mind
and he made no move toward going
away. They were having a good time
over at the emigrants' camp, and the
talk and laughter as IL floated over to
us was i'm odd contrast to Browns
grim silence as he sat broodng darkly
In the moonlight. Presently somebody
over at the other camp twanged a
banjo, and then we heard a girls voice
singing negro melody, and after that
she sang another and another. One Of
these plantation songs had a Jingle to
II that seemed TO strike Sans fancy,
for he lifted his head to listen. until il
was finished.
Well. that's a rattler!' he growied.
as II he were talking to himself
Reckon III go over and make 'em a
visit
And without another word he got
up and stalked over to the other camp,
and soon ! heard the girl singing the
song again
The moon would set early. and the
thought struck me that Sam being
away, II would be a good idea. while
the moonlight stul lasted. to make a
little circuit round the camp Just to see
II 1 could get any hint OF what Long
HAIRED Brown was up to-for | knew
he wasn't riding out on the Lone Pine
road for pleasure side. As l came
near the roadside / saw a man riding
down the trail from the direction OF
Lone Pine. walking his horse slowly
and peering through the trees about
the spring. He stopped opposite the
emigrants' camp, where the fire was
blazing brightly. and looked long and
carefully at IL. l was out OF sight be-
hind tree. and my own camp fire had
gone down to ashes. so that IL could
not be seen from the trail The horse
man was too far from the emigrants'
camp to distinguish people or voices
there. but he moved along two or three
times TO get a better view. Then ne
turned round and went back up the /