Omaha daily bee., 1896-11-07
TRUE STORY OF POKER FLAT
A Gang Of Desperadoes Wiped Out by
Vigilantes,
ORIGIN OF BRET HARTE'S TALE
quite n Frncns I'm Which Several Per-
sons Were Hurried over the
Range, but LAW and
order Triumphcd.

After crossing the range from Downieville
to Poker Fiat and Sandy Bar by the old
road made In 1853, you will understand why
IL cost dollar a mile to pack a bag of
flour to either of these mining camps The
horrible desolation, says a writer in the
Philadelphia Times, is unbroken for sixty
miles. save at one place where the trail
passes through meadow richly set with
grass and watered by mountain stream,
a grand redwood and grove of fine oaks
growing at the side OF the road, ana close
by 1t the charred remnants of timber that
mark the former site of a dwelling OF con-
siderable extent. Our guide tells us that It
was once Peg McGregors ranch" which
was wiped out by the vigilantes way back
in the sos.
In 1852 Poker Flat became known as a
mining camp and by "a there were 1000
people in this barren canyon; but gold was
plenty-S10O,OOO a month being the cstl-
mated yield-and there were not less than
three murders a week In this year
woman and half dozen men came over
the range and made a settlement in the
little valley about twelve miles from the
Flat. long cabin was put up and II was
soon known that Mrs. McGregor had opened
hotel for the convenience of travellers be-
tween Downievlle and Poker Flat. and 1t
became success. The landlady was rather
nut-lOOklUB Dul LOT II PAIR OF steer gray
eyes that Indicated an evil temper. A hid
eous dwarf was her chief help and a half
idiot son was also lounging about the place
and this child the mother idolized. though
he was an evil, cruel brute, that took pleas
ure In malicious mischief.
He would cut anything that came in his
! way, and Jack Hartnet, a miner stopping at
the place, caught him hacking the tail off
his mule. One grasp on the throat and a
wrench from the enraged man did the
htns lie ,nply h~nl
Alarmed and ashamed at his violence Jack
mounted and rode off. The mother was for
time out OF her mind with rage, those that
saw her were appalled, at her demonlike
appearance. and she announced that Jack
Hartnet's life should pay the forfeit for the
killing of her son.
Two months after Jack was shot dead
about mile from McGregors, while riding
through a dense thicket. The man who
found the body searched the vicinity care
fully, but found no trace, except the tracks
| of man, no doubt the assassin; one foot
was well defined, but the other seemed
stump, as II made a round depression In the
sand.
No one doubted that the widow was con-
cerned in the killing, but murders were too
frequent in that locality to excite much in
terest. Although the hotel was a great
convenience no one liked the landlady. She
had fendish temper and would. and did
| on several occasions, use weapons with
effect, out lnlS was eNCuShDle, as ner pa
| irons were very rough lot.
Thanks to a corps of active vigilantes, life
| in Poker Flat was reasonably safe. but 1t
was soon evident that a single traveller going
to Downieville on the usual road took
| chances as to getting there alive Not less
| than nine men had been found stark and
| stiff on the ground, shot through the head.
| all within two miles of McGregors, and
| there was no trace of the assassin. Bad
characters around the Flat had been closely
| watched, but their absence was not noticed
when the murders were committed. So 1t
| became evident that there was a band of
| assassins in the mountains.
| Travellers stopping over night at Nc
| Gregor's slept on the floor wrapped in their
| blankets, and one man told that, around
| about o'clock in the morning, he quietly
| slipped outside and saw four men confer
| ring with the dwarf under the trees. and
| then Mrs. McGregor Joined them, and after
an hours conference the strangers took the
road into the mountains. All carried rifles
| This was commented on and soon a sus-
picion arose that Mrs. McGregor could tell
| much about the road agents if she choose.
| suddenly news came that made immediate
action a duty and necessity. A party with
| a pack train coming from Downievile
! heard a shot ahead Of them, and hurrying
| up found James Gravier dead in the road.
| A sorrel horse was just disappearing
| through the thick pines near. 1t was ridden
| by something that looked more like an ape
| than human being, but 1t escaped a vol!v
| OF riHe balls and was gone. The dead man
was a leader at Poker Flat surveyor
! engineer, storekeeper and umpire in all
| disputes about claims, and universally liked
and respected. He had ridden the sorrel
! well-known fast PAGER.
| The leading man in Poker Flat was Dr.
James Keen, uncle of James Keen the pres
| ent New York stock Spectator. He was a
! bold, active citizen, and a close friend of
Graviers' He made up party of the
best men in camp, and with them and
| Shoshone Indian traCker, started for the
scene of the murder. The assassins had
| made screen of branches 100 yards off the
| road and shot from behind it. The tracks
| OF the horse were plainly seen, and again
| the stump foot of a man beside a long mar
| row footprint more like VOLTS than
| mans.
The Indian took UP the trail and they
| followed 1t through the mountains for eight
| miles, when the tracker held up his hand
moment more and dog bark was heard
| and from behind pine thicket they
| watched Three hundred yards away stood
| a low cabin in a hollow almost hidden by
| aspen trees. Smoke was issuing from a
| hole in the roof. consultation was had
| and at last Tom McCarty, a small, but very
| powerful man offered to go ahead and re-
| connoiter There not a man more ut
| terly fearless than Tom on the coast and
| he at once made his way TO the cabin. The
| dog had disappeared, so he pushed open the
| Iuue uOOT anu tuleTCu, nut lot "a DTlBnt
fire on the hearth the place would have
| been utterly dark, but Tom saw pair of
| eyes blazing at him from a corner. and
| heard harsh voice ask him what he
| wanted.
A tall man came forward dressed in
| greasy bucksliin, his face covered with hair
and looked murderously at the intruder. He
was evidently lame. McCarty looked at his
| feet, one merely a round stump. He
| thought OF the track and at once made a
rush and grasped the fellow by the throat
and right wrist. 1t was no chld's play; the
man was wlry and wound around his as
J salant like a big snake, but Toms strength
| told, and he hurled his enemy to the floor
with crash, and in a second he was in
| the jaws of the dog, powerful black
| hound. His master drew a pistol and fired
! McCarty felt sting and knew he was hit.
| With a wrench he raised himself and drove
| his ten-inch bowie knife into his enemys
body and turning on the dog disposed Of it.
| As he regained his feet the rest of the
party, having heard the shot, rushed in.
| The bullet had cut long cash in Toms
| cheek, his left ear was taken clean on and
| the dog had bitten him severely. His
wounds were dressed and the place
| searched, Two thousand in gold dust was
| found. and 1t was one OF GravIer's silver
mounted Derrlngers that had nearly taken
| Toms life 1t was clear that one OF the
! gang OF murderers had met his deserts.