The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1896-02-05
A TIN CUP VERDICT.

The sun was low toward the western
peaks when old Jones and his nephew
halted their teams for the night. Old
Jones and his relative were freighters,
and the crack of their long, shot filled
mule whips and the creak of their heavy
wagons had been heard in half of the
camps of Colorado.
The four wagons tonight were swung
into the segment OF a circle, and the
mules were cast loose from the straps in
which through the day they pulled. AT
this relief these grateful slaves stood
about and attested their joy in the loud
cries peculiar to their kind, but which
are SO unfortunate in their lack of har-
mony. To stop this the nephew went
about giving them their vesper feed.
This he placed in morals or nosebags,
which he hung to their hungry heads.
Old Jones built little fire and began
the compilation of an intricate but sa-
worry dish known to those happy ones who
have the recipe as "freighter' stew.
Supper over, the two freighters sat
about in the lurking shadows made by
the fires blink and glimmer, smoking
their pipes. All at once there was a
commotion in the band of mules. Those
patient folk, who had scrambled and
pulled all day over u rough mountain
trail with wagons loaded ON the princi-
pie of 1900 pounds to a mule, and who
now in the proprieties of mule life
should be at peace with the world, were
charging about and snorting in very
alarming way.
"Injunsi" said old Jones, showing
back into the gloom. ''1njuns for
$1,000l There ain t no animal on earth,
bar Injuns, ever makes mules take on
that away"
The nephew thought SO too. Old
Jones and the nephew did not fear at
tack. There were no Injuns about that
were not described as friendly.
What they did fear was that the
mules might DO stampeded. Stamped
ing stock is great aboriginal industry.
The Indian will sneak up, flap a blanket,
stampede your cattle or mules and then
claim 81 head for finding them for
you Thus do these wise SONS OF nature
fill their Golfers and exact revenue
from those who cross their lands.
Jones nephew took a winchester from
a wagon and began to work his eau
tious, silent way toward the mules.
These last were still Enorting and shy
ing as if prey to wild alarm. The
nephew disappeared in the darkness.
Old Jones placed his hand over his Pipe
bowl so its fiery eye could not be seen
and peered after him into tho gloom.
"Bang Bangl Bangr' 1t was the
winchester speaking. 1t told the Indian
policy of the border, and a very suffi-
cient policy it is too. Old Jones at the
sound heaved sigh, but never moved.
After little the nephew came in to the
fire. He seemed alert, hopeful and unre-
lenting as to the winchester Indian pol.
icy.
"Did you stretch onef" said old Jones.
81 think most likely did, F" said the
nephew in a sanguine way. I'VE can
tell in the morning, shore. "
The mules were now quiet. Firearms
had no terror for them. They could
stand the odor Of gunpowder, but of In
dians-bah No mule of taste could
stand it second. After another half
hour old Jones and his nephew kicked
out the embers of their fire and went to
sleep.
Old Jones and his nephew had visit
ors in the morning. The whole Ute tribe
and their agent came to the freighters'
camp. The members of the Jones family
at once seized their winchesters and
alacriously prepared for war. The Utes
ran about, jumping and yelling and de-
manding vengeance. Old Jones and his
nephew stood silent and grim behind
their wagons and showed their iron
teeth. The agent insisted on peace.
Would the Jones who had killed the
Ute the night before give himself up?
He would be guaranteed from harm, but
the Utes insisted on his arrest. They,
the Indians, would attack the wagons
if the criminal did not surrender. SO
spoke the agent, nervous little incom-
petent, as many an Indian agent is.
"Give up nothing" said old Jones
derisively. "You tell them Utes if
they want anything round yere to waltz
in and get it. "
The Utes howled and danced still
harder and higher at this, and the agent
talked more earnestly than ever He
threatened the Joneses with the power
Of the government. This was too much
They would fight the whole Ute tribe,
but they were afraid of Uncle Sam. Aft
er brief parley the nephew stepped out
and gave himself up to the agent. He
would have displayed more sense if he
had remained behind his wagon and
died in the smoke of his winchester.
The agent, the nephew and the Utes
did not go a mile toward the agency be-
fore the Indians took the nephew, and
tying him to pine tree spent several
blissful hours in torturing him to death.
The agent was powerless to interfere.
Jones, the elder, knew the truth the
evening of the same day. He turned a
little pale under the 80 years of tan
ing. As we'll as he could he managed to
hitch up his teams and went ahead.
dis course was slow. Where the .,oine
was easy the nephew's team-eight
hules-could follow the others and got
along all right Where it was rough old
Jones halted them and after driving his
own team over came back for them.
Two months later the old man un-
loaded his freight at a camp in the Gun
nison country. He told the story Of his
nephew's death and charged it to the
agent. The populace agreed with him to
man. Old Jones insisted that the
agent should likewise suffer death. Pub.
lie sentiment rushed to the same con-
elusion. Every man in the Tin Cup dis