The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-08-18
SET HIS BRAND.

Them was pretty good shots, saiu
the old sheep raiser when the boys had
finished telling about some glass ball
shooting they had done at the gun club
tournament, "but folks nowadays don't
do no shooting like thev did few years
ago. There was Dan Hardin now, who
run sheep ranch in west Texas in 1851;
he could shoot"
Pretty good shot was hef" asked the
boys, to draw the old man out
Well, he was good, fair shot Tor them
times and locality. A Colts 40 was
Dams favorite He run about 5000 sheep
and good many cattle ana horses. Inc
ranchers all marked the ears OF their
stock, each man In different way, TO uls-
tinguish their property. Dams marx was
"a hole In the left ear ana an underblt In
the right and he never allowed KNIFE 10
be used on his ranch. Ho marked every
animal himself with his six shooter, ana
be never nlnde mistake lt was siSno
To SEQ him galloping across the prairie on
his mustang after a bunch OF lambs or u
round up OF spring calves. a-placln MS
marks with his ID and never varying
sixteenth Of an inch from where they he-
longed. Dan marked moro mayerlcks than
nybody else in the country put together.
From practioin' so much, Dan got 10
be "A first rate shot He used to ride along
in his pasture and put his mark on the
hama In. 1t got so that nine times out OF
ten when man killed deer with ms
Winchester he would find hole In It's ieit
and an uDderbit In its right ear. ana ne
always send Dan over quarter OF venlson
when he got it home. / seen Dan win
bet of $50 one day from tenderfoot. we
was ridin' along the road ana we seen
the ground a-hampin' up where mole
was shown along out of sight under the
earth. Dan made his proposition, the Ten
derfoot took him up, and Dams Ola 10
went oil a couple of times. we aug tne
mole up and there was the marks in his
ears right where they belonged. After
awhile don't think tbore was living
thing OH Dams ranch except his wiies
that didn't have his mark in It's ears.
"This habit of Dams got him out OF
pretty bad scrape one time. Along about
1882, when free range commenced gettln'
scarce. the fence cutters got To cuttln the
wire fences around the pastures aud give
the sheep men lots Of trouble Dams had
been cut half dozen times. ana ne was
mad. One day he rode out without his
gun and saw "a low down rustler named
Tom pkins slicin' his wires like ndule-
strings with pair of nippers. Iompklns
got on his horse and let out, and Dan RODE
back to his ranch ana got his gun. lie
struck out on Iompkins' trail ana over
hauled him about sundown in the little
town that was the county seat. Dan shot
him quietly and was about TO get cup
of coffee and start back home when he
was surprised by the sherih's arrestin'
him. You see, that was about the time
the law and order gang got 10 raisln' Cain
in the west and tryin' TO set down on
promiscuous shootin' aud personal
liberty. They scared up Judge ana
jury somewhere and held kind OF court
right away TO try Dan. Iompkins had
lot OF friends in town. among the moss
thieves and free grassers. and they come
i'm by the dozen and swore that lompklns
hadn't been out of town for week. aud
that Dams story about his cuttin the
fence didn't go. Dan had no witnesses
and il began to lock kind of funny for
him. They had Tompkins laid out on u
table in the court room.
Directly Dan went over and looked
pretty sharp at Tompkins. and then he
asked one of the deputies to go out TO q
little jewelry store across the street ana
bring maRnifying glass, The deputy
went and got it, and Dan handed 1T TO
the Judge and asked him TO step down ana
look at something minute. There was
| a mosquito with his bill fast in Iompkins'
ear, and Dan asked the Judge TO take n
| good look at it with the glass. The Judge
did so, and bost if that mosquito didn I
have hole in its left and an underbit In
| its right ear as shore as l IN sitting here.
Every body knew Dams mark ana the
court was convinced that Tompkins must
have been prowIipg round his ranch. 1t
was what you would coll good circum-
stantial evidence, and ten minutes after
ward Dan was on his way home.
There was a little silence among the boys,
and then the one who had broken 40 glass
balls out of possible 30 suggostei that
some lemon ade he handed around at his
expense Washington star.