The morning times., 1897-01-14
WAS KILLED WITH A SHOTGUN
He Shot the Noted Outlaw in the
Back While Engaged in Hanging
Picture-He Was Not q Bad
Man, Being Very Good-Heart-
ed.

heavy loads of boards, which they were
about to drag away up to the Last Chance,
stood dreaming in SanLouis avenue. Some
fishermen with long cane poles thrown
over their shoulders were trailing out at
the lower end of the town in the direc-
ton of the Rio Grande A string OF heavy
ore wagons was coming down the mountain
from the Amethyst mine.
The brake on the forward wagon gave
way when the team was nearly down to
the foot of the hill, and instantly the heavy
load shot forward and the poor animals
there were six OF them-ooundcd away in
mad effort to keep out OF the way OF the
heavy load. The wheel horses appeared to
understand that they were expected 70
hold the wagon back, and they did what
they could; butthe force of the great wagon
threw them off heir feet. and when they
fell. slid them along the rocky road to the
foot OF the hill, grinding and crushing
their legs under the wheels. and whea the
wagon finally stopped they were both
dead. All this happened just above and
in full view of the town. SO that many of
the people saw It, and heard the poor
animals cry, almost as a human being
would cry for help, while hey were
being run down and killed by the ore
wagon.
A sorry-lUokinG young woman WAS work
ing the shops and saloon on the shady side
OF the avenue. She carried a long sheet OF
writing paper, upon which she asked people
TO put their names, and opposite theirnames
the amount of their subscriptions One OF
the girls had died the night before, and
this money was asked in order to pay some
one to dig a hole at the top OF the hill
and to hire an express wagon to haul the
girl up there. When the woman came To
Leadville dance han, she entered, and was
greeted sadly by another woman who stood
over behind low railing. which extended
from the end OF the bar TO the front OF
the tent, fencing off a little space which
served as an office for the prop Tiet0r and
the woman, who was a silent partner in
the firm.
Tie visitor pushed the paper over toward
the mana small, sallow-lo0king man Of
tlIirty-two, who was ever fidgeting and
glancing at the door OF whatever house
lie happened to be in The man glanced
down tile column, sa W ''Soapy Smith. So
and as lie hated 'Soapy,'' he immediately
raised him FIVE. gave the woman the money
and wrote Just under his name and the ten:
CLARITY covereth multitude of SINS
Then he passed out from behind the bar
and began walking slowly to the rear end
OF the long room. The woman with the
sorry face md the long white paper
passed opt. Upon the Threshold she met
man in miners clothes, and even as she
turned to look at him a very short man
rode up to the door OF tie tent and handed
a double barreled shotgun to the man at
the entrance. As the mineT-looking man
entered the tent with the gun the woman
with the paper turned as If she would
follow him, for she feared that the stranger
might do violence, reluctant as she was
TO believe that a man in refined mining
center would resort to the use OF so
clumsy, not to So ' unconventional. a shoot
ing iron as shotgun. Hello, Bobr'
called the man with the gun, and as the
keeper OF the dance hall turned he raised
the weapon and let go both barrels. The
shot, without scattering, entered the throat
OF tile victirl, and carried his gold collar
button out through the back of his neck.
The report Of the shotgun started the
whole camp, and as the Leadville was Cii-
reCtly opposite my hotel, 1 rushed over
and was almost the first man in the place.
One man had preceded me, and as / en-
tered he came out and shouted, Bob
Ford's dead"
At the moment / entered the only person
in the room was the inSigfifIcant-iOoking
woman in the little office. She was weep
ing. She knew me as the editor OF the
morning paper, and at once began To pour
out the story of Bob's virtues. ''He had
planned she said, ITO do much good"
Yes said /, lit is reported that he
intended to kill off the entire Chronicle
force, including the editor
"Yes, know she went on hurriedIy,
for the place was filling up rapidly, but
he didn't mean it-he told nae so-he didn't
have it in fur you all a little bit. But
say she continued, waving a hand in
the direction or the corpse, and her eyes
filled with fresh flood of tears, ''just
to think they should shoot him with that
kind of gun-it-just breaks my heart"
aud she leaned her head upon the bar aud
wept-
Presently she lifted her head. dried her
eyes, and continued:
why. Bob wouldn't NV killed coyote
with a shotgun-it's q coward gun When
he killed Jessie James, the braves man
at ever lived an the deadest shot, he
dun it with a 40, an ef he'd come down
to clear out the Chronicle, which he
woulden', he'd NV come with his two hans
an his siX-shooter an he'd a had you
all iumpin' thu the winders an seootin'
fur tn willers fore yer could NV raised
ham,
WELL" said /. giancing toward the rear
OF the room to make sure he was still
there, 'Eob's all right He's coed fel-
low-now"
l had Known Ford. He was the first man
to whom / was introduced upon my first
visit to the camp. He had been our guide,
and had shown Judge Rocker and me the
camp by candie-light 1t was III on this
occasion that noticed his nervousness. II
a man came III and leftthe Coor open, Ford
would slip back and shut it. IL there was
a mirror over the bar, he always kept his
eyes on it, not to see himself, but to OBJ
serve those who passed to and fro behind
him.
In a pleasant way asked him If he was
expecting some one. He answered. smiling
sadly that he was always expecting some
one He had saved his life once in Kan
sas City by looking into mirror. A friend
of the man ne had murdered entered the
room "a W Forh's face in the mirror and in
stantly reached for his gun, Ford. lifting
his eyes, saw the man, and the moment
their eyes met the man weakened and
passed on. Ny friend, the judge, from
force of habit. presume. began toqueStion
Ford about the killing of.JeSse James. and
the fellow told us that he had been led TO
believe thatif he killed Jesse James. whose
friend nd messenger he had been, he would
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