Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1897-05-01
SATURDAY EVENING, MAY /, l
..RLAcK JACK,sn GANG.


The killing OF "Black jack the
robber chief and desperate in Grant
county, removes the most daring
character that has infested New Mex.
leo since the days oi"Bllly, the Kid"
uBlack Jacks" true name was believed
TO be John Mcdonald. Last May, he
and one Tom (s'Red'D Anderson en-
tered New Mexico from the Texas pan
handle and worked a month at the
Bell ranch near old Fl. Bascom. They
had with them numerous punches OF
keys and pockets full of watches. This
aroused suspicion. la June they hit
the road, robbed the Liberty poStofiice
and store and killed Levi Herzstein,
the merchant, and one Trujillo, who
went in pursuit of them. A month
later, Geo. Musgrave, Cole Young alias
Estes and Bob Hayes came over from
Texas and joined them in the vicinity
of White Oaks. While Musgrave
slipped down to Roswell and killed his
old enemy, Geo. Parker, the stockman'
the gang held up the White Oaks-San
Antonio stage twice and after Parker's
dispatch the five men twice repeated
this hold-up. United Estates Marshal
Halls deputies crowded them closely
and they He'd to the Mexican border
and since, they nave confined their
work to the southern and western
boundary lines Of New Mexico rob-
bling postofices, depots and country
stores at Separ, San Simon, huachuca
station. Cliff and other points. They
killed the U. S. line rider, Robson, IN
Skeleton canon, Arizona, aud their
last victim was Geo. Smith, the So
zorro county ranchero. Sid Moore and
his partner, new members of the gang,
are held Responsible for Smiths crue'
assassination.
On the other hand, the law officers
have come back at them with effective
results. The brave Deputy Loomi
killed Cole Young thirty miles west 0
Albuquerque while the gang was al
tempting to hold up the A. q I. train
October 2nd last. Deputies Higgins
Dow and Ballard shot Bob Hayes in
fight near Silver City; an I'M
known member OF the gang was killed
in January by a Wells-Fargo meSsen'
ger at Peach Spring, Ariz., and now
Higgins posse have dropped 'Black
.Jackn from his horse and carried his
huge form into Clifton, fifteen miles
distant.
Higgins is a firm, cool officer andthe
mafshaps Office is proud of his work
He had been on the trail OF the gang
thirty days when he overlook them
The number of his posse is
not known, The marshal's office
4 has instructed him to make a careful
description of "Black jack" noting
every possible feature that a be GOV
cred and take Of the robber chiefs fac
four large photographs. showing the
face and side face with and without thu
hat. vi the old gang. only Anderson
and George Musgrave remain. Thu
latter is a dashy cowboy from the Rit
Pecos region in Texas and is but TWEEN
ay-three years old, but he will proba
bly, become leader of the band, lie !
full of courage and a daring outlaw
smarter ever than "Black jack" wh'
was of a lower order of the genu
homo. though possessed of all the Gun
ming Of au Apache Indian. Musgrave'
father lives down about Eddy. iii
Brother, Van Musgrave, alias Bo'
Lewis, is under indictment at DsminI
for cattle stealing and has aed. 1t ]
believed that he is also now o Membe
of this gang,