Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1897-05-27

1tOr pushed the paper crtoWaru tnc man
u small sallow looking man of 30, who
was ever fidaeting and glancing at the
door of whatever house ho happened to be
in. Tho man glanced down the column,
saw "Soapy Smith, S., and as he hated
"Soapy'' he Immediately raised him IS,
gave the woman the money, and wrote
Just under his name and the $40, Charity
covcrcth 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 and the
long white paper passed out. Upon tho
threshold she met man in miner clothes,
and even as she turned to look at him Il
very short man rode up to the door Of the
tent and handed n double barrclcd shotgun
to the man at the entrance. AS the miner
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 MS
she was to believe that man In n refined
mining center would resort to the use OF
so clumsy, not to say unconventional, q
shooting iron as shotgun. "Hello, Bob''
called tho man with the gun, and ms the
keeper of the dance hall turned he raised
the weapon and let go both barrels. The
shot without scattering, entered the throat
of the victim and carried his gold collar
button out through the back of his neck.
Tho report of the shotgun startled tho
whole camp and rs the 1eadvillC was di-
rectly opposite my hotel rushed over and
was almost the first man In the place. One
man had preceded me, and as l entered he
came out and shouted, Bob Ford 5 dcad!'
At the moment l entered the only person
In the room was the insignificant looking
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. "llc had
planned" she said, ''to do much good
eyes, ~ said |, lit IS reported that lie in
tended to kill of the entire Chronicle force,
including the editor"
Eyes, ! know" she went on hurricdly,
for the place was filling up rapidly, hut
he didn't mean it--ho told he so--hc
didn't have it in fur you--all n little bit.
But, say, she continued, waving hand
in the direction of the corpse and her eyes
filled with fresh food Of tears, Just to
thinl, they should shoot him with that
kind Of n gun -- il - just hyrak'-ry
hearth and She leaned her head upon the
bar and wcpt.
'Wcll, said |, rlancing toward the rear
Of the room to make SURE he WAS still there,
"Bob's all right He's II good fellow
now "
had known Ford. Howas the first man
to whom ! was introduced upon my first
visit to the camp. He had been our guidc
and had shown Judge Rocker and me the
camp by candlclirh t. 1twas upon this oc-
casion that l noticed his nervousness. II a
man came in and left the door open, Ford
would slip back and shut it. If there was
II mirror over the bar, he always kept his
eyes on it, not 10 see himself, but to OBJ
serve those who passed to and fro behind
him.
In n pleasant way I asl;cd him if he was
expecting soTuo one. Iicau,S,r,d, smiling
sadly, that he was always expecting soIt
one
Kelly, the" tough citizen, ~ who removed
Ford, seemed, strangely enough, t. regard
the killing Of this man much rs Ford had
looked upon the killing of Jesse James.
Ford was an open enemy of society, and
only n month before his death had closed
all tho business houses and put the camp
to bed at 9p. m The morning paper had
suggested that Ford be informed that he
would be expected in the future to refrain
from shutting up the town, leave the
camp or be hanged, just as he pleased,
and for that he swore he would kill off the
working force, from the editor in chief
down to "Frcclilc Jimmie" the devil.
However, Kelly was wrong. He was
condemned even by Forls enemies for his
cowardly act, just us the public had disap-
proved of the murder of Jesse james. All
agreed that the removal of Jesse would
facilitate the movement of trains in Mis-
souri,, and that Ford's absence would add
much to the peace End quiet of Creole
camp but no man admircs n coward So
Kelly was arrested, and in Judge Bells
court he was surprised to receive life
sentence in the pen
On the morning of the day following the
killing half q hundred people assembled in
q storcroom where religious services We're
held They brought Fords coffin and
placed it upon bench, and then the
preacher got up and preached funeral
sermon. He was not very enthusiastic,
thought, but he had q tough client and
hard case. He took for his text, If he could
be said to have taken anything, the line
which Ford had written upon the white
paper, "Charlty covcreth multitude of
SIM" and made the most of 1t.
When he had finished, an express wag-
on backed up to the door, they put the
dead man in, and the wagon wound away
up the trail to n level spot above the town,
where the unwcpt and unfortunate girl
had been buried the day Ford died. where
all about were new made graves, where
Gambler Joe simmons and "Slanting An
ale" slept side by side.
Tho autumn winds blow bleak and chill
The signing, quiverng aspen waves
About the summit of the hill,
Above the unrecordod graves
Whore halt, abandoned burros feed
And coyotes call-and this is Crecdo