Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-12-19
Bill Tettcrhurn's Part.

About this time Bill Tetterburn turned
up at Shakespeare. He WAS "A tine looking
fellow. He stood six feet in his socks.
built i'll proportion. AN win features cittl
cut as a marble statue. He wore ms mar.
that was jet black. long an tainl over
his shoulders. in the old frontier iaShloil.
He WAS u regular dude, too. outSlte
Charley Utter. who was via blll : phra up
I'm Wyoming. | never saw a chap put on
more style. Five-dollar gold. pieces tor
buttons for his buckskins, Mexican SOM
brero covered with silvtr work an TWO
silver plated and ivory-handled SiNSiIoot-
ers an al! that kind. He hailed from Wy,
oming. too-leastwise he said he did. an
when it WAS found out that he was "a rus
Russian BIZ to distinguish him from the
other Bills.
money am spent II freely. The boys Won
dered where ne got it. lie didn't prospect
an had no mining claims to sell or BOND,
an all that stood TO his name on the
recorders books was a ranch location m
the Animas valley. yet he was always hnsfl.
He used to so away for weeks at a time
an. always come back with money to burn.
When Curly or his crowd was in town he
would make Il point of goin' around swag-
germ with them, and in Hocksey saloon
one of the gang an talk of successful raids
among the Mexican ranches up JailoS way;
Then he WAS handy with his siXShooter an
used to show the boys some trick shots.
THEY'D give him taffy 10 liquor ut his
expense. an when he was jollied as bein'
quick on the draw. he'd give il to II" under
| stood that he had dropped his man more
''oSs N''N
nor once.
About this time things Were getting
worse than ever around Shakespeare an
what Mr.. Seth Low would call the better
element was gettin' desperate. SO ole
night when Sandy King. a suspected horse
thief, came 10 town with a kid of ID they
We're both arrested and lodged in the Gala
boUse on a warrant from old Judge Graves.
An hour after a mob took them out an
up to Smiths corral. ON their way they
! met Russian Bill an took him also along.
Judge Lynch lowed that Sandy had lived
| long enough for the good OF the community.
an that on his own confession 1t was about
time for Bill 10 stack his chips an quit, as
he couldn't play a square game.
m~an-onIy asked for q drink and a cigar
cite. when he had finished smokin' he
threw away the end and Was swung M TO
a cross beam in the corral. it wasn't 50
swore by the Eternal that he had never
killed a man in his life anywhere an had
never stolen u horse nor a hors. blanket.
He said that his moneY came from his
home in Riga. Russia: that he WAS a noble
man an that his mother was a countess.
He begged them. for the love of God. not
TO string him up until he could write to
Porter ~ Crawford, the Silver City bank
believe u word he said an spurned him for
a white-livered cJIss not fit to live, any
way. Judge Lynch cOu!dn't wait. an. kick
in an howlin' for mercy. he was strung
Ills story was true. ali right. Three
months after the lyuChiuG Il letter came to
Harvey Whitehill. sheriff of the county
from some Russian countess. | disremem-
Der her name. hut il ended In 'ofIsky.' like
all of them, inquiring about her son, las,
heard of in Grant county, y. NJ"
And the kid"
with a Mexican Guirt. He died Il few
months after over to Tombstone of small
poN.