The morning times., 1897-01-30
0URAY'S Merry SHERIFF
Jesse Benton'S Encounters With
DesperadOes in the West.
Twenty-one Bullets Fired at Him at
Short Range-His Experience in
Quieting Towns.
From the New York SUM

HI Denver Il rev DAYS ago. ana III Was
thought that he had Come TO secure assist
ance in case the striking miners attempted
10 make trouble for the Missourians inn
ported by the managers of the Virginius
mine, Go take the places of the men who had
quit work But Sheriff Benton soon set
that matter straight.
There viii be no trouble in our county,
said he in his quiet, easy way, for L told
the boys didn't want nofuss, and theyknow
1 mean what 1 say. One day got tele-
phone message from the foreman up at the
mine that the men had gone out, and he
wanted me to bring up ali the deputies |
could gather TO prevent trouble. / saddled
up my horse, took a couple of deputies
along for company, and went up TO the
mining camp away up on the side OF Mount
Eneffes. The miners had gone 10 their
lodging houses and were quietenough when
/ arrived. Next morning the foreman sent
word TO the lodging houses for the miners
toline-up in front of the office, as he wanted
TO make them a speech. The men came
down, and stood alonside while the talk
was going on. The foreman told the men
that he had received word from the owners
OF the property in Denver to tell the men TO
go back TO work again, and that all would
be lovely, or as many as wanted TO Quit
might call for their time.
Their grievance was that the two shift
bosses had cussed them too much and they
had struck TO obtain the discharge Of those
two men. After the speech they asked for
fifteen minutes to discuss the matter, which
was granted. Then they sent up from the
lodging houses committee OF three, who
reported that everybodv would go out on
strike, and that they would hit the trail
for 0uray shortly; but they wanted 10 take
tile two shift bosses along with them. Then
] spoke up. told the committee to tell the
minersthatthe two shift bosses were with me
at the office and for them TO come and get
the men. But suggested that all who came
would not get away again; and so they
dropped the idea OF taking the shift bosses
along They went down to 0uray and or
Eanizeda union, and then most of them got
out Of the camp. They had lived too long
in ouray. anyway, and had enjoyed regu
lar pay days for too many years. / think
change viii do them good
No one, To look at Sheriff Benton and hear
him talk with q slight dra wi, would i'm
agiue him TO be a man Of extraordinary
courage, bnt tle has a reputation for nerve
ana accuracy in the use of firearms and
tool oljudgmantintimeso ofeXcitement equaled
~ few men in the West.
Il don't find any difference in my shoot
lng,'' said he, in response to a question. Il
80. shoot fir7try straight yet, though there
are not so many occa sions no y - exercise
my skill as when / first came West Game
10 not so plentiful, and there are not SO
many bad men ready to display their nerve
In the early days, before man could be
recognized as a desperate, he had to be
)retty quick with his gun and almost u
lead shot. have had twenty-one bullets
fired at me at very close range by bad men
IN my time, but / don't carry single lead
mark to show. or course, that is not all
he bullets that have been fired az me, but
III the rest came at long range and don't
pount. Many bad man wanted to pick me
Dff, but never gave them more show than
vas absolutely necessary. Singularly
enough, too, have always had plenty of
witnesses TO my shooting scrapes-so some
5imes as many as several hundred at a
time and never shot a man eXceptI was
Justified in killing him.
My father trained all his toys TO handle
guns IN our home in Chenango county, n. 7.
Wewere taughthow to load and how tofire,
and he al" ay accompanied us or sentanold-
er brother along until he was certain that
we knew how to do it. After one of us
boys could bring down a squirrel every
iime we aimed at one, then We were per
mitted TO shoot at a mark and go ii alone.
/ came 10 Colorado in 1860 and was in the
mines untilthe war broke out, when came
10 Denver and enlisted with the Colorado
volunteers. i didn't 60 to the front, but
was put to work to recruit men to fill up
the regiment that was forming to march
against the Indians out on the plains Re-
cruits came in too slowly To suit the colonel,
and martial law was declared so as tG get
more soldiers. / went out ON the street
with SIX deputies, armed with twelve
guns, and whenever we met man walking
lIong, no matter who lie was, we swore
him right in, gave him gun and made him
ian into line. AS soon as the six guns
had been distributed to the new recruits
we marched them to headquarters, got
Eix more guns, and went out again. In
short time we had enough men co fill the
regiment, and there was o more difficulty
In keeping the ranks filled after that.
After the war held post on the Den
yer police force, and had plenty of fighting
lcrapes with though citizens. When the
Kansas Pacific Railroad was building West
Il was pretty difficult to find quiet town
Blong the road. SO many men had preju-
dice against dying in bed that it kept the
peace officers busy trying to please them.
One day message came from the town of
Kit Carson asking for a man to take the
place OF town marshal, which had been sud-
denly made vacant, and 1 took the job.
After / had been there but a short time 1
discovered that the leader of the trouble
was the county judge, and very soon 1 had
him quiet III jail. Then 1 found that the
Justice of the peace WAS the next man L
needed. He lived a short way out OF town,
and, armed with a warrant, went there
alone to arrest him. He was eating break
fast when 1 called, but l told him not to
hurry, as / could wait, and ] sat down.
When he had finished his meal he got up
and went to a small stand, but before he
could get out his gun, had the drop on
him, and suggested that if he wanted his
gun, to go along and would carry it for
him lie consented to that arrangement
and went to Jail without any fuss. Of
course, 1 had to do some shooting, just to
prove that 1 meant business; but quiet was
soon restored.
Il followed along the Union Pacific to all
the tough towns and kept things quiet for
the people Tho wanted to sleep nights. I
had a mob to handle one day at Piedmont
who wanted TO lynch q man, but when they
saw that I was not in the game they took
me at nv word and did not try to argue
the matter long. 1t seems that a wagon
master of freightng train gotintoa quar-
rel with tie-chopper over game Of cards,
OF