The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-12-28
.LYNCHED
FOR LYING.
Russian Bill Told the
Truth at Last.
WAS TOO LATE, HOWEVER
His Swagger and Bluff Convinced
People He Was Rustler.
HE WAS A RUSSIAN NOBLEMAN.


leard or knew of man lynched but for
rhine, and crime of which any jury would
have found him guilty, and don't you for
get it,
II once knew Of n man who was lynched
down in my territory for lyin, quietly
broke in the ex-sheriff from New Mexico,
ian that's not much of "a crime anyway.
The necktic party came off in Grant coun-
ty when was a deputy under Harvey II.
Whitehill
"It happened in this wiso: It was in
1882 an all the people in the southwestern
part Of the territory were i'm an ugly tenn
per. The Lincoln county war, that left
hundreds OF honest settlers without the
homes that they had lawfully taken up in
the Pecos valley, had ended in the KILN
of Billy the Kid by sheriff Pat Garrett,
but the rust.ers were still in possession Of
the San Simon valley an were stealth the
stock of the people on both sides of the line
an reapin rich harvest. They would
steal horses an mules an run 'em over to
the Mexican side into Chihuahua an So
nora an then steal Mexican cattle an run
'em over TO our side. There was fine
market for stock on our side with the gov
ernment contractors for the san Carlos an
Muscalero Indian agencies, not to speak
of tho military posts. On the other hand,
the MexicaHs never looked the gift Amer
ican horse too close in the mouth or were
particular in the matter of bill of sale
The rustlers Ind powerful friends in two
Mexican states an two United States ter
ritorics, so a man that didn't want his
hide filled too full of bullets TO skin lowed
that he had better lay low.
"'Curly Bill was the leader of the San
Simon gang an his lieutenant was Johnny
Price, Johnny Over the Fence Then
there was Cactus Bill an kid of l6,
Johnny Hughes, known along the Gila
valley as the Kid of the san Simon
There was about 20 in all in the gang, but
the others didn't have any record to blow
on.
"The town of Shakespeare-whyi It was
ever called Shakespeare / never could
make out except that it was little Ham
Let's within easy reach Of the san Simon,
an it was 10 il the gang came at intervals
TO blow themselves in an paint the town
red. They raised hades an spent their
stuff freely enough round the saloons, but
thy never left without payin visit to
q. Is. Ss,yth's or some of the other big
corrals an runnin off more stock than they
had left the value of behind.
About this time Bill Tetterburn
turned up at Shakespeare. He was IA fine
lookin fellow. He stood q feet in his socks
built in proportion an with features clear
cut as q marble statue He wore his hair
that was jet black, long an falln over his
shoulders in the old frontier fashion. He
was regular dude too Outside Charley
Utter, who was Wild Bills pard up in
Wyoming, / never saw chap put on
moro style-S5 goldpieces for buttons for
his buckskins. Mexican sombrero COW
cred with silver work an two silver plated
IN ivory handled six shooters an all that
kind. He hailed from Wyoming, too
leastwisc ho said he did-an when il was
found out that he was "a Russian born the
boys gave him the name of Russian Bill
TO distinguish him from the other Bills.
"Wcll, Russian Bill always had plenty
Of money, an spent it freely. The >boys
wondered where he got it. He didn't
prospect an had no Ininin claims to sell or
bond, an all that stood TO his name on the
recorders books was a ranch location in
the Animas valley, yet he was always
flush He used 10 go away for weeks nc a
time an always come back with money TO
burn. When Curly or his crowd was in
town, he would make a point of goin
around swagCorin with them, an in Rock
sey's saloon he'd drop hints when half
successful raids among the Mexican
ranches up Janos way. Then he was
handy with his six shooter an used To
show the boys somo trick shots. They'd
give him tally TO liquor at his expense, an
when he was jollicd rs bein quick on the
draw he'd give IL to be understood that he
had dropped his man more nor once.
About this time things were gettin
worse than ever around Shakespeare, an
what Mr.. Seth Low would call the better
element was gettin desperate. so one
night when Sandy King, "A suspected horse
thief, came to town with kid of 15, they
were both arrested an lodged in the Gala
boosc on warrant from old Judge Graves.
IAN hour after IA mob took them out an
up to Smyth's corral. On their way they
met Russian Dill an took him also along.
Judge Lynch lowed that Sandy had lived
long enough for the good of the commu
nifty, an that on his own confession 1t was
about time for Bin TO stack his chips an
quit, rs he couldn't play square game.
Sandy took his medicine like "A little
man. Only Gskcd for drink an a ciga-
rettc. When ho bad finished smokin, he
threw away the end nn was swung up TO n
cross beam in tho corral. IL wasn't 80
with poor Bill. lie fell on his knees an
sworc by tho eternal that he had never
killed a man i'm his life anywhere an had
never stolen a horse nor horse blanket.
He said that his money came from his
home in I.iya, Russia; that he was no.
beman, an that his mother was countess.
He begged them ior the loyo Of God not TO
string him Up until he could write 20 Por-
ter an Crawford, the Silver City bankers,
where his money was. They didn't be-
love awur1 ho said AN spurned him for
twhite li,orcd cuss not M Ia live anyway.
Judge Lynch couldn't wait, an kickin an
howlin for mercy Inc was strung up after
Sandy.
Ills story was true all right. Three
months alter the lynchin "a letter came To
Harvey Whitchill, sheriff Of the county,
from some Russian countess disromem-
Der her name, but 1t ended In 'offsky, like
all Of them, inquirin about her son, last
heard o. ia Grant county, ". M.
And the kidy'
They lct him on with sound whip