The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-11-21

well, yes-at first" said he; but
the moment the shooting begins you
become drunk with the excitement of
the fight and the smell of powder and
all thought of danger blows by"
Now, this fellow had been quiet,
modest youth up to the evil hour in
which he was tempted to take the life
Of Jesse James, his friend and bene-
factor. James had taught Ford the
use of the fascinating 40 with which
the pupil slew the teacher. That was
the beginning of Fords end. He grad
ually grew in ''cussedness" until he
had acquired the unenviable reputa-
ton of being q bad man, and was, in
the end, himself ANONYMOUSLY muir
dered.
Another instance in which the seduc-
tive siX-shooter led man astray is
the case of Frank Rand of Illinois. 1
say of Illinois because it was in that
state, near the little town of Altimont,
that he wandered, an inoffensive
tramp, to a farmers house one morn
ing in quest of food The farmer lived
in a little shack on the railroad, on a
bit of ground alone. He wasn't polite
to the tramp and the tramp resented
the insult. The farmer so forget him
self as to kick the tramp, and the
tramp pulled his gun and killed the
y
the smoke heard the shot and saw the
man fall. Lifting the car to the track
they pumped into Altimont and gave
alarm.
The tramp saw the car go and
guessed the cause of it. He glanced at
his six-shooter and felt certain Sc
curity. A gentleman of the road"
testified afterward that he had tramped
with Rand for few weeks and found
IL, Ill 1s(t
and inoffensive. He was reasonably
honest, the man said. The only thing
he had known Rand to steal was food
and cartridges. If he could not steal
ammunition for his gun he would beg
money go hungry, and buy it. AS
often as they stopped to rest Rand
took his siX-shooter to pieces, cleaned
it and put it together again. He was
a wonderful shot. He could kill far
merS bulldog as far as he could see
him. He would shoot the head from
a tame pigeon at the top of a country
church, and kill brown birds on the
tops of telegraph poles. He never
missed, whatever he aimed at.
SO now, when he saw men hurrying
out from the little town afoot, on
horseback and in top buggies, he made
no doubt they were after him. He
kicked out the empty shell and put in
a fresh cartridge Presently a horse
leaped the low hedge and came straight
for the tramp, who was heading for
some willows down by the little stream.
The man on the horse called to the
man who was running across the stub
bic to stop For answer, Rand turned
slightly, but without stacking his pace,
and aimed at the horseman. There
was a puff of smoke from the tramp's
pistol, the horse plunged high, and then
fell dead IN the field, shot square be-
tween the eyes The rider got to his
feet glanced 'at his poor dead horse,
and ran after the flying tramp. Others
came up, saw the wound in the horse S
head, and considered it only a chance
shot. No one thought for a moment
that Rand had aimed it SO. In little
While the-r chased the fugitive out of
the willows and across an open field
a man with a swift horse rode round
the field, dismounted and stood upon
a little culvert over which the tramp
must pass. Rand, running straight for
the man, who held the bridge and q
double barrcled shotgun, called to him
and signalled to him with his siXshoot-
er. But the man held his place. Stand
aside" he shouted The man deliber-
ately raised his shotgun. Without stop
+ pin, Rand cut loose at the man. He
threw up his hands, waved the gun
above his head, and then, as Rand
went by. toppled over into the ditch.
Still running, the outlaw heard a rifle
crack close behind him, and the whine
of bullet that whistled by. CHANGING
back he saw a man standing on the
line fence, aiming another shot at him.
Again the toy gun cracked and the
man, who had his feet in the top crack
of the fence, pitched forward into the
field
Now, when the pursuing party came
up and saw the two men hit as the
horse had been hit, plump between the
eyes, their hearts stood still What
devil was this, DIT the crook of whose
finger men dropped dead? 1t is all very
we'll TO so in pursuit of an outlaw, a
murderer, but few men care to ( y a
fiend of this sort, even to avenge the
death of neighbor. or bring the guilty
to book. Life is sweet. The pursuing
! party parleyed, and Rand ran away.
| A mile down the road he saw a boy
riding a good horse. He stopped the
! boy and told him hurriedly that man
had been shot down thesroad and that
! he was running for a doctor Tc
| ha stem matters ha hnrroxyad fha botyte