Evening star., 1897-01-09

"tie ABOUT 10 ufd2
away up to the Last Chance, stood dream
ing in San Louis avenue and having their
PICTURES taken by the writer Some fisher
men, with long cane poles thrown over
their shoulders, were trailing out at the
lower end of the town in the direction of
the Rio Grande. A string of heavy ore
wagons was coming down the mountain
from the Amethyst mine. The brake on the
forward wagon gave way when the team
was nearly down to the foot of the hill
and instantly the heavy load shot forward
and the poor animals-there were six of
them-bounded away in a mad effort to
keep out of the way of the heavy load.
The wheel horses appeared to unders tand
that they were expected to hold the wagon
back and they did what they could; but
the force of the great wagon threw them
off their feet, and when they FELL slid them
along the rocky road to the foot OF the HILL
grinding and crushing their legs under the
wheels. and when the wagon finally stopped
they were both dead. All this happened
just above and in full view of the town, so
that many of the people saw it, and heard
the peer animals cry, almost as human
being would cry for help while they were
being run down and killed by the ore
wagon.
A moment later the crowd which had col
lected to view the wreck had it's attention
1eeling down the principal street with a
Well-developed Jag" and a gait on like
Riley's "Wabbedy'' calf. Some hoodlums
had given the burro beer. and he was as
drunk as man.
Funeral Expenses.
A sorry-lookng young woman was work.
ing the shops and saloons on the shady
side of the avenue. She carried a long
sheet of writing paper, upon which she
site their names the amount of their sub
scriptions. One of the girls had died the
night before, and this mpney was asked
to pay some one to dig a hole at the top
of the hill and to hire an express wagon
to haul the girl up there. When the wo-
man came to the Leadville dance hall she
entered and was greeted sadly by another
woman who stood over behind low railing
which extended from the end Of the bar
to the front of the tent, fencing off a little
space which served as an Office for the
proprietor and the woman, who was
silent partner in the firm. The visitor
pushed the paper over toward the man
small. sallow-looking man of thirty-two,
door of whatever house he happened to be
in. The man glanced down the column,
saw "Soapy Smith, S. and, as he hated
"Soapy,"' he Immediately raised him five.
gave the woman the money and wrote
just under his name and the ten: Charity
covereth a 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
the threshold she met a man in miners
clothes, and even as she turned to look at
him very short man rode up to the door
OF the tent and handed a double-barreled
shotgun to the man al the entrance. AS
the miner-looking man entered the tent
with the gun the woman with the paper
turned as II she would follow him, for
she feared that the stranger might do vio-
lence, reluctant as she was to believe that
a man in a refined mining center would
resort to the use of so clumsy, not to say
unconventional. shooting iron as a shot
gun. Hello, Bob. called the man with
the gun, and as the keeper of the dance
go both barrels. The shot, without scat
tering, entered the throat of the victim
and carried his gold collar button out
through the back of his neck
Womnn's Tears.
The report of the shotgun startled the
whole camp, and as the Leadville was
directly opposite my hotel 1 rushed over
and was almost the first man in the place.
One man had preceded me, and as 1 en-
tered he came out and shouted: Bob
Ford's dead"
At the moment I entered the only person
In the room was the MISUNDERSTANDING
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. He had
planned" she said, Ito do much good"
Yes" said 1, lit is reported that he in
tended to kill off the entire Chronicle force,
including the editor"
Yes. know she went on hurriedly, for
the place was filling up rapidly, 'but he
didn't mean it-he tole me so-he didn't
have it in fur you-all little bit. But,