The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1898-09-17
he STOLE A BUNCH OF HORSES
Followed by Officers and Driven
to an Island He Put q Bullet
into His Breast Rather Than
Go to the Pen.


place - milos up the river about g.
80 a. M. Ed Short, an ex-convict,
with a long sentence in the peniten-
tiary staring him in the face, prefer
red death to a further lease of life.
a shot from a "A through the heart,
a few struggles in the brush, and
Short had nothing further to fear
from earthly Judge or jury. The
story briefly told is this:
Sunday night Short went to the
ranch of the Cascade land company,
up the Sun river valley, where he
took three saddles and a horse. He
had with him two other horses, and
thus rugged out he rode away. VIM.
Bailey aid Ed Chisholm, two en-
ployes of the ranch, missed the horse
and saddles and on horseback, next
morning, started after the thief.
They reached Great Falls about 3
O'Clock yesterday afternoon and, no.
tifying sheriff Proctor, continued on
the trail. Proctor went out in his
buggy, taking the course the thief
was supposed to have taken. Near
the Chichester ranch, just where the
Ming coulee road crosses the Sand
Coulee road, they caught sight of
their man. He was mounted and rid
ing along the high ground to the
south. The men on horses rode fast
ahead to cut him off. Proctor follow
ed in his buggy. Short saw them and
took for the river. One of the men
on horseback made a circuit around
him, driving him surely to the river
bank. Cut off in front and rear, Short
abandoned his and scrambled over
the cliff to the road below.
He went to the Ten Mile road
house and obtained some food. Then
he continued up the river and two
miles further waded through the
shallow water to an island. Esconsed
in the brush, he felt he could defy
pursuit. Meanwhile he had already
exchanged a number of shots with
Proctor. He had fired at Proctor
four times with his revolver without
effect, and Proctor had fired three
shots at him, non of them taking
effect. Although he did not know,
three shots were all the ammunition
the sheriff had with him, which was
the reason why Bailey rode back to
to town to secure more ammunition
and more help.
In the meantime Short had reached
the island and fortified himself for
the night. At about $50, Deputy
Sires reached the spot with more am
munition, but there was no use in
wasting fire, for all the pursuers
could e was the puff Of smoke from
the brush when Short fired and this
was not enough to direct their fire
accurately. So they laid down to
beslege the thief. The night passed
without special incident. One is
forced to the conclusion that Short
was either crazy or lacking ordinary
good EMS With a little swim.
ming or the aid of a bit of wood he
could have easily reached the other
side of the river and defed the offic-
ers successfully. On that side of
the liver there was nothing to be
feared. The prisoner could have
gained five hours the advantage of
his pursuers by crossing and would
have been on the road in a country
whittier it would have been hard to
follow him. He was "a desperate
man, declaring hat he would seek
death rather than take the chances
OF going to the ~penitentiary, yet he
failed to swim the river and prolono
his liberty if not make good his es,
cape.
About $50 this morning he walk
out of the brush. The officers we're
20 yards away from him. He called
to them to take IA shot at him, for it
would be their last chance. He said
that it be c III captured it meant 10
Or 10 years in the pen, and be would
rather die. He called to them a
second time to take a shot at him
and when they failed to do SO he
walked back into the brush. Thirty
minutes later the officers heard the
crack OF a revolver aud then groan.
They went into the brush Just in
time to find Short in .he last throes
of death.
The body was brought into the