The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-04-04

new community, there was none that
excited more curiosity and comment
than man that was known as White
Headed Ross" He appeared to be in,
more than of, the dangerous classes
more of a ruler than commissioning
the gamblers and gun men who are
almost. the first to rush to a new min
ing excitement. He was tall and thin
almost to emaciation. His hair was
white, not the white of age, but tow
head color of childhood. Aside from
this his one noticeable feature was his
eyes, which were cold and steelly blue.
He was never known to laugh and sell
dom to smile. No one ever heard his
voice raised in loud contention, but
whatever the circumstances, 1t ap-
peared to be as low and softly modu-
lated as a woman's. Notwithstanding
this, his shack always appeared to be
the rendezvous of what were esteemed
to be the worst men in the community,
and his word always seemed to be law
unto them. No matter how drunken,
boisterouS and quarrelsome they be-
came down town, let Ross appear upon
the scene and address them few
words in his womanish tones, and give
one glance of warning from his steelly
+ blue eyes, they would separate and 81
| lently seek their lairs He was the
only one who could get an honest days
work out of the broken-down gamblers,
| check guerillas and gun men, when,
down on their luck, they were obliged
/ to labor that they might live. He had
utilized them in cutting hay in Reese
River valley and hauling it to town in
| the fall, and now =. winter he was
/ reaping his reward by retailing it at
I from $3.50 to 5000 per ton to the freight
ers bringing in supplies to the COM
munity. While Ross had the reputa-
ton of being a bad man. in more
ways than one, no one could say ex-
actly how he haf acquired it. To be
sure, rumor had it that his ranch in
Sierra valley had been the resort or
home station of.horse thieves and high
Waymen in western Nevada. but it had
been raided several times by the Off
GERS ana nothing found to incriminate
him.
His reputation as a killer appeared
to rest on the fear that the most des-
perate and daring among the dangerous
classes undoubtedly had of him, for no
overt act of his so far as the commu-
nifty knew seemed to justify it. 1t was
whispered that he was a southern type
of desperate from either Texas or Ar
kansas, and had done something that
made those commemorative, even in
those lawless days. too hot to hold him. /
One morning Austin was startled and |
aStoniShed to learn that White-Headed /
Ross was dead-nOt so much by the
mere fact of his death as that he had
died in his bed like man--of peace, +
instead of with his boots on" as had /
been the rule with all desperadoes on /
the coast. His body had hardly been
sent down the grade with the usual
praSs band accompaniment when the
probate judge came into the store of
one of the merchants and solicited him
TO become special administrator of the
estate. 1t was thought that Ross had
iett quite a sum of money, if it could .
be found, and he certainly had left
about 80 tons of hay, that at going
prices represented quite a tidy sum,
and there were fears that this would
soon disappear, as some of the thugs
and short-card sports who had hiber-
mated about Ross shack claimed it
ana threatened TO remove it by force
Oh arms. The merchant knew what was
before him If he undertook the Job, but
said that he would accept if the court
would audit the bills for. the preserva-
ton of the property. This being con-
ceded, he employed four gun men of
ms acquaintance, armed them with
guns and pistols, and, with them. be-
took himself to the Ross shack and
nay yard, and none too soon, for they
mad hardly ensconced themselves be-
hlnd barricade formed of bales of hay
on top OF the stack before a string of
teams, manned by half of the cross
road sports in town, hove in sight.
Ihere was wordy alteration. but the
special administrator and his gun men
held the fort, and the sports wendell
their way down the hill, disconsoIate
ana empty-handed. No money was
found in or about the shack or record
of any elsewhere. but there was dis
covered a perfect arsenal of weapons,
OFFENSIVE and defensive. Rifles, sawed
on shotguns and pistols of every cali
hre there were in profusion. But the
drihory came out stronger in knives
than in any other weapon. the most
1nurderouS looking of the whole ont
III being triangular affair. keen as
a razor and with a corkscrew handle.
Ihe surprising discovery was that Ross
was not, as had been thought. south
ern born, but was a native of the state
of Maine, where a mother and sister
whom he had been supporting for
years, still lived. From the letters and
papers found, they appeared to he a
respectable, God-fearing sort. who had
no IDEA of the kind of life the son and
brother was leading.
Dlch Altman and George Ensign, two
noted bad men of the town, had fallen
out. What II was all about no ono
seemed TO Know or care, but whenever
tney came together there was a reason
able certainty that they would come
shooting Now in conflicts of this sort
there mad been large amount of bad
The principals very sell
lom sunered therefrom, but the by
We're very apt to carry off me
nentoes of the combat in the shane of
rhunks OF cold lead in some part of
their anatomieS. None of these non
participants had been killed through
ms foolshness, but when "a shooting
ARRAY occurred the bystanders had got
N the habit of bursting into a stimuli
-aneous yell of Don't shoot" more in
of the anticipated bad marks
of the principals than fear
u the consequences. One sunny Sun
lay afternoon, when sidewalks and sa-
oonS We're crowded with miners en-
Toying the sights and diversions of the
own two shots rang out in the big
stone saloon, followed by the derisive
shout from hundred Threats of Don't
;hoot." The sharp crack of two more
shots followed and then the crowd
poured out of the saloons and those
n the street broke for cover. The
principals were now on the street,
)rancing around in their efforts to get
l dead aim at'e2ch other. Among those
who broke out of the saloon was a gil
santfc miner with flannel shirt, overaIls
tucked in cowbide boots and a Tapping
cit hat. He broke down the street,
jumping and cavorting like an ungainly
Tray horse just released from harness,
md with his face on the broad grin
vas yelling at the top of his voice.
Don't shoot AS he was taking his
highest leap and shouting his loudest
he pistols rang out again, and as he
struck the earth the herculean miner
ell prone on his face in the dust. When
hey turned him over an instant later
lie was stone dead. The bullet from
Dick Allman's pistol had struck him
n the b~ck, pierced his heart and heJ
lever knew what hurt him. For this
Dick escaped the state prison by a