The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-06-12


have scar on him. One time he attended
a cattle roundup on Pena creek. He had
| no friendz with him and eight Nexlcen
/ COW hands were present. He had killed a
| relative OF one OF them at a border dance
! and they closed in on him. lie wore two
revolYers that day buckled outside of
long, blue army overcoat that was but
toned to the chin He needed Them. Two
OF The Mexicans went down before they
dragged him from his horse. Even when
on the ground. with mis- foes stabbing and
! hacking at him. his pistols continued 10
work. In that struggle among the crazy
| cattle they took the overcoat off him
! without breaking or unfastening n but
| ton Nobody knows how IL was done but
1t happened just as a horse will some
times buck out Of a double cinchod saddle
without breaking the glrths. When
Franklin rose up without his coat the three
Mexicans who were left jumped into their
sauGies and got away He had no more
cartridges. He was not scratched.
II was his habit to keep considerable
sums of money made in smuggling, in his
house. For convenience in handling on
the other side of the river, it was al
ways In gold, This fact was known 10
several of the rustIers who lived in the
section. One night two of them called
at Franklin's house. The house was of
two rooms, one used to sleep in the other
e
the kitchen contained a large open fire.
place. Franklin was standing in front of
this in his night clothes and barefooted
warming himself previous 20 going to bed
His wife was asleep in the next room, ana
mis- weapons were in there He went to
the door when he heard the knock md ad-
united the men, whom he knew we'll
Their names. were Woods and Jackson
They said they had been riding late. were
on their way to a ranch ten miles distant
and were cold. He invited them to dra "
up to the fire. Each of them wore a six
shooter and hada Winchester in his han.l
Franklin, unsuspicious of danger stood
between them with his back to the fire.
Suddenly they grasped him by each arm,
dropping their rifles, drew their pistols,
and began firing at him. The man was
quicker than a cat. His nightshirt fell
from him in two burning strips ard he
bounded into the next room The next in
slant he reappeared with his six-shooter
They caught glimpse of him, stark nak-
ed In the dark doorway, and then both Of
them were dead. One fell with his face
on the burning wood and was charfed be-
yond recognition. Other than powder
marks on his right and left sides, frank
lin showed no sign of the fray. He rode
fifteen miles the next day to get a Justice
of the peace, who held an inquest, and
buried the rustlers IN the chaparral
His first wife lived with him Tor thirty
years. When asked once how many men
he had killed or, rather how many of his
killing he had confided to her. she counted
upon her fingers:
Three in Garlic and two in Ysleta, and
one at Cochina and one near Twohig, and
two in New Laredo, and one in Old La
Fredo, and man named Grimshaw in Hi
daIso, and the two men who tried to kill
him in the house one night, and two SOL
dlers In Eagle Pass, and a cowboy on the
cattle trail in Indian territory, and a sheep
man named Williams at Palafox, and
and-and God knows how many Mexikins
in tn bresh.' The total is seventeen
Americans. She did not count Latins.
Exactly how many men Franklin has kill
ed will never be known, but Strayhorn
says proudly that il can't be less than
thirty and may be fifty.
This was the end of him, so far as Texas
is concerned. The old wife, who had borne
him three tall sons, died A year after
ward Franklin, then in his ed year, mar
ried again-lhis time widow named High
tower. She was not of the best character
"a black-eyed, red-cheeked, buxom wo-
man-but he had lived quietly at home for
some years and had heard nothing against
her. He was holding office in Zapata
county, and for few months the couple
lived happily. Then whispers against her
reached him. 1t is not known to this day
VINO had nerve enough to tell him, but he
was told probably by a woman. Such
things can't be kept down in a little coun-
try town. He got the name of the man
and asked him TO dinner He was never
more iow-voiced and gentle than at this
meal. Afterward the three Of them went
Tor stroll. They walked down the little
White road that led from the little county
seat to Laredo on the north The people
sitting about their yards in the dusk heard
Franklin laugh as they passed along. Ten
minutes afterward two shots, so close to-
gether that they seemed almost one, rang
on the summer air. The folks found the
wife and the man lying side by side. both
shoe through the head, but there was no
trace of the husband. 1t was not great
way to the Gulf, and he found a boat TO
take him across. His best horse had been
hidden nearby. AS Strayhorn saws
When man gets past 60 years old and
his wife goes back on him, he is rnost
generally glad of 1t. He thinks he is plenty
young TO get another. But that wasn't
the way with Jim Franklin"