The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-07-30
A CHAIN OF MANKILLERS.
THE MOMENT or FEAR THAT CAME
TO FOUR TEXAS DESPERADOES.
Clint Hnwarth's Nerve Collapsed at Dance

Clint Hnwnrth's Nerve COLLAPSED mt n Dance
King Fishers Handling of Aerror
and His own Reformation - Pnblino
Coy Waiting Now to Meet lila Muster.
UvALDE. Tex. July 27-"No man can be as
game as a gamecock," is a dictum laid down
often by Hank Moore. for five years mem
Der Of the State Ranger force and for twenty
years after that deputy sheriff on a troubled
frontier. His experience Of men whose sole
capital was their courage has been large. He
has seen them tested under all conditions.
From the things that have happened he de-
duces his maxim He enlarRes 1t in this way:
- purely bred chicken will fight anywhere
and all the time and anything or anybody. 1t
Will fight II punched Off its perch at midnight.
1t will night 10y sunlight. electric light. gas
light. torchlight or no light at all. It will fight
man. or horse or an elephant. 1t will fly in
the face OF a cougar. IL will sink it's spurs into
a hat il the hat be thrown near IL. II mirror
ia placed where 1t can see its own reflection 1t
will beat out it's brain STRIVING to say an mag
mary opponent. There Is no conceivable set OF
circumstances under which good cock won't
fight. That sort Of human is never born.
Every man may or may not have his price but
1t is sure thing that every man has his fear
Moore believes that the desperate has never
lived who was not at some time afraid Of some
other desperate. and there are black spots on
the records OF them all. He has had wide
acquaintance with men OF the trigger and in
support OF his theory instances four Incidents
in the lives of four OF the most celebrated kill
lers the Mexican American frontier has
known Two OF these men never saw the
other two. and yet the story OF their defeats
makes a chain. They were connected in a way.
and II the spoOks OF them meet in the half
world and compare notes they will have an
interesting time. The four concerned we're
Clint Haworth. Bin Iongley. King Fisher and
Manuel Estrada All Of them died by steel
or shot or rope. but they did not kill each
other. The chain began in this way
Clint Haworth is believed to have been
native OF southern Mississippi. He came to
Texas in 1876. leaving in the States to the
east a score OF which any professional man
slayer ought to be proud. His total Of kills
was five negroes and two white mon. and he
was not then 30 years old II is thought that
he came West because his own country had
grown too hot. He did not enter very far into
! Texas. making his stamping ground along the
Sabine River. which is the States eastern
/ boundary and travelling through the tier Of
! counties running up from the Gulf 10 northern
/ Louisiana. His business seemed to be trading
horses. and he got rich at it with strange
rapidity. 1t was discovered afterward that
| II was hts custom to steal bunch OF animals
| in Louisiana. swim them through the Sabine at
at some point where there was neither q house
nor a ferry, trade them in Texas, sell the stock
| for which he had traded them. steal another
bunch. cross them into Louisiana, trade them.
| sell and steal again. AS he was man OF much
| daring and industry well acquainted with the
| lay of the country and sensible enough to en-
| ploy only one assistant at a time. he cleared
for three years more than 81 900 month
He would have amassed much wealth but for
h..f 70 hat hat Ri bar and
when drunk. like most other men Of his class.
was especially dangerous. He killed several
men in ARRAYS during these three years.
! and the expense of hiring lawyers. brib-
! Ing Jurors. paying for witnesses and
| like things ate up most Of his profits. Haworth
was brave at all times. but when half drunk
was ferocous. At the end Of his career in
eastern Texas he had district 300 miles long
! by 200 wide utterly terrorized. Even the off,
GERS OF the law.men paid to take their lives in
their hands and to face all manner Of danger
GUS people. were afraid Of him. and none Of
them could be found willing to attempt his ar
rest when one Of his sprees. At such times
| 1t was tavorite pastime OF Haworths to ride
! into crowded saloon at night force the bar
! tender to serve him liquor in the saddle force
| him to give water to his horse in one OF
the barroom buckets. shoot out the lights.
ride down the steps In the dark and
| depart. He had a bay horse that would
attempt to go anywhere and the two together
| made a strong combination. The man was a
dead shot and in quickness with his weapon
was surpassed IN eastern Texas annals only by
John Wesley hardin, Killed in FL Paso two
huge red beard tumbiing to his waist. and
would have proved dangerous Antagonist to
any one in hand hand .cncounter. There
is record. however. OF his killing but one man
With Sntfe This was aeGom,plis h at fish
some distance from his horse Contrary to his
custom h. had left his nistol hanging to his
Br6%n he WAS WAS kme from rosT
near the left shoulder clear down to the waist
line. savage. dragging stroke that laid him
In November. 1870, Haworth attended a
country dance in Pamela county. near the river.
come out Of the West, u slender bue-eyed fell
low with huge thin aquilinc nose. prominent
that mid thin Tipped mouth running straight
across his fac" IKE a CASH This was Bill Long
and destined in the next two years to become
one of the most celebrated OF the many celc-
inerf OF he did ne at
ever. between men Of this class. Drawa by
s size Of tie crowd Khont 10 10 ociock Haworth,
pretty drunk. and Longley, cold sober, were
dancers occupied he centre Of the floor. The
talk began about horses. 1t went from horses
weapons it went to the use Of weapons and
some argument as to the respective merits OF
the takers. An instant thereafter Haworth
fell at full length He had been struck In the
mouth. He lenped up. the blood yelling
through his red beard: and when be gained his
six-shootcr within foot Of his face He did
not speak. and his hands went up as II they
had been ,jerked hv strings. His eyes were
half closed and he trcmblcd slightly. Longoy
leaned forward and repeatedly damned the
muZZlc OF the pistOl against the mans lips and
cheeks. Each time that it came away 1t left a
white ring OH the flesh that afterward turned
Just cheep, damn you'll" he said. Just
cheep!"
Haworth did not cheep. Not sound came
out Of him. Slowly he was backed to the door
the savage six-shooter dentng his flesh with
each step. He was taken In this fashion to his
horse and made to mount. Longley told him
that II he was found in the country next, day
| he would be killed. He rode away in the dark
still silent and thoroughly cOwed Despite his
undcniable bravery he left Pamela county that
night filled with blind dumb terror Of his con-
queror llaworth was stabbed to death in
| New Mexico in lSS3,
In the next year LonGlcy klllOl seven men In
eastern Texas. Three months after hts arriva