Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1899-07-25
HIS LAST FORD.

| NI>-FO- - " [-AO-Ds
''You see thet bluff over thereP Thet's
Coyote point This was addressed to
lac by my guide and assistant "Mr.
Amos Adams. as he loved to be called.
1 had been sent ont to this No Man 8
Land to make preliminary survey with
barometer and hand level for a railroa6.
and. putting up one night at saloon.
the only hotel in Williams, had met
"Ame.' a tall. broad shouldered Ari-
zonian, who took quite fancy to me
because / called him ''NIr. Adams and
offered to go with me ''jest fer the fun
of the thing" Learning that he was
more familiar with the country than
any one around there. was only too
| glad to employ him. All needed was
some one who knew the principal passes
and the location of the ''tanks' (rocky
basins in ravines where water from the
winter rains or melted snow is held till
| long in the summer)
1t had been month since we had
camped on the banks of a muddy little
stream known to the Indians and Mexi-
cans as La Rio Puerco and we were up
| in the mountains north of the spot
where the town of Flagstaff is now To-
Gated.
We had finished arather meager din
ner of bacon and hard tack. with small
piece of venison part of n deer which
Anne had killed the night before, and
were stretched out under pine tree
enjoying "a pireful. Our horses
which we had unsaddled and hobbled,
|
grass which grew near.
1 turned my head lazily in the direc-
tion indicated and mumbled gruff
"What of it2'
''Well, It wuz nigh on six year ago
thet last see thet bluff. You see, Coy
ote wuz bad man, half Indian an half
Mexican, an meaner critter never
breathed. He could throw rope bet
tern any of us an ride the meanest
broncho thet ever went up in the air.
81 wuz punchin cattle for Palmer
Bros X Y brand. about 80 mile
northeast of Prescott There wuz Jim
Barker an Dandy butcher an Lem
Leonard, Coyote an me. There wuz
about 20 more. but we wuz the only
ones in at the time speak of.
1.-The 'old man. as we called Jim
Palmer, wuz about go, with white hair
an heart as big as yearlin calf He
wuz always a-doin somethin for us
boys, an when Jim Barker had the
smallpox the old man never left him.
''His brother Jack wuz different
sort of a chap. full ten year younger,
an he'd been a captain or lieutenant
or scmethin in the army office at Wash
ington. We never knew exactly. but
heard thet he he'd he'd trouble with soGle
society woman. an she he'd turned him
down. SO he resigned an came out to
help his brother. who loved him an
watched over him like father.
.'He always wore a necktie-some-
| thin the old man never he'd on, guess
| Qeastways / never see him wear one1.
an occasionally he'd get on his high
hoss an ride into Prescott, get drunk
an raise row. No one would hurt him
| because he was the old mans brother
| Then the old man would drive in an
| get him without sayin word to hvip
soul.
lone night-it wuz just after the
round up-all the boys he'd worked hard
an wanted little finn. The old man
gives MS each 500 an told us not to
show up till it wuz gone. He knew we
| would be back next night or the day
| followiu, cause hundred wouldn't go
far them days.
1--WE all rode into town. keepin pretty
well together. all 'ceptin Coyote. who
slipped away early in the evenin.
| ''About o'clock in the mornin we
pranced into the Merino saloon We
didn't get very lively reception. an
old Simpson raised his hand an sed,
'Sh, boys, Jacob Palmers got his dose.
You could hev heard pin drop. Every
one of us had thought the same thing
'What'n the old man think2' Then ont
came the guns. an we all crowded
round Simpson to know who'd done it
All we heard hinl say was Coyote. an
| we made break for the door
''Well, we hunted thet town over
twixt thet an daylight. all the low
joints an Mexican dives an finally
found out thet he'd taken his boss an
lit out north
'Then we supposed he wuz goin
after the old man. an there wuz the
durndest scramblin fur hosses you ever
see. an we rode hot an heavy fur the
ranch. Simpson said he'd send the body
right after us in "a wagon
''The boys from the Rancho Sabine
Joined us an made a party about 90
strong.
"As we turned the bend an came in
sight of the house Jim Barker sed,
Thank God, there's the old man. an
we all felt easier When we reined in
around him, he sed. What, you don't
want more money, do you 2 Then lookin
at our drippin bronchos, No some poor
devil has stole hoss an got to pay fur
it
I'VE had swung down out of our
saddles. an the boys all looked at me.
an knew I'd got to tell it, though I'd
| rather hev been drug by a COW. but
there wuz no way out of it
che saw snmethin YuZ up an knew