The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-10-17
MARSHAL SMITH OF ABILENE
A Brief Career in Recognition OF Which He
Is to Have n Monument.


From The Denver EueninO Post
Tom Smith was the great man OF the little Kan.
saS town Of Abilene back In the early 'IOs, and
10 have been the man who could force tone oil
civilization in the West Of those days, TO have
been the man who could take what was then
known as the hardest town in the world by the
neck and throttle 1t into submission TO law and
order writes him down a great man
The pioneers Of Abilene are raising money
now to build a monument Ia his memory. No
Other pioneer mas received like recognition.
Abilene was at the terminus Of the cattle trail
and the railioad and tho point from which the
Southwestern country shipped their cattle 10 Chit
cagO and other Eastern points, and naturally
the rendezvous Of the cowboys and cattlemen
when they drove their herds up from Texas Tor
shipment, camping within a radius OF my miies
Of Abilene. II was the town patrunlHed ny
the criminals and drsperadOcs for whom the West
was n magnet because IL was the Widest most
isolated spo, ON the i"9siool and not even alm
shadow Of the arm Of the law ever silhuucted
the Kansas and Texas plains.
Abilene did not boast more than 2oo perma
nent inhabitants, but in the summer when snip
mcnt time came around, when the blood 81 COW
boys and deSpcraducs circulated well, and thlfS'
for old Kentucky bourbon was epidemic. ADJ
lene used To- see as many as 1000 people IN town
nearly all men, OF course. ]. {. Henry, the wei
known Denver Henry, was then Mayor OF the
town and tells what gay times they used Ia have
Fifty gambling houses ran wide open all sum
mer and thirty Two licensed drinking saloons
did a rushing business he begins We never
made an ordinance pertaining To law ana
order that was regarded until Tom Smith came
To Abilene.
rush galupng into town, bent on n good time
They'd scatter into the saloons and gambling
houses aud after while get together again steam
ing with liquor and al! IN n tearing, shooting
hGilabalou lnoud. They were PINNED for n raid
and lit right III FOX It, They ga Hoped in body
through the streets IN their devil spurtcd ponies
l,,ttT.. M
and waving their revOlNerS and shooting at ran
dom iii the air On these raids they shut up the
town, made graveyard Of it, all the stores clos,
ing and the Inhabitants taking 10 the darkest
reCesses Of their houses. Nobody dared protest
When the cowboys were in town nobody yentured
on the street at mig ht and women never left their
homes even during the day.
Al last We passed an ordinance that no one
should come within the town limits carrying FIRE
arms. We plaCarded the ordinance all over town
and on billboards at the beginning Of all the
main trails.
Of thing the cowboy loved An ordinance bill
board 10 shoot al WAS as good as a twogallon
jug. Of old rye They. punctured the printed
from u, and then they came in town on raid They
painted things lead color. then the saloon men
dealt gu, whiskey by the quart and The town
alone after that until Tom Smith came
I'VE n rGd t. E1t m%TSnslS bn! fGnld ,h not get q,
police al 81. Louis and told him to send me the
two nervcst men in the town for mars Is and Of
fered them each $500 a month. The boys heard
that they were coming and were in the midst 81 a
high time when the two mnrshals arrived. The
'nrrviest men slinked ont Of town within two
hours of their arrival.
Smith asking for the Position OF town marshal.
He said he could bring order He was at the time
Of II reputation attached 10 his name. He had
been the kcader i'll the famous Bear River riots
ny !'W all the
part, tired to drive out the Chinese and Cheap
labor they brought with their presence:
Well nj first turned him down because Of
his reputation, but We were desperate deter
mined at, last to give him trial. We couldn' t
lose anything by 1t anyway;
specimen of physical strength He was a New
Yorker "fllrish parcntage, agile, well trained in
His aim was equal To that Of Wild Bill the famous
Goyrrnmcnn scout, who succeeded him.
There was not 5hr least appearance Of the des
pcradu about Smith; he was well educated. modest
and soft voiced. There was slight npedimen,
in his specclr which made his difdence seem
greater than II was II was not an easy thing
To anger him, hut when aroused he was tiger
devil, and wEild as soon kill man as a dog
He came into town 50 quietly nobody knew he
arm ordinance. The first cowboy he met in the
street carrying gun he approached
'fou are onierrd to deliver up your gun. sir.
You are violating the ordinance when you carry
iircarm Within the city limits
The cowboy pooh poohed and said he didn't
ordinance yowd began to gather.
Smith Immediately hauled of and knocked
him down ana nd, t',"n took his gun This vas nn
the cincl! ,Not a man in the crowd moved %
the saloon for n. drink. The fellows all followed.
Smith was hero and they all drank To his health.
lie made frendso the whole bunch that day.
He was the most taCtful man | ever knew.
II didn't take him long-one or two strokes did
ito get every cowboy who came to town on
q could persuaded Ia lOpk
t."There were practically no disturbances after
wild boy came To town the other fellows took
hin, aside tanned him on the back and said,
1T was the first smell Of civilization the West
had had. OF coursc, Smith couldn't make a
silk whistle out Cd pig ear but he made fairly
respectahlr town out Of devilish I}edam
Tom Smith was killed within year; lie
went with deputy To arrest a man charged with
murder He was n Scotchman by the name Of
Andrew Mcconnell. who lived twelve miles out
of abilene in duGout with a man named Miles,
bcrs of the First Colorado Volunteers in the Civil
y when Smith reached the place, Miles was
outside the dugoul lie, left the deputy TO take
care Of him aud entered the hovrl himself To meet
Mcconnell The deputy, at a threat from Miles
left two against one, and when Miles saw Smith
in the door OF the dugout with his back turned
and n hold uum'McConnc he seized an axe and
with a terrible blow nearly severed Smiths head
from his body.
The news Of the famous marshal death was
carried 10 the town by the deserving deputy
Smith = cowboy friends went in mob TO avenge
his death, They were in mood to lynch the
whole county. but tn" culpritS had escaped They
were caught later, but tried in another county
Met Onncll served seventeen years in the States
prison al Icavenwnrth.
There was always q mystery about Smith to
me" continued Mr. Henry Nobody knew any.
thing about his past, hut always felt there was a
hidden chapter in his life somewhere that brought
m n nd Ian mi