The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-09-16

ended with the apprehension in Colorado
of Tom Ketchum, the last of the Ketch-
um gang, and closed a reign of terror
such as all new countries experience be-
fore the law and order element gets the
upper hand and Is as liable to go to ex-
tremes on tho other tack.
Fred Beall was born in Tarrant coun-
ty, midway between Dallas and Fort
Worth, As years ago. His father was a
rancher, and young Fred learned to ride
a horse long before he could speak a SEN
tence intelligibly.
His first adventure was with the Bass
gang, one Of the oldest bands of desper-
ADDE'S in Texas. A member of that gang
named Barnes was a relative Of the
Bealls by marriage. One night on a
raid of the country, shortly after they
had robbed a Union Pacific train, some
Of the desperadoes came to the home Of
the Bealls and rifed it. Young Fred lost
nearly all his belongings, and he natural
ly longed for revenge. He was Is years
old at the time, and with a saddle horse
swift as lightning be Joined the sherif's
posse that went in pursuit of the out
laws.
They had been on the way for several
days when they came upon the trail of
the marauders on q Sunday just about
church time. The stseet led by the little
meeting house, in front of which the
worshipers assembled when they learned
that the sherif's posse was near to run
down the Barnes gang, which had just
passed by.
Fred Beall rode by the side Of the
sheriff and fred shot after shot into the
ranks of the desperadoes, who were final
~ captured and turned over to the au-
thorities.
This gave him his first taste of adven-
ture. AT the age of 20 he was a state
officer and fiSn1 that time on as much
the terror Of the marauders as they were
the bane of the law abiding element in
the state.
In innumerable skirmishes and battles
with these desperate characters he was
literally riddled with bullets He cam
show now seven wounds, and in every in
stance the lead passed clear through his
body, several times barely missing q vital
part.
A knife wound once laid him up for 4
long time. He was arresting a desperate
fellow whose drunken antics endangered
the lives of citizens Of Nolan county. As
Beall led him along the street to land
him in Jail a crowd Of his friends gath
cred to liberate the prisoner.
al held on to my man and tried to
beat off my pursuers with the butt Of
my pistol" said Mr.. Beali. "On the way
to the Jail one of them, a tride more
desperate than the rest, drove a knife
into my back. However, ] didn't know it
until | had reached jail several blocks
away and delivered my man.
Gas l came out the blood, which had
been running down into my left boot, had
so filed it that my foot almost splashed
in it. Even then | thought | would get
home or to a doctor, but dizziness over
took me, and I fell in a heap. | was laid
up with that wound for nine weeks, and
it helped not d little to turn my hair gray,
for the injury was intensely painful.
"Yes, I've looked death in the face
many a time, but never more closely than
when it grinned at me out of the muzzle
Of a Winchester in the hands of a
woman.
1.-THE Waldron gang made things pretty
lively just about that time. Old man
Waldron was a good man and a real
friend of mine, but his ons turned out
some of the most desperate characters
in the state. They had been engaged IN
a bank robbery when I was detailed &c
run them down We narrowed down
upon them not far from the Waldron
heme and soon had them under control.
AS I came back old Mrs. Waldron, the
mother of the boys, stood near her door
leteling a Winchester at me and crying
out to me that she would shoot.
well the mouth Of that Winchester
looked just as big to me as my hat. I
wouldn't shoot at a woman, and If she
had shot at me-she had a good aim-shs
might have finished me. AS it was, shs
fred one shot. which hit my sleeve, and
then dropped her gun, but it was the
closest call | believe I ever had"