The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-06-01
SILENT DAVE COT EN-
Made a Killing Record in Las
Vegas Early Days.
WIPES OUT HENRY'S GANG
Shoots Two of Them Down and Lynches
the Others - Daring Exploit of a
Frontier Strategist With Past
in Towns Tough Period.

ut was not what he said, it was what
he didn't say, but did do, that got
Dave Mathes his title, Mysterious
Dave He was not a laxative man,
but he made a great deal of history
in Las Vegas in the first two years
after the Atchison road built into the
meadows city," said F. c. Armstrong
of St. Louis, in telling some of his eX-
periences as a travelling salesman in
the Southwestern territories, to a group
of friends at the Auditorium the other
night What state he originally came
from or what his past had been no.
body knew but himself, and he never
told. He came to Las Vegas from
Dodge City, and in those days man
hailing from Dodge City had to show
proof to the contrary not to be taken
for a bad man. The reputation for
murder and mystery which he brought
with him from Kansas he enlarged con-
siderably in New Mexico, where he
soon became known as silent, danger
Gus man, who had plenty of sand, was
consummately crafty, and never gave
any tip as to what he meant to do.
IN a new, touch Western town
and Las Vegas was the toughest town
in all America at that time-a man like
Mathes, who, whatever he might have
done, had kept his neck clear of
rope, was counted a good enough man
to enlist on the side of law and order,
and Mysterious Dave was made deputy
to Joe Carson, the city marshal. Hoo
doc Brown, elected municipal judge
after a 10 days residence in the town,
dispensed variegated justice to Offend
ers brought to judgment, with six
shooter within handy reach to back
his decision; and to this trio. with the
vigilance committee lying low. but al
ways ready to back them or hang them
accordingly as they behaved, was con-
fided the safety of the town.
Las Vegas, when / first set foot in
the town in the winter of 10 and 80,
six months after the first toot of a To-
connective had been heard across the
Rio GallinaS, was running with little
more of a whoop and a hurrah than
usual. 1t was in the Christmas hol1-
days, and miners from the hills and
cowboys from the ranges were in town
in force to celebrate, making business
at the saloons and gambling houses
and dance halls correspondingly good.
On the day of my arrival l got through
my business by nightfall, and in the
evening, in company with a friend,
clerk in one of the great commission
houses there, who knew the place and
its celebrities, | started out to see the
sights of the town. 1t was a crisp,
freezing night when a hot stove and
a lamp light within doors were more
comfortable than the frost and stars
without. There was a brisk business
over the bars of the saloons and at one
we visited Il was introduced by my
friend to Joe Carson, the city marshal,
a pleasant faced, low voiced man. with
fearless eye and a reputation for I'M
limited sand that he had brought from
Texas and Colorado.
LAS the three of US stood talking at
the bar with our glasses before US, l
saw a man standing at Carson's Shout
der-a heavily-built man of medium
height, who by his dress might have
been taken for a cattleman just from
the range. None of us had noticed his
approach, and he did not speak until
Carson, turning, saw him, and he and
my friend both said: 'Hullo, Dave
Then the marshal presented him to me
as Mr.. Mathes and l had the distinc-
ton of shaking hands with Mysterious
Dave. He was a man whose face
would be hard to describe, for his
| broad hat brim masked his eyes, his
! heavy mustache hid his mouth, and his
| square, strong jaw was about the only
| feature THAT cOulu ppSltlFelJ Hldhe ou
! his whole impression | could describe
as being quietly watchful and self
possessed. and it conveyed somehow a
| sense of danger. He drank with US but
said nothing until he remarked to Car
| son as he turned to go:
''Tom Henry's in town with his
crowd
Looking for trouble, I suppose,
said Carson.
"Mathes nodded and went out Car
| son excused himself presently. saying
| that he reckoned he'd move a little and
see how things were going. We strolled
about for a while, and then, toward
midnight, on our way back to the hotel
dropped in at George Closes dance hall
Things were getting lively there. The
dancers were whirling to the music oil
a Mexican band, the layouts of faro
roulette stud poker, chuck-aluck anG
| monte, strung along one side of the
room, were doing a rafting business
and the crowd was three deep at the
| bar. There was loud talking all along
the line when we first came in, but be.
! fore long the conversation died down
| except where three men held the fool
in front of the bar. They evidently be
| longed together, and were looking fol
| trouble One, who seemed to be the
| leader was a big dare-deyil-lookinE
fellow, another was a man almost a:
| large, the third was young Fellow
scarcely more than a boy in years. Al
wore two revolvers apiece openly. This
/ was told, was the Henry gang. Thu
| big man was Tom Henry, the chief; tn,
other man was Big Randall, and thu
| boy was Jimmie West, and all of then
| were notorious as stock thieves, ant
were more than suspected of stage rob
| berry. With them was a fourth man
who carried no weapons in sight, ant
seemed to be principally concerned il
drinking whiskey. His name, l after
ward learned was Dorsey, and he wa
| the cook for the gang.
Joe Carson came in and stood look
ing quietly on, and l caught glimps
| of Mysterious Dave back among tn
crowd of onlookers. At sight of tn
! city marshal the three outlaws begal
to throw out detiances directed at him
and the feeling that difficulty was com
ing spread through the hall. The dane
| ers thinned out on the floor the pla,
| slackened at the tables, and people lie
gan to leave the saloon. The bartende