The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-01-31
A, DARING DEsPERApo,
Doc. Middleton Terrorized the Citizens of
Elkhorn Valley.

special to the New York Herald
from Deadwood, S. D., says: Doc"
Middleton was the most daring des-
perado that ever terrorized the Elkhorn
valley and ruled the Black Hills coun-
try with high hand.
Middleton always bore the SObriquet
of "Doc," but nobody seems to know
how he was so dubbed. He was
powerful fellow, with quick, elastic
step, and wore a dark sombrero, an
overcoat of wildcat skins and bright
handkerchief, and his cowboy makeup
gave him the appearance Of a typical
Western frontiersman. Leading band
of rangers, he waged war on the Sioux
Indians and protected the settlers of
the Elkhorn valley, Nebraska. Gov
eminent officials in those days feared
him, and for years he was the chief of
desperadoes in those parts. But he set
tied down to respectable life in Ne
braska over Is years ago and was en-
gagged in the cattle business.
One night in Sydney dance house a
half dozen soldiers engaged in a quar-
rel with Doc" and there was a shoot
ing scrape. Middleton escaped and hid
in the sand hills on the Platte river.
While living in the hills he picked up a
bunch of horses and started out with
them. He was captured and thrown
into Jail in Sydney. The second night
there he got the jailer drunk and
walked away.
He next appeared at road ranch up
the Elkhorn, having been without food
for five days. Soon after that he was
hurrying down the Elkhorn valley with
a bunch of horses that belonged to the
Indians. doc" and his party were
pursued by company of United States
soldiers, about so settlers and band of
Indians. The white men gave up the
chase in a few days, but the Indians
kept an the trail One night the thieves
were overtaken by the Indians. The
red men dared not shoot Middleton, sol
they took the horses and returned
home.
Middletons front teeth were filed
with gold and he was known to all
the red skins as Gold Chief" The In
dams believed that Doc" must have
been favored by the Great Spirit in or 4
der to have gold teeth. and they would
not kill him.
One of Middleton's escapades wasI
known over all the country. He was
at North Platte and a sheriff tried toI
take him. "Doc'' mounted his horse
pulled a couple of revolvers and rode
through the town daring any man to-
shoot at him. The government finally
made a determined effort to captura|
Doc" and sent out four secret serviceI
men, They met Doc at a Fourth of
July celebration at Atchison, Neb. He'd
took their pistols away and made them
run foot races and join in the othert
festivities of the day. Once Judge3
Moody of Deadwood demanded Middle
toms surrender. He made the judgel
throw up his hands. and then took al |
the valuables he had. a
Middleton was finallv captured by|
Deputies Llewellvn and Hazen, Wild
We're sent out by Governor Thayer of
Nebraska. doc was taken to Omaha !
where he received a sentence of fiveI
years in the penitentiary He was
shown leniency because he always pro |
tected the white settlers and only stole
the stock belonging to the Indians. A !
the expiration of his term DOC" re
turned to Atchison, Neb., and became
law-abiding citizen.