The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1899-04-18
HIS LAST FORD.

~O O1J @S1@ AA0AN AN0 18SN
''Ame," a tall, broad shouldered Ari-
Eonian, who took quite a fancy to me
because l called him ''Mr. 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, l was only too
glad to employ him. All l 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 a 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 a rather meager din
ner of bacon and hard tack, with a small
piece of venison, part of a deer which
Anne had killed the night before. and
were stretched out under a pine tree
enjoying "a pipeful." Our horses,
which we had unsaddled and hobbled,
were cropping the occasional tufts of
grass which grew neal.
/ turned my head lazily in the direc-
ton indicated and mumbled a gruff
"What of it?"
"Well, it wuz nigh on six year ago
tibet l last see tibet bluff. You see, Coy
ote wuz a bad man, half Indian an half
Mexican, an a meaner critter never
breathed. He could throw a rope bet
tern any of us an ride the meanest
broncho tibet ever went up in the air.
81 wuz punchin cattle for Palmer
Bros X Y 2 brand. about 80 mile
northeast of Prescott. There wuz Jim
Barker an Dandy butcher an Lem
Leonard, Coyote an me. There wuz
about 25 more, but we wuz the only
ones in at the time l speak of.
1.-The old man, as we called Jim
Palmer, wuz about 60, with white hair
an a heart as big as a yearlin calf. He
wuz always a-doin somethin for MS
boys, an when Jim Barker had the
smallpox the old man never left him.
"His brother Jack wuz a different
sort of a chap, a full ten year younger,
an he'd been a captain or lieutenant
or somethin in the army Office at Wash
ington. We never knew exactly. but
heard tibet he he'd he'd trouble with some
society woman, an she he'd turned him
down, go he resigned an came out to
help his brother, who loved him an
watched over him like a father.
"He always wore a necktie-some-
thin the old man never he'd on, l guess
(leastways I never see him wear one).
an occasionally he'd get on his high
boss an ride into Prescott, get drunk
an raise a 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 a word to Twin
soul.
Zone night-it wuz just after the
round up-all the boys he'd worked hard
an wanted a little fun. The old man
gives us each 800 an told us not to
show up till it wuz gone. He knew we
would be back next night or the day
followin, cause a hundred wouldn't go
far them days.
"We all rode into town, keepin pretty
well together, all 'ceptin Coyote, who
slipped away early in the evenin.
"About 2 O'Clock in the mornin we
pranced into the Merino saloon. We
didn't get a very lively reception, an
old Simpson raised his hand an sed,
'Sh. boys, Jacob Palmer's got his dose.
You could hev heard a pin drop. Every
one of us had thought the same thing,
'What'n the old man think2' Then out
came the guns, an we all crowded
round Simpson to know who'd done it.
All we heard him say was Coyote, an
we made a break for the door.
"Well, we hunted tibet town over
twixt tibet an daylight, all the low
joints an Mexican dives. an finally
found out tibet he'd taken his boss an
lit out north
'"Then we supposed he wuz goin
after the old man, an there wuz the
durndest scramblip fur bosses 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.
1.-THE boys from the Rancho Sabine
joined us an made a party about 20
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 refined in
around him, he sed, What, you don't
want more money, do you? Then lookin
at our drippin bronchos, No; some poor
devil has stole a boss an got to pay fur
it.
1--WE had swung down out of ou1
saddles, an the boys all looked at me,
an l knew I'd got to tell it, though I'd
rather hev been drug by a COW but
there WIZ no way out of it.
she saw somethin wuz up an knew
tibet Jack wuz gone, guessed tibet It
concerned him, an be grabbed me by
the arm an sed: What's up, Anne
Out with it. Where is he? Is he hurt
Well, it took the breath an all the wits
out of me, an l blurted out: Yes.
Coyote killed him last night at the
Merino an then lit out north. We
thought he wuz after you. Simpsons
bringin Jack out now.
"For a minute there wuz a grip like
a wise on my arm. then his hand drop
ped, an half turnin away he commenced
talkin to himself.
"'Poor Jackl He always wuz moth
er's pet. an when he joined the army
how proud she wuzl He waz handsome
in his uniform. Killed in a saloon
Thank God she's deadP"
''It seemed a year to us as we shuf1ed
from foot to foot before he moved. Their
he gave a start like he wuz pullin him.
self together an turned to us, the very
devil shinin out of his eyes. He looked
ten years older, but his hand went t.
his hip, an we knew he hedn't lost any
of the spunk he he'd when the Apachei
killed his pardner, Jim Ross.
"'Coyotel Why, he wuz here this
mornin an drew his payl Said he wul
goin to work over east on the Santa
Ysabel. Boys. Jack wuz morn life t.
me; he wuz mothers pet, an l mus
kill tibet snake. How many of you will
stand by me an help me hunt the cul
DOWN.
every Of us swore we'd not stol
till we'd strung him up.
""Then get bosses out of the corral
take plenty of fresh ones. Pack up you
grub. How soon will Simpson be here
HEHa Ouobt tn ha here now I an
swered.
I'm half an hour we rode out Oh
Coyotes trail, leavin the old man to fol