The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-05-24
JOE cAnoTrE. BAD MAN.

/ the MiSSOurl river, and VINO are said 10
have brought thar stream with them
Like his Indian ancestors. Joe was dark
! skinned, had black eyes and straight.
black hair IN his movements he was
graceful and active as a cat. About his
mental and moral qualities little can be
said, for. like most half-breds, he seemed
10 inherit the weak and bad characters
| tics OF the two races From the Indian he
inherited the treacheTOus and vagabond
nature OF the savage. and with his French
blood he got his fiery temper and his sus-
ceptibility TO the charms of the dusky
buxOm, half breed girls.
Almost before Joe could walk, he was
able TO stick on a horse, and long before
he was q years old, all sorts and condi-
tons Of eayuses and bronchcs had TO &C
knowledge that Joe was their master.
Not all cowboys are tough but Joe
was, and he gloried in the fact that he
was considered a bad man. and that he
was wanted across the line IN Canada
for the killing Of another cowboy.
But this thrilling fact did not keep Joe
out Of society, and at the public halls in
tie ranches he was a familiar figure in his
htgh-heeled boots. ana with the inevitable
gaudy silk handkerchief tied loosely about
his neck, after the fashion of all cow
boys
During the spring of the year 1895.
Teton river, in northern Montana. It was
in the cattle country.
Nearly all Of my pupils rode to school
on their own horses, and the boy or
girl with the most vicious horse was look
cd upon as hero or heroine. teacher
who could not ride well would have been
laughed to scorn in that district.
Among my pupils were Lena Pepin and
her cousin, Oliver ValIeaux. Miss Lena
was q French half-breed, who looked old
er than her age.
In the school room she did not shine; in
fact, she had hard struggles with those
fascinating sentences in the first reader
II see a cat and a r-r-rat." I took pity
on her and put her in a class by herself
Oliver Valleaux was big soft-headed
hobble-dehoy Of 20 years; his claims to
distinction were that he weighed over 200
pounds and could play the fiddle.
To my school, one morning at noon,
with much dash, jingle and flourish, rode
Joe Cadotte.
The presence Of such a noted cavalier
caused quitee stir among my scholars,
who hailed him with shouts of ''Hullo
joe" Where are you going?" Where
did you get the pinto cayuse2'
But beyond telling him mot to monkey
with that bronze" he vouchsafed no reply
70 their questions and STROBE into the
little log school house where I was pain
fully going over a lesson with Miss Lena
in which the-tO her-unfamiliar word
mag occurred very frequently. THE nag
can run" NY nag can run"
Now, horse. pony. cayuse. cheval, pono-
homes and caveuten were well known to
her, but the word nag" conveyed no
image TO her mind.
1 looked up and saw Joe standing inside
the doorway. nervously twirling in his
hands his broad-rimrned hat with the rat
tie snake trimmings.
L guess I'll try your school" said he.
SO, asking Miss Lena TO go outside,
said to him, suiting my language to his
mental capacity: Now, look here, Joe,
be straight with me. If you want 70
come here to learn something. I shall
help you as much as lean, but If you
have an idea that you can come here
merely to have a good time and fool
about with the girls, I may as well tell
you that you are barking I'd the wrong
tree. 1 am paid to run this place as q
school, and I am doing il. Now, is this
a straight deal or is it not?'
Joe was profuse in his assertions that
everything was perfectly straight. that
he wanted to laTn figuring" and that II
I would give him a chance I should see
that he was not fooling.
So I let him come and I must say that
he kept his word and for three weeks
a punctual and regular attendant. At
first he found it hard not to be allowed
to chew tobacco while grinding out ad-
dition sums on his slate. Also I had
many times to rebuke him for an irrita-
ting habit of scraping on the floor with
his spurs.
n the playground I could see that re-
lations between him and Oliver Valleaux
were getting unpleasantly strained. En-
couraged by Mis- Lena the two amorous
youths would engage in trials of strength
and wrestling matches in which the pom
derous Oliver came off best. In riding
and circus feats. Joe was easily first.
There was to be a dance at the Circle
ranch. Both of her SWANS had asked to
be allowed to escort Miss Lena, and the
probability is that she had said yes" 20
each Of them.
The morning OF the day OF the daunce
Joe rode up to Miss Pepins house TO
make arrangements for the evening
There was a saddle horse tied to the
fence and Miss Lena's brother who was
amusing himself by trying to catch the
hens and pigs with a lasO, volunteered
the information that it belonged to Oliver.
who was going to the Circle dance with
Lena.
This piece of news greatly ged Joe;
and his fiery temper, restrained for some
weeks, hlazed UP like the pine trees in a
forest FIRE
Il guess not" he snarled, snatching
his Winchester rife from its leather scab-
bard on the saddle and walking up 70 the
house where the unconscious Oliver was
sitting at the open window, mending a
briddle and basking in the smiles Of Miss
Lena.
Come outside. said ice.
As soon as Oliver appeared outside the
house Joe pointed his rife at him and
fred. The stricken youth staggered for
ward a few yards and then fell on his
face at Joe's feet. Joe turned the body
over with his foot, and seeing that his
victim was still alive, he savagely shot
him again. Then he ran TO his horse and
sprang into his saddle Just as Ais Lena
who had sen the whole affair, came 10
the door with a shotgun
Goodbye. my girl" cried the muir
derer, putting spurs 70 his horse.
For sole reply my girl" discharged
both barrels Of the shotgun at such short
range that the horse was Knocked down
and Joe was SPRAYING on the ground
but as he was not hurt. he got up and
dashed to the fence where divers horse
was fastened. took the horse and mounted
and was away.
That afternoon. while riding on the
prairie I saw a horseman furiously gal
Looping. As he came nearer / recognized
NY scholar, Joe Wilc-eyedd, his horse
dripping sweat. he did not pause as We
met ana n reply 10 NY Aa-LsI- Ntilsa--7-
sary question If he was In hurry, he
shouted yes"
Then he rode on into the west, towards
the Rocky mountains. and * was not M
Nh the next tday that I met the sheriffs
posse from Fort Benton. party OF stern.
hard riding men. OF few words. whose re-
volrers and rifles were rot carried for
show: and knowing the feeling ia Cho-
teau county regarding the expense ~
murder trials. felt tnat Joe -sle would
probably be summed up IL few words
The prisoner resisted arrest OF triaod ~
escape and. we regret 70 say vas shot
n. h - -. - = Enr r.lrlE Z u.uIL