Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-01-25
THE CLOSE OF A VENDETTA.
Death Takes the Last Participant In u
Kansas Fcud.

Death Takes the Last Participant In u
Kansas Fcud.
From the Kansas City Times.
BY the death Of Charles Vaughn, fifteen
miles south of Cedarvale, Kan, in the Usage
reservation, the last survivor Of a feud
which was fought along the border with all
the fierceness Of Corscan vendetta for
months was wiped out. The participants
were, on the one hand, Jim and Charles
Vaughn, cowboys, who were cousins, and
! Tom WILDER and Dennis Amos who ran a
joint in Caney, Kan, in 1879 and 1880,
and the feud began in this joint in August,
1880, when Amos in a game Of poker beat
Jim Vaughn out of $40.
Vaughn was by accident unarmed at the
time, but left swearing that he would re-
turn in three days and kill all the Amoses.
Accordingly. Vaughn returned to the ranch
on which he was working in the territory.
procured brace of siX-shooters and on
the appointed day went back to Caney. The
Amoses. barricaded in their joint and arm
ed with three dOuble-barrelled shotguns,
were waiting for him. Vaughn hitch I'd his
horse and, pulling his six-shooters, began
firing and walking toward the Amos joint
The Amoses replied with broadside from
their shotguns and when the smoke had
cleared away Vaughn lay in the street with
his body full Of buckshot and Tom Amos
lay on the floor with his Jaw shattered by
bullet. Blood poison set in and four
weeks later Amos was buried. On the other
hand, Vaughn, who was thought to have
been mortally wounded, recovered, and in
two months was able to go to work again.
Vaughn was crack shot and the -Amoses
lived in constant terror Of him, and after
they found that he had gotten well they
was an unusual proceeding in those days.
A deputy sheriff. who was a warm friend
OF the joint keepers. arrested Vaughn and
put the Amoses and one of their friends
m hi = ~ ,f<1,&
the arrest. During the night. while the
deputy slept, the Amoses shot and killed
vaughn. They claimed that he had tried
to escape. However, three Of the five shots
were fired after he had fallen-so the di-
rection of the bullets indicated.
The Amoses at that time did not know
of the existence of Charles Vaughn-who
after they had killed Jim. settled down to
quiet life. WILDER remained in Caney and
Dennis Amos. with his young wife and
child, located on a farm just east of CEDAR
vale. A friend of Jim Vaughn in the mean
time notified Charles Vaughn of the man.
ner in which his cousin had been killed
and Charles thereupon boarded the rext
train and went to Caney. He remained
quiet day and by inquiry learned of the
whereabouts Of the Amoses. On the sec
ond day after his arrival he met WILDER
Amos In drug store, and walking up to
him informed him that he was there for
for his gun but Vaughn was too quick for
him and sent a y-fve-caliber- bullet
through his BRAIN The dead man had
hardly struck the floor before Vaughn was
on his horse riding at a breakneck speed
toward town.
Dennis Amos was eating dinner when
Vaughn reached his house. and without
introducing himself the Texan opened fire
and sent one bullet through Dennis breast
and another through his head. The in
furiated cowboy then picked I'D the child
and dashed its brains out against the floor.
He also fired a shot at the woman, but
she escaped into the bed room, and Vaughn,
thinking his pursuers were close upon him.
mounted his horse and rode away. AL
though q posse pursued him for two days
he was not overtaken. and his whereabouts
had never been known from that day to
the day of his death. Yesterday, when.
after a six weeks struggle with the fever
he found that he had to die, he told his at
tendants that he was Charles Vaughn and
narrated the story, which the older resi-
dents of this town know to be true.