The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1901-03-07

By the death of Charles Vaughn, If
teen miles south Of Cedarvale, Kan, In
the Usage reservation, the last survivor
Of a feud which was fought along the
border with all the tierceness OF Cor
sican vendetta fer months was wiped
out. The participants were, on the one
hand, Jim and Charles Vaughn, cow
boys, who were cousins, and Tom VIII
Der and Denis Amos, who ran dive in
Oaney, Kan, in 1879 and 1880, and the
feud began in this place in August,
1880, when Amos in game or poker
beat Jim Vaughn out Of $40.
Vaughn, says the Kansas City
Times, was by accident unarmed at the
time, but left swearing that he would
return in three days and kill all the
Amoses. Accordingly, Vaughn return
ed to the ranch on which he was work
ing in the territory, procured brace OF
six-shooters, and on the appointed day
went back to Caney. The AmOses, bar
ricaded in their joint and armed with
three double barreled shOtguns, were
waiting for him. Vaughn hitched his
horse, and, pulling his six-shoOters, BE-
gan firing and walking toward the
Amos joint. The AmOses replied with
a 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 MORALLY wounded, recOv-
cred, and In two months was able to go
to work again.
Vaughn was a crack shot and the
Amoses lived in constant terror Of him,
and after they found that he had gotten
well they swOre out warrant for his
arrest-which was an unusual proceed
ing 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 on the
force to guard him the night after 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 which had pierced the
dead mans body were fired after he
had fallen-so the direction Of the bull
let's indicated.
The AmOses at that time did not
know of the existence Of Charles
Vaughn-who was employed on a ranch
in Texas and, 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 Cedarvale. A
friend Of Jim Vaughn in the meantime
notified Charles Vaughn of the manner
in which his cousin had been killed,
and Charles thereupon boarded the next
train and went to Caney. He remained
quiet day and by inquiry learned Of
the whereabouts Of the AmOses. On
the second day after his arrival he met
WILDER Amos in drug store, and walk
ing up to him informed him that he was
there for the purpose Of killing him.
Amos reached for his gun, but Vaughn
was too quick for him and sent 40
caliber bullet through his brain. The
dead man had hardly struck the floor
before Vaughn was on his horse riding
at breakneck speed toward the town.
Denis 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 Infatuated cowboy then picked up
the child and dashed its brains out
against the floor. He also fired a shot
at the woman, but she escaped into the
bedroom, and Vaughn, thinking his pur-
suers were close upon him, mounted his
horse and rode away. Although a 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. Recently, when. after
I six weeks struggle with the fever,
he found that he had to die, he told his
attendants that he was Charles Vaughn
and narrated the story, which the older
residents Of this town know to be true.