The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1901-01-17
DODeED THE DEPUTY.
For q While the Moonsbiners
Had an Easy Time OF Ii.

Y of sam sixkII1er.
Near Decatur, Ala, there was some
years ago a famous deputy marshal nam
cd Bird Smith. He was young in years,
but old in the lore OF the backwoods-
man, and he knew the people of the
country and their ways as though II had
all been written out and he had read it
In book. Smiths specially was CATCH
ing Illicit distillers. He always Travelled
alone and on horseback. His horse,
Major. was a coal black animal, a cross
between a thoroughbred and heavy
coach horse, and was unusually big and
heavy. Major was well trained and
would follow Smith around like a dog,
and It almost broke the deputy mar
shais heart when he discovered that
Major would not do for the game he was
then playing against the violators OF the
revenue law. There wasn't better sad
die horse In northern Alabama: He
could go farther In a day, could stand
more rough usage and was more affec-
tionate and obedient than any horse
Smith had ever seen, and he had seen a
great number. but Major wouldn't do,
and Smith had to send him to the farm
for his sisters use.
Smith had made several captures and
enjoyed a reputation among the people
back in the hills as a dangerous man.
Mothers frightened their children by
telling them, Bird Smith'll git you ais
shore" He was feared. which, some one
has said, is the next best thing to being
loved. Then Smith got Major and rode
proudly out of Decatur to do little
scouting m the backwoods. He rode at
night. sleeping in the dense forest dur
ing the daytime. On the second day Of
his Journey, when he was nearing the
district in which he expected to begin
operations, heavy rainstorm came
up, soaking the only roadway and max
ing It almost impassable. Smith had still
some ten miles to go, and because the
flying clouds hid the moon, shutting of
all light, he was forced to travel during
the day.
Smith had not gone more than two
miles when he was startled by hail
from a voice In the brush.
Hello, thar, you tarnation cussl
What you ais doin up hyarT
Major stood still, while Smith slowed
around In the saddle in time to see a
white headed old native jump out into
the road.
"oh, just looking for lost CATTLE" re-
piled the deputy marshal.
Seems { me | seen you down In cote
when Abe Jinkins wuz up fur 'stillin."
''oh, you're crazy, old man; never
saw you before" said Smith, and he
clucked to his horse and rode on in no
pleasant frame of mind.
The old man watched Smith until he
had disappeared. Then he regarded the
ground carefully, smiled and hurried of
into the woods.
Smith worked hard. He hunted high
and low. He came across places in
which ''stIls" had evidently been located
at some time, but he found nothing tan
gible and returned to Decatur week
later disappointed, discouraged Off
cial. Three times after that Bird Smith
went into districts in which his superiors
knew Illicit distilers were in operation.
But ''hoodoo" seemed to hang over the
once successful deputy. He didn't make
a single capture; didn't locate single
"still." He was thinking seriously of Ie-
signing his office and returning to the
pillow on his fathers farm when he dis
covered the cause of his i'll luck.
by gum, Bird" exclaimed one of his
IllenuS one uNA Niiilt uuhlll iHb tuN holotf
Major, hes a powerful fine horse. but
he suttinly do make big track in the
road"
"Eh, what's that?"
81 say, look at the hoofs on him."
whats the matter with his hoofs?
They're perfectly sound"
"Zactly, but look at the size Nv EN-"
Smith looked. or course he knew all
al haip1 ullv
big horse, left big tracks behind him,
but he had never noticed before how very
big those tracks were.
"WeH. III be jiggered" he exclaimed.
Then an idea struck him, and after a mo-
ment's thought he slowly said: "And
that's Just what beat me out in the hills
those tracks, Major old boss, you stay
at home after this when | go after moon
sinners"
Later, when Smith had made number
of successful raids on smaller horse.
one of the moonshiners told him that the
old man who met him when he made his
first trip on Major had noticed the I'M
usual size of the horses tracks. After
that, although Smith might do all his
travelling at nighttime, the natives the
following morning would see Majors
tracks in the road and would know that
Bird Smith was in the neighborhood
The alarm would 90 forth Immediately
all through the district, and Smiths Wis
its were always anticipated.
Another deputy United States marshal
who was well known throughout his dis
trict was the late Sam Sixkiller. Six
killer was not nickname; it was really
the deputy's name. He was full blood
ed Indian on the staff of the United
States marshal in the upper district of
Indian Territory. Out at Tallequa and
Muskogee they never say "Indian Terri
tory" but simply ''the Nation" short
for ''the Indian Nation" Residents on
the border living in southwest Missouri
and southern Kansas, before Oklahoma
was created, also referred TO the territory
as down In the Nation"
Sam Sixkiler didn't hunt moonshiners
particularly, but he was sudden death to
road agents, like the members of the Dali
ton gang. The Daltons, on their side,
were loaded for Sam and constantly Oh
the lookout for him.
One day while Sam was standing in