New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-11-30
"FIGHTING ED" KEEL.
WILD LIFE OF A BORDER CATTLEMAN-
GLIMPSE OF FRONTIER CUSTOMS
NOW FADING INTO HISTORY.

The Oregon Short Line. in Of
construction between Los Angeles and Salt Lake
city will pass through the Vegas Valley In Nevada
where forty-two years ago established a pros
porous Mormon colony which however. some years
afterward was abandoned by order of Brigham
Young because of certain Nevada laws which were
not agreeable to his purposes. says The New
Orleans Times Democrat"
The penetrating Of this fastness recalls to mind
the story of the famous rancher of that valley
Fighting Ed" KEEL II about thirty years
ago that KEEL established his ranch within the
limits of the Mormon colony, and his industry and
enterprise made the Kiel ranch noted throughout
the West
Kie was a well built. medium sized, pleasant
faced Of quiet ways and few words. He
modest and retiring in his way. and was good
natured and tender hearted any could be
Notwithstanding this he had snuffed out the lives
of five men when seIf-inficted wound ended his
career.
KieI was a New-York man He left college TO
accompany a sick father into the desert In search
OF health. In the course their travels they hap
pened upon the Mormon settlement and this fertile
spot in the midst OF country Of burning sands
led him 10 the determination make this his home
He secured land. and has been said, made his
ranch famous for its productveness.
In those days Nevada infested with outlaws
and claim jumpers. men who reverenCed law
save that of force and respected mans rights
except that man got the drop them. II the
meeting and dealing with OF this stripe which
brought out the qualities in KEEL which gave him
the nickname of Fighting Ed kieL
His first experience with a man named Lane.
This man came to the KEEL ranch one day sick
and weary from desert travel He was accOmpa-
MED by his wife. Mormon girl of more than
binary beauty KEEL kept the pair till the man
resained his health and strength and then gave
herself about the place doing light housework and
things went well with them.
Lane, however, was merely waiting oppor-
tunityi He had no intention of long earning his
bread by the sweat OF his brow, and one day when
kiel had business down TO the Mormon settlement
to he ounS ON the ranch and amneJ b bSS
or not he told his wife what ne was going to do
him. When KEEL came home and learned that sew
era OF MS pest h1rSeS We're mssins ana noted the
what had happened. He said nothing to the
he mounted a horse and took tine trail. The third
day out he overlook the horse thief IN little can
yon where ne had pitched ms camp The man was
fatigued. and had thrown himself down for a nap
told him that for the sake OF his Wife he Would
give him one horse TO ride across the desert but
tended TO acquiesce in that advancement hui q
KEEL \ fight with guns ensued. which resulted in
horses and when he arrived he handed Lanes wife
sufficient money to TAXI her back To- Salt Lake
a pack train bound for that city. Nothing was said
but She understood, She returned to the home Of
her parents. where she resided till she wed bet
ter man that her first husband proved 10 be.
some months later one OF the border ruff1ans
met a fate similar to Lanes, Then KieI got his
third victim in attempted hOldup when he
returning from St. Thomas. Lincoln County.
Two three years later there was u mining
boom in the mountains bordering the Vegas KEEL
to prospecting and located a rich claim He
erected his monument set the stakes and
returned to find Il low browed bewhiskered rI1fBan
occupying his property. The original stakes had
been pulled the monument thrown down and the
newcomer busy plying the pick when Kiel
approached. 1t took about two minutes to convince
kiel that the man was deliberate and premedi-
tated claim jumper, and the battle opened up n
short and bloody. KEEL got flesh wounds
and the claim jumper got six feet of earth.
There is something in the taking of human blood
the provOcation how justifiabe the act. Had
ED KEEL never shed human blood the alteration
which he had with his brother would never
have provoked the tragedy which was the closing
of his life The quarrel-the cause of which
has been forGotten-was bitter led to
Eds swearing to take his brothers life Upon his
utteTng this threat the younger Kiel drew his
revolver and fired six shots at Ed" then. seeing
that they had not taken effect turned and ran The
quarrel had taken place in front OF the ranch house
and when his brother had finished shooting Ed
Winchester and stepping to the door deliberate
aim his fleeing orC;her. He fired three shots
Every took effect end any one of them would
have proved fatal dropped dead In his
tracks, Ed" walked down to where the body Law
and examined it, then returned 10 the house went
to his bedroom and shot himself through the heart
The father had long before succumbed to the
disease which had exiled him TO that climate and
the estate went to a nephew of Eds" the son OF
new road which is being built Will pass through
fha asfa