The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1902-07-11


OF the party.
Thereafter Bob sturgs namc
dropped suddenly out Of the columns
OF the Torch, and / guessed with rea-
son. that the bald truth about the
situation was that the horse thieves
had captured that convention and Bob,
refusing 10 amalgamate with the vic
tors, was TO be relegated to private
life. The Torch began TO blaze with
triumphant editorials about a reunited
party. 1t was about two months after
this situation had developed when l
read one morning In the Black Kettle
Torch The following brief obit:
ROBERT STURGIS.
County Commissioners Robert Stur-
gis died last Saturday evening. He was
buried Tuesday at the Willow Greek
Cemetery. He was born in Boston and
has been an honored citizen Of Black
Kettle for the past two years.
Now that Insignificant notice Of the
passing Of a prominent citizen Of
small frontier town aroused my sus-
plcion. Bob had been my roommate
at college, and / didn't like Editor Pip
HOuck's nonchalant manner of dis
missing the memoryO of a man who was,
at least as good as the average citizen
Of Black Kettle. SO / wrote to Pip and
got no answer Then I got on the
train and went to Black Kettle. / met
Bait Grassmuck and Jim Trefny and
the other local politicians at the Jockey
Club saloon. They all knew me, and
l entertained them with the news of
POncho, a few fresh gags from the
minstrel show and some stories that
appealed to their peculiar ideas Of
wit When got en- all in good humor
l looked up suddenly and said: BY
the way boys. what happened to Bob
SturgisY
well, Tom, upon my word, if the
devil himself had popped up between
us they couldn't have been more scared.
Every man of them turned on his heel
and walked away without a word. Of
course that made me more curious than
ever. l walked over to Fred Bogg's
bank and put the question squarely at
him. What did Bob Sturgis die Of?
but Boggs only got pale, fumbled at
his watch chain and said he didn't
pay much attention to politics.
Finally / went over to the Office OF
the Torch and asked Pip Houck. lie
got nervous at once, got his pistol out
of the drawer, slipped it in his pocket,
and asked me if I'd mind walking
down stairs with him. We went down
into the dirty, damp, dark cellar under
the Torch building, and there in a
whisper the editor cautiously de-
manded a promise that l would not
make a fuss if he told me about Bob.
l promised and he said Truth about
it is the boys killed Bob, but of course
it wouldn't look good for the town to
say SO. They give him a funeral and
all that, but they don't want no fuss
made about the killing. You see, Bob
never would get in line. When the re-
organization of the party took place
he just kicked over the traces and kept
on standing out for reform and such
truck. Trefny and Grassmuck and all
the cowmen argued with him, but
want no good. He'd just up and tell
'em that he meant to prosecute, and
if necessary, hang all the horse thieves
and law breakers he could lay his
hands on
"'And then what? 1 asked Pip
Houck
why, then he said, they just had
to kill him.
"Now, Tom," resumed the editor of
the Poncho Headlight. "Black Kettle
is a good town all right. and after
you get used to the frae-and-easy at
mosphere you'll like it irst rate. But
take my advice, DON'T get mixed up in
politics until you know exactly where
you're at John III. Raftery, in the
Chicago Record Herald.