Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1902-01-24
HOW WE
HUNG SE7ED
a Pathot.a Taio OF
Frontier Lie =. !.
,te4ee
By JOAQUIN MILLER

dust hair iiniuly have 20 answer tor
ned the first part OF his nlmc lie
wa big. stupid and heavy. with n low.
aoft voice aud "a Kindly maine With
very iii.icPo say. lie did not usc q
jackkuifc to white Dry goods boxcs
and hitching posts. like most men whom
loalng about ihe door of the saloru.
but Stood with hls big. heavy legs wide
apart. his broad shoulders sioopcd and
his hands thrusi deep On his pockets.
MS n ON the deck OF q ship.
Sid Berry. his partu"r. had n pack
train and n big. hurly win with q jaw
like q wolf trnp. She could ride . mule
md she could drive q miic ns Won as
n Mexican could. and that meant that
She could swear terribly 40 one know
where rrrfy aud fhr woman camc
from. fnct. nobody know or cared
10 know whore anybody camr from.
We had aail tumhlcd iu thcro together
when gold was fouud "A long iino "
us on our way from California. through
the Wilderness. 10 idaho. W had fornd
gold by chnncc one day about pfcg.
md before night we had n -city" s,jk-
ed of, and evcry man tue big woman
Included. bad n lot and a mining
claim. we dld not know where we
were. We only know That we were
several hundred miles from the near
est white hnbltation. That we were a
lnwicss mob md so must have law and
order. a recorder TO record our claims
and town lots, q judge to pass judy
ment and a sheriff to enforce IT,
And so one uight by the light Of n
great pine knot fire in tho cfrf9vof tho
''city square, the men and that woman
met and elected Mr.. Goodwin, now a
ticli and respected wholesale merchant
In San Francisco. recorder. Tom
Hound. the butcher. was elcctNi sher'
in and the writer Of this judge
Shed had a big. woolly HACK dog dc
voted TO him. and the womnn yas de-
Voted to him too. We boys all siw this
very soon. Where there are Onlt about
bne woman and fifty to severtl hun
dred men the boys are apt to sic what
Is up.
The mach train was soon on TOR The
Dalles, 200 miles distant. Berry. his
big wis. Shed. the big woody Fog and
altogether. N a month the caravan
came back all Night. and weiiad tho
city already builtN and wedas a grave
yard started up oIy tthrnill, too. for VIC
had taken some whisky With us from
California.
After a time the pack train started
for The Dallcs again Berry. his big
wife. Red Shed. the woolly dog and all
One morning -four miners met tbs
pack truth about half way from Tit
Dalles rs they were coming back Il
Canyon CITY with horses loaded will
supplies. The big woman rode the hcl
mule at tic head OF the pack train AM
swore Justify at the men and thei
laden horses for not getting out Of be
way faster. Behind the pick trail
came Red Shed sbudllng along. leadin'
his horse and with head held down
The dog was not TO be seen, and Bcrr!
was not in sight either.
But as they crossed a spur Of tbI
mountain and came to o creek the,
saw or to the right. or rather tho frs
bend. old woolly bowling dismnliy h.
the edge Of a thlcket. Tho dog did no
seem 10 see them or notice them. bu
would start on after the pack train
then stop and bowl, as II Ia tell the III
woman and Red Shed that they hn'
forgotten something.
So when the dog. after bowling
minute or so. turned about md raj
back into the thlcket. u Of tho tue.
handed his Birdie to tho minor neores
him In the trail and. gun In hand, wen
to see what was up.
There lay Berry in the edge Of tn
bush dead shot through tho bead. hl
hair all blood aud his torn clothes a
dust from having been dragged there
The men wrote everything down !
n little notebook with n pencil. go tbs
there could be no mistake about IL
facts. and then. having nothing TO d
a grave with. they fourd a hOllo'
Mace not far or on the hillside NJ
laid the body tnerc. covering It with
heap OF stones.
They said nothing when they q
back ill the pack train came In. She
the big woman. the big woOlly dog TO
The next day after the pack ira
got hack Tom Hound, the sheriff, Ca
cd ~ the big woman's camp. She vi
washing a pair Of blankets and the W
ter was bloody. She told Hound tn
Shed had killed an antelope and tied
willie yet warm on top Of his pack.
Where was Berryf oh, Berry ~
She had divided up at The Dalies. /
rad gone his way aud she bad con
Ser way. "and that Is all there Is
thnt!'
Her fingers snapped tn the air. 81
TOSSED her big head as she turned
her bg hpef%ber jaws snapped III
= steel trap
Hound found shed, the shadowy o
ioa AZ his heRE out on the bill wi
flie mules Ills feet wide apart, !
bands deer In his pockets and !
b.ad bent low. be vas watching o J
q. colony Of anti reforming their ca
o. aiflr city A mule had ~ its 70
10 ills Z ID. and The biz nnn vi
Leed Gown was 20 busy. SO sorry
b. wIicAnd them thai he did not see
pelr Hound tlll bis band was on
s-suilcr
A.i siEnL Tom; only lee ne lead
aialrH down 70 water and sOri er be
.HaN