Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1904-09-16

o ~ 9 of the most feared men in
I L the West. He alone knows
1or~ how many notches should
oe -, ii in his gun barrel, and how
many unbranded cattle have been
driven into his corrals. He lived aGy-
where west Of the Missouri River. The
ground was his bed, his saddle his
pilow. The crack of the siX-shooter
was his lullaby; the whistle of Win
chester ball many times sounded his
reveille. The outlaw and broncho
were his playmates; the prairies, caves
and pine Duties his play
ground. Civilization put price upon
his head-a price that tempted brave
men into the then almost unexplOred
country where this famous bandit
lived, to take him dead or alive. The
boldness and magnitude of his cattle
stealing operations and the unerring
aim of his six-shooter made him the
terror of and the foremost character
in the great West for many years.
AN W lLAW LEADER.
Middleton was the leader of a band
Of outlaws cattle and horse thieves
that In 1880 had headquarters in Mo
orara County, Nebraska. He had come
up from Texas, the authorities there
being anxious to lay hands upon him
to answer to the charge of killing a
ranchman. His band had for several
years been terror TO StOckmen, driv
ing Off entire herds Of cattle and
horses, and killing many members of
posses sent out to capture the bandits.
The depredatlons of the gang became
bolder and holder. State authorities
had signally failed to accomplish any
thing, so the Union Pacific Railroad
took a haj Il in the chase under the di-
rection of J. u. Clark, who was then
managing the Nebraska branch of the
road. Clark went to North Platt sta
ton, where Middleton anC his gang
usually drove their stolen cattle, Or
ganized posse, and evolved a plan of
action. c. n. GrOner, sheriff of Lin
coln County, suddenly discovered that
Middleton knew every detail of Clarks
plan, told to him by some one Who
had the confidence of the railroad
and who was acting as spy for the out
law chief. Clark, discouraged, re-
turned to Omaha, the bandits continued
their depredations, and both the State
and the Union Pacific offered large re-
wards for his capture, dead or alive.
Docs escape from Clark was fol-
lowed by one of the most exciting
events in the famous cattle-ruStler's
history, and which was not closed until
Middleton had been landed in the'peni-
Tertiary. 1t was this story which is
told as follows:
NEW CAMPAIGN PLANNED.
"You remember how Clark fizzied
out at North Platte, don't you, when
somebody 'peached' and put Middleton
wise Oh the whole campaign? Well,
not long after Clark got back to
Omaha, mad as hornet, and at his
wits end to know how to connect with
the willy outlaw, breezy young West
erner came blowing into the office one
day with an imperative request to see
the Union Pacific manager on import
ant business. Clark was busy fellow
i'll this days, and it was mighty hard
to get an interview with him. This
young fellow, W. II. LlewellyD, was
a magnificent specimen of Westerner, a
stranger to fear, and who knew every
canon, cave and timber strip from
North Platte to Deadwood. He finally
secured an interview with Clark and
unfolded a plan for Middleton's cap
ture. He gave Clark some valuable
pointers on the trailing of cattle
thieves, and convinced Clark that he
was trustworthy.
"Llewellyn proposed to take his life
in his hands, join Middleton's band,
learn the habits and haunts of the out
laws, gain Docs confidence and finally
hold him up. Clark was to be kept
informed Of every movement and have
several trusty men at the appointed
place to capture Middleton alive if pos
sible, dead if necessary. Llewellyn
was appointed an agent of the United
States Secret Service with power to
summon military aid if necessary.
'The greatest obstacle was the State
law requiring sheriffs and other officers
to resort to posse in making an ar
rest before calling for military aid. To
evade this law, General Crook, then
commanding the Department of the
Platte, was induced to place an order
at every post under his control instruct.
ing the commanding officer to give
Llewellyn detail of soldiers when
ever needed, Ostensibly to search for
deserters.
Charlie Sweezy and Billy Hazen of
Omaha were to be Llewellyn's confed-
crates, and after getting an order from
w. A. Paxton for some horses on his
ranch, they started for North Platte.
At PaxtOn's ranch the foreman was in
and greatly interested, He
said Middleton was in the Republican
Valley, so Llewellyn and his men start
ed in that direction. But Llewellyn
knew a thing or two about Western
ranch foremen. and when night came
be took an entirely different direction.
Sweezy was left at Buffalo Bills ranch,
forty miles from Paxton's, and Hazen
and Llewellyn kept on.
MIDDLETON is FOUND.
at was not long before they met
Middleton and Kid Wade Cater
hanged at Long Pine, Neb.,) and four
others of the gang. Llewellyn told
Middleton that he and HaZen had been