The Saint Paul globe., 1904-05-15


heard recently of the pending
applications for United States dep
| uty marshaPs billet of a man who has
more history attaching to his person.
| ality than most of us could contrive
to pick up in the course Of three or
| four lifetimes," said a Texan here who
has way Of finding out about most
Of the things happening in Washing
ton that have any bearing upon his
| section of the country
I'm not a knifer, and so Tn not go
| ing to mention the name under which
he is making his application for
United States deputy marshaHs badge
It is the same name, however. that
he used when he jumped Texas a good
many years ago and became citizen
of some Importance in Wyoming. He
went to Buffalo, Wyo., from Texas,
where he had been a terror for many
years, and he behaved himself so well
IN Wyoming that they made him a
Sheriff there. He even joined the Ma
sonic fraternity in Wyoming under the
name which he is using now in max
ing application for berth under the
United States government
He was with the cattlemen in the
rustlers' war in the early '90s, and he
was fighting man from away back.
During his stay in Wyoming there
was only one man there who knew his
record, and that man never said a
word about it, for he knew his life
wouldn't have been worth two cents
Mexican If he had opened his mouth
about the Texan. don't know wheth-
er this man is going to get his mar
shaFs billet or not. but / do know that
he would make a fine officer of that
kind for rough country.
Twenty years ago this mans name
was Joe Horner. There'n be few Tex
ans forty years old who won't rec
ognlze that name the minute they
see 1t. Joe was for a number Of years
absolutely the hardest man in west
Texas. He wasn't any imitation bad
man, but the real thing. But he got
into the bad man business more or less
accidentally.
when he was quite a youngster he
got into a rough house with a yell
low man. The yellow man pulled a
knife on HOrner, who was then under
twenty, and Joe shot him dead. He
was grabbed for this and slowed away
to await trial. While awaiting trial
he broke loose. He hadn't been out a
ONJ OOAOA AC IOOOSQ d stage COdCn
single handed. Then he took to West
Texas, got bunch together, and made
that stamping ground a place of fear
for the inhabitants for a number of
years.
His speciality was sticking up faro
banks. He got by with that thing
times without number, often single
handed. He couldn't, of course, carry
his West Texas game through with
out doing a-plenty of killing. 1 don't
say that Horner killed wantonly; but
there isn't any manner of doubt that
he sped many man into the dark
canon.
There were all kinds Of rewards out
for him; the Rangers took a whack at
trying to round him up; but he was
never nailed, and never spent a minute
behind the bars after he'd cut out Of
the jail where he'd been tucked to
await trial for killing the yellow man.
"Horner cut the bad man business
out himself, without being hobbled any
and forced to it. 1t was then that he
jumped Texas and went to Wyoming
and acted so much on the square that
they made him a sheriff and took him
generally for what he looked to be,
without doing any inquiring into his
record. He wasn't Joe Horner there,
nor has he ever been since; he is still
remembered in Wyoming for his fear
lessness, and by the same name which
he still signs and which he is using in
his application for a marshal appoint
ment
This man. however, has at least
a legal right to hold Office under the
United States government, for he isn't
any longer an outlaw. He has a full
pardon for all of his crimes in his
pocket, obtained from Gov. Hogg, of
Texas. The way that that pardon was
issued is the thing that 1 started to
tell you about.
when Horner quit Wyoming after
the rustlers' war there, he went back
to Texas, where he had a lot of
friends. AS he was still wanted in
Texas, and pretty badly at that, he
made his re-entry there lot under
cover. He was through with the bad
man business, but he knew that Yexas
wasn't through with him, and that
he'd have to stand for a heavy dose
should his identity become known. He
told such of his friends as he met-and
not a few of them were influential
men-that he was through with the
terroriZing business, and put them
wise to the good record that he had
made for himself in Wyoming under
another name. His friends communi-
Gated with Wyoming people and veri-
fled Horner's statements. Then they
set to work to obtain from Gov. Hogg
a pardon for Joe Horner.
"a bunch of them went to Austin to
have a talk with Mr.. Hogg about the
matter. The governor hared up the