The sun., 1904-05-29
Thomas j, Smith.
Nhilppl iS-


l. fastened bronze plate which reads:
MarSSnI aSHn'ei Of Abilene. Il n'nt.I ls7o.
A r.aress Hero OF Frontier Days VINO. in cowboy
ClAoS, Established the Supremacy OF Law.
such is the brief record of the bravest
marsha the plains ever knew. He was
III, ried in an obscure corner of the old bury
Ing ground. bat the other day his body
vas moved o the most prominent aven lie
pf the new cemetery.
Through a glass in the steel casket in
which he was laid to rest his features were
ms distinct as the day he died. petrefaction
seeming to have preserved them for thirty
four years And after all this time he is
10 have a monIma1t with fitting d. lie a
,ion and addresses by two ca rly day lead
ors who have come here for the purpose:
r. c. Henry Of Denver, the former Kansas
wheat king, and W. S. Stambargh of Fargo,
y. D. The Grand Army of the Republic
and kindred orders will assist in the SER
vice,
Abilene is an old cattle trail town. In
the later eos it was the end Of the Union
Pacific track, then the Kansas Pacific.
IT was merely a stockyard at first, but
later. as the end of the trail that led up
from the ranches Of Texas. it became n
wild and notorious town
Joe Mccoy, young Illinois man, was
the first to give it its glory. He took a
horse and rode off into the south and in
tercepted herd Of cattle bound for CAL
lfornia and induced the owners to bring
them here. Others followed, and soon the
whole Texas trade was coming over the
old Chisholm trail to the new shipping
point.
A sample train OF stock was taken to
Chicago, decorated with bunting and ac-
companied by brass band, and then the
rush came in earnest. About 8O, 900 cattle
came in 1867. The number grew to 200 900
In 1858. and in 1859 nearly half million head
came trudging up out Of the South to be
Sarded and taken by the railroad to the
Eastern cities.
to feel the effects OF the new business that
had come to it. The bottoms were COW
cred with saloons and dance halls. murders
were common and drunken cowboys riding
up and down the streets shooting their
revolvers into the windows terrorized the
l)eaceable portion Of the community.
The business interests OF the town were
suffering, and finally the city adminstra-
ton took up the matter and considered
ways and means. T. c. Henry was Mayor,
Western law department of the Atchison,
Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad Company.
was city attornev. They sent to st. Louis
and asked the chief of police to send them
two Of his best policemen.
The officers came. and were Invested
with all powers for the enforcement OF the
law. They arrived on the afternoon train
big, bnrly fellows, in the full glory Of their
hlre uniforms.
They went to the Mayor for consultation
of hbs town. The. further they went the
more frightened they became. They re-
tnIpsd to the Mayor.
,hiI How do you expect us to keep order rider
-AIake them take of their guns"
But there are a hundred Of them and only
two of Us. They lar ghed at us as we went
down the street, We don't want the job. g.
On the night train they returned to st.
Louis, and the town was worse than ever.
The wickedness went on twenty-four hours
In the day, and the cowboys boasted that
they owned the community.
It was in the midst of this reign OF terror
that the Mayor sent for Tom Smith, No
officer was ever asked to undertake a larger
job than he when he was reqr ested to con
troll the whole wayward element of the place
single handed.
Smith was native of New York and
during the civil war was on the police force
OF New York city. For some reason-he
never told why-he was dismissed and
he drifted West to White Pine, New, where
he remained for year during the silver
mining excitement.
When the Union Pacific was being built
through Wyoming he was Marshal OF. Bear
River, Green River and Corinne. At Bear
River during riot he was severely
wounded, getting a load of buckshot in
ptIllOtls VI Ocuy.
This kept him in bed for several months
aud then he went to Fort Wallace and Kit
Carson, on the main line of the Kansas
Pacific Here he was Marshal ana was en-
ploved by the railroad company to keep
order.
When in Hays City, one of the tough
frontier towns, he saved the life Of Judge
Garfield, one Of the best known of the dis
trict court judges OF early days Ca'-
field was presiding over court in the town
and had famous case IN which a numb,
Of cattlemen were Interested They
threatened to kill him il he decided against
them, as Garfield had about made up his
mind to do.
He was about to call out the troops from
the fort to protect him when some one
mentioned Smith. Smith was sent for,
and stood around town and in the court
room for two DAYS. When the decision
VAS rendered against them the cattlemen
had taken the hint and did not dare an
assault on the Court.
One more bold than the rest attempte ed
10 climb up to the rear of the colrtroo m
where he could get shot through the win.
dow and then make retreat to his pony,
but he was seen by the Mlrshal who sent
II shot after him that laid him up for months.
While Smith was coming TO this city Il o
officers built a caaboose. but the cowboys
razed it to the ground Then they rebuilt
II. and under strong guard put a negro
IN it. Later in the night a crowd OF the
drunken cowboys rode into town, tore