The Red Cloud chief., 1905-06-09

ls49, Mr.. Thomas moved to the Ne
braska frontier when he was but a lad
and began life on a ranch. Up to
that time be had attended district
school an aggregate of twenty-five
months, and, like the man who wrote
soap testimonials, he has never gone to
school since.
II is not the intention here to tell
the life Of MEL Thomas, as he was
called on the plains. He talks but
little Of those early days, bat he once
facetiously remarked that aside from
the halt dozen years on the plains and
a year and a half or the city council of
Pond Greek he had always tried to live
the life of a law abiding citizen. A
true and faithful history of this mans
life during those years on the frontier
would make a book that would be very
interesting reading. In closing a
magazine article on his life the editor
in 1898 paid him the following compli-
ment:
1Mr. Thomas belongs to a class of
western men who can never be repro.
duced. The west they know and
which was their creator is gone for
ever. Strong, self reliant and invinci
BILE, these men built states from the
wilds OF savagery and conquered cir
cumstances in behalf Of civilization.
Their reward has never been proper
toned to their merits, but while life
remains they have the faculty and the
courage to compel recognition for
their deserts"
Why the fates should decree that a
man almost wholly without education
and whose border life as a freighter.
buffalo hunter, mail carrier, Indian
fighter, man hunter and COW puncher
was not exactly calculated to tit him
for the duties Of an editor or to shine
in polite society is n of the myster-
les thu. is past finding out. However.
in 1916, Mr.. Thomas became the editor
and proprietor of a weekly newspaper,
the only one in a frontier country of
the west Later he drifted into Colo.
RADIO and took up his abode in a little
town, which afterwards became a
county seat, and engaged to do the
editorial work on the local paper.
Those who claimed to be his friends.
but who failed to consult his wishes
in the matter, had him appointed a
justice OF the peace. and while serving
in that capacity the first lawsuit ever
tried in Yuma county, Colorado. was
tried before him. 1t vas a suit ia
which there was not much involved
except spite work, every one in the
case being related in one way or
another to every one else in the suit
About three dozen witnesses were
s~ubpoenaed, a lawyer was employed on
each side aud the case promised to be
an interesting one. The lawyer for
the prosecution was an old settler. he
having lived in the town nearly three
months, but the attorney on the other
side was a newcomer, having drifted in
from Missouri only two days previous.
he came to the town in a mild state of
intoxication, and when the suit came
up for trial he was in the same condi.
ton except probably a little more so.
The "court" being new to the bust.
ness, supposed that the lawyers always
got drunk when trying a case, and,
la6oring under this impression, did
not hesitate to take a recess eyery
time the lawyers wanted to 90 out for
a drink. In f'ct, he joined them in
their libations frequently, and when
the defendant in the case, under the
softening influence Of tanglefoot,
offered to "set EN- up" the court saw
no improperly in it. The court even
set 'em up to all hands, telling the
dealer in liquids to "put it ON the
slate" The complainant in the case,
not to be outdone, also had a long
black bottle filled and placed on the
courts desk, close to his right hand.
Things ran smoothly after this for as
much as an hour, until, following one
OF Ii recesses, the attorney for the
defense staggered into court with 81
quart bottle in his coat tail pocket. a
, cigar in his mouth aud without remov.