The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1905-12-01
A Desperate
Remedy

VVVNSNVVNVNVN
so OMETIMES the ylgilsntes were
all right" remarked the man
from Arizona, who squirted six drops
Of tabasco into each drink that he
poured out, "and sometimes they were
all wrong. In my opinion they we're
oftener dead wrong than half right.
But this may be prejudiced testimony.
never liked the yigilantes' methods.
1t is undeniable that they we're what you
might call a necessary evil IN some
parts OF the west But they always
oyerdid the thing They grew arrogant,
domineering. They generally wound up
by wanting to be the whole works.
Then, In most cases. something would
turn up to finish the yigilantes. ] hap
pened to be on hand when the some
thing happened that pulled the curtain
down on the yigilante business in Ari-
zona. There has never been vigilante
in Arizona from thst day to this.
1T happened in Flagstaff, in 1884.
They were never called yigilantes In
Arizona. They we're referred TO as
Strangers. The Strangers got pret-
ty tight hold on Flagstaff. They weren't
popular, but they had a majority. They
called themselves 8 sheriti's posse. and
for awhile they rode over Flagstan
proper. They turned several tricks.
with the aid Of the rope, that were
nowhere near on the square, and they
killed several men who we're pretty
generally thought to be innocent by
Flagstaff folks who didn't take any
stock in the Strangers haphazard way
Of doing things. So that when this
thing happened I'm going to tell you
about there was a pretty strong under
current OF feeling in Flagstaff against
the Strangers.
The beginning OF the Strangers
wind-up was when one OF the most
prominent OF their number began to pick
on the Burns boys. Charley and Frank.
Old man Burns ran the Burns house In
Flagstaff, and these boys we're bis sons.
Charley was about 80 and Frank was
2S They we're both square men, as
men went down in the southwest in
those days They didn't pretend to be
sanctlfled, but they kept as well with
in the law as any OF u.s. There was no
reason on earth why they should have
been singled out to be picked on by
the Strangers. bst they we're One day
the prominent Stranger that | men
toned walked into the Burns house.
Charley and Frank we're playing seven
up for dollars at a table not far from
the desk A few bystsnders were pok-
ing around. This Stranger man be-
gan shooting 1t into Charley Burns In
a pretty strong way Of limiting about a
stage robbery that had been pulled OF
not far from Flagstaff a couple Of weeks
before. Charley wasn't a coward. by
whole row OF 'dobes. but he knew that
IL he went at the Stranger he'd not
only get II himself but that his broth
er and his old father would probably
have to dangle. Anyway. he wasn't
fixed. He had laid aside his belt for
more comfort In sitting down. So he
didn't say much In reply 10 the Stran-
gler's digs. Frank, his younger broth
er fumed. but he didn't cut In until the
Stranger walked to the bar at the end
OF the Office to get a drink. Then be
said in an angry undertone to his
brother:
Charley, II you're not man enough
to take your own end against that juni-
per- am
Tin not fixed, said Charley.
Frank passed his brother a gun un-
der the table.
Nov call him, he said
Charley sort o. hesitated. He was a
cooler man than his brother. and he
wanted to keep out OF trouble II he
could. So he jammed the gun into his
waistband and sat in a sort OF a guess.
The Stranger walked from the bar
toward the door.
"'You may hear something be said.
stopping at the door and looking at
Charley Burns significantly.
Just wait a minute. said Charley.
getting up from the table and walking
over to the Stranger. Let's hear It
now
They got together right then. II hap
pened pretty suddenly. but the only man
struck by shot was the inevitable In
nocent bystander. He was killed as dead
as a mackere. Then the Strangers
seemed 10 come out Of the ground and
three minutes later both OF the Burns
boys were landed in separate cells In
the calaboOse That night the Stran-
glers broke into the Jail and shot Char
ley Burns to death in his cell. They
shot Frank up a heap too. but he was
still breathing when they pulled him
out OF his cell and strung him up.
"How. here was a dirty bit OF work.
Il got on the nerves OF all OF US, more
or less, who didn't belong to the stran-
glers. There was a-plenty OF ugly talk
around Flagstaff from that night-plain
talk, spoken right out loud. Among the
people who didn't hesitate to express
themselves audibly we're I'd Fay and
Doc Radde, both Of whom dealt faro
in Dave Blacks big place. They were
both quiet men. and game. But that
Burns job got them on the raw, and
neither Of them hesitsted a minute In
saving so. The result was that one
afternoon they got a joint invitation.
conveyed in writing. from the stran-
glers. to leave Flagstaff on the 1880