The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1906-06-20

cast a ssur on the name Of old Wyo-
ming so deep and broad and long that
It will take a hundred years to wash it
out. If speak with emotion and with
tears in ny eyes wait and see il I'm
not justified.
Eyes, Steve Taylor rode away Ike a
cavalier Of old. and nobody looked
around to see whether Eli whiting
vas among us or not. He wasn't. how
over. He was sloshin' around W the
Antelope trail and waitin' to do bust
ness with Steve. Bimeby Steve gets up
to him. His boss vas amblin' and his
guns was a-showin' them 'leven
notches. Bill has a stick in his hands.
Steve says it looked like a gun to him.
Mebbe it did, but it wouldn't have
looked that way to a man with a grain
Of sand in his gizzard. Bill gets up as
Steve comes along and sings out:
"'Hello. Steve, but I want ye to dc
me a little favor
sand what might that beg asks
Steve.
"'Git off'n yer critter and hold up yer
hands,
AVA a I ca liz
":But l do. I'll give ye Jest five Sec
onds.'
with that Bill p'ints his stick and
Steve climbs down. Oh, my soul, but
think Of It! A critter with 'leven notch
es in the butts of his guns climbin'
down and maxim a fool of hisself be-
cause a dry stick is p'inted at him!
Bill takes them guns away, robs him
Of $40 in cash and then mounts the
broncho and rides of. Steve gives him
q good start and then follers along,
and jest as night Is settin' in he over
hauls the robber. Does he jump in and
try to capture him? Does he, even
when he knows Bill is asleep, creep up
and try to get hold Of the guns?
I'll tell you what he does. He waits
till 10 O'Clock and then creeps up and
begs of Bill to give him back some of
his property. Bill invites him into the
tent to eat a coll bite and talk it over,
and though the guns are lynn scattered
around Steve don't pick one up and
turn the tables. He jest sits thar and
begs and whines and coaxes until he is
booted forth. Excuse these tears, Ex-
cuse this sweat on my marble brow.
Excuse me that I'm alive instead of a
victim of suicide.
"Steve Taylor travels the rest Of the
night on foot, headed for Sandy Bend.
He arrives here at 8 o'clock yesterday
mornin' and calls at the Red Dog sa-
o to wake me up and to say:
"Jedge Hoke, I want jestice.'
"'What sort O jestice?' says I, won
derin' If I'd heard Alright.
""The regular sort. I've been held up
by Bill Whiting and robbed of my all,
and l want him punished by the law
think Of it! Think of ity' groaned
the Judge as he looked around the
courtroom. "A man as has been held
, up by a man with a stick, as has had
chance after chance Of getting hold of
his guns again, as knowed Bill Whit
Ing for a chump, to come to me and
boiler for ~jestice! If 10000 Of We leave
this territory tomOrrer with shame and
humiliation in your faces l shan't
blame We. l struggled with Steve for
an hour. l made him understand what
was Mt stake, but It was no use. He
wanted jestice and nuthin' else, and I
issued a warrant for Bill, and the con-
stable brung him in last night. He's
slttn' here before US as peart as a
jackass rabbit on a June mornin', and
from that grin IN his face I'm judgin'
that he means to plead guilty. How Is
II, Billy"
II held him up and went through
him right 'nuff."
"Just listen to that! Was ever SIGH a
thing heard of on the face Of this airth
before?"
HE pleads guilty, your honor" num-
bled the victim.
Eyes, durn his hide, he does, but he
knows my feelin's in the matter. I
could try, convict and send him to
prison for Ave years, but am l goin'
to do it: No; a thousand times, no!
I'm goin' to throw the case out of
court and him on top of it, and II he
don't know 'nuff to get a hundred miles
away in the next three days then Wen
set him down for a fool. AS for you,
Steve Taylor; as for the mar who has
shamed and Inundated every squar'
man west of the Mississippi and stab
bed jestice herself to the heart, you
will be took outdoors, given the boot
by every man in Sandy Bend wearln'
boots and then headed up the trail and
started on the run. 1t hain't law, but
It's what you hankered for-jestice.
constable. adjourn the court and re-
move the condemned" NJ. QUAD.
What He Thought.