The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1907-07-26

he ASWS Ii IdSl AlSIlL 1l6COI
that George Musgrave, member of the
old BLACK jack gang had been cap
tured near Fairbanks, close to Tomb
stone Arizona, brought flood of me-
mories to the older citizens of Ros-
well, all of whom we'll remember Mus
grave and the whirlwind exciting ev-
ents in which he left this county,
eleven years ago this fall. He started
mis- outlaw career by joining a band of
robbers who held up and robbed right
and left and clinched his title of des-
perado by killing George Parker, a
well known citizen of this county
From that time ne was busy in getting
out of this part of the country.
George Musgrave came to Roswell
from Texas with his parents when a
this town and afterward went to work
as COW pulcher in this locality. He
secured some stock of his own and
ran few horses on the range. About
the year 1896, he was indicted for
horse stealing and it was said at the
llAlAC, anu 10 81 ICpO1 lSu III" ny many
old timers that George Parker was in
strumeltaI in having the indictment
brought. At least Musgrave thought
So Musgrave was then about 81 or
% years old. c. w. Haynes was sher-
iff then. Musgrave in some way heard
of the Indictment and kept out of the
reach of Sheriff Haynes and his de-
puties and it was while he was ION
the dodge" that he got into the wrong
crowd and went to the bad.
1t was in the fall of 1896 that Mus
grave Joined what was afterward call
ed the "Black jack gang, composed
of five desperadoes, all of wnom had
been peaceable and law-abiding COW
punchers in and around Roswell and
were well known here. They began
operations at Nogal, where they held
up the bank. Their hold-up was re-
sisted and the gang was driven off
without securing any booty.
From Nogal they rode to Rio Puer-
CO and held up a train on the Santa
Fe. Again they were given battle
There was a United tSates marshal
on the train named Loomis and he
had a short shotgun, with which he
succeeded in killing one of the gang,
Tom Harris, better known in Roswell
as Bob Cole From Rio Puerco the re
naming four came to the vicinity of
White Oaks and help up the stages
that run into that town. They robbed
the mail sacks and secured whatever
Of value there was in them. Then they
separated into two pairs. George Mus
grave and Bob Hays came in the di-
rection of Roswell and the other two
waited for them in the country to the
south of White Oaks.
Musgrave and Hays went to round
up wagon and camp of the Diamond
A ranch, 35 miles southwest of Ros
well on the Felix, going there for the
express purpose of killing George Par
ker, who was running the wagon. Both
Musgrave and Hays were we'll known
to the boys in camp and were well
liked as congenial cow-punchers. No
thing was known, of course, of their
depredations to the west and north
west of the camp. The visitors were
welcomed into camp, allowed to wash
up and eat, according to custom. Sam
Butler. of Dexter, was the camp cook
Among the cow-punchers in camp
were Dick Ballard, now deputy county
clerk. Curg Johnson and Frank Parks.
Juan Perea, still with the Diamond
A outfit, was working about camp and
helping Butler.
When Parker came in with bunch
of horses at about eleven O'Clock in
the morning, he and Musgrave greet
ed each other cordially by their first
names, but some of those who were
present thought they were speaking
like they distrusted each other. Mus
grave is said to have walked toward
Parker and when he was expected to
extend his haad to snake hands. to
have said, Parker. have come all
the way from Mexico to kin You for
the way you have got me in trouble. =
and as he talked. is said to have pull
ed his gun and shot three times. The