The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-06-16
WATERLOO Or The CHOKERS
Quick FINISH OFVTRGINIA CITY'S
IIGfLANTES.
Nsvada's Experience With Judge Lynch
THE Choke Powerful for = Time,
hut Not Popular -kililng OF tho Jordan
BOYS the Cause Of Their Downfall.

pusa Wv NeuoN '" ft So
WASHINGTON, June i5.-"They're talking
Of re~viving the Vigilantes in San Fran
cisco for :he purpose Of coping with the
disorder and lawlessness of that distracted
;own. but il sounds like bad medicine To
me said a former Territorial Governor
II Nevada.
There never yet vas an outfit Of this
character that, no matter how well 1t started
out. didn't event :aiIy degenerate into a
cruel and merciless above the law mob.
Il Know something abou Vigilante
methods, was in the Territory when the
something happened that pulled the swift
curtain down on the Nigilante business
IL Nevada.
1t happened in Virginia City az the
time when the teverishness over the Com
s'ocE business was settling down TO steady
r~.4rg,ng away at the ground. They weren't
ca led Yigilantes in Nevada, They were
cn!lei Checkers. in rather gross allusion
~ t.eir deftncss in handling the hemp.
The Chokers took a pretty tight hold
on Virginia City for n spell, They weren't
popular, bu, they were powerful. | know
Of my own knowledge that they turned
several tricks with the rope Thai were no.
where near on the square.
1T happened therefore that when this
thing / started to tell about occurred there
was a mighty strong undercurrent Of feel
lug against the Chokors. The actual he-
ginning of their finish was when one Of
:Ae mos, prominent Of the Chokers began
picking on the Jordans. Bill and Ned.
Old man Jordan IAN Il general store in
Virginia City and the boys were his two
l. ula,, ,roxo 1911 |, n. apn,,rk
man. as men went in the camps at that
aay.
One day this prominent Choker that |
mentioned strSlled into old man Jordan's
store. Bill and Ned to while away their
of duty hours-they we're employed in
tie mines-were playing seven up for silver
dollars in the rear part Of the store. A
Few hvstanders were hanging around.
This Choker man began sitting it into
Bill Jordan in u pretty strong sort Of way
about a stage robbery that had been pulled
on on the Frisco trail into Virginia City
about 2 week before. Bill wasn't d coward
nor ANYTHING like one. but he knew rer-
fectlv we'll that il he opened up on the Choker
he'd not only get it around the neck him
sell. in all likelihood, hat that lis brother
and his old dad would probably nave TO
bangle TOO. ~
Anyhow. Bill wasn't fixed. he had
lsd aside his bel, for more comfort ia
sitting down So he kept pretty mum
while the Choker stood there nagging him
about the stage robbery. Ned, his younger
brother. fumed. but he refr1ined from
cutting in until the Choker walked back
10 the bar. at the far end of the store. TO
get a drink. Then he said in an angry
UNDERGONE TO his brother Bill:
II you're not man enough to take your
end against that %iuniper cur | am,
I'm not fixed said Bill.
Ned passed his brother a gun under
Now. make him squeal,, ho said to Bill.
bill sort Of hesitated. He wanted to
keep out Of trouble If there was anv way.
So he jammed the CUR into his waistbond
and sat back in a sort Of guess. The
Choker. having got his drink, walked from
the bar toward the door.
You'll probably be hearing some
thing. he said, stopping at the door and
g~lsncing back at Bill significantly,
Just wait a minute, hombre,' said Bill
gstting mp from the table and walking
over to the Choker. Let's hear it now
1T happened right then. The Chnker
and Bill came together for a Quick clinch
before the shooting began, and II was prob-
ahlv owing to that that whom the firing
did start their arms were 80 unsteady that
the only man killed was the inevitable in
rocsnt hvstander. who was plugged as
dead az a maCkerel. whether by q hall from
TiN's gun or that Of the Choker nobody
could tell.
Then tho Chokers seemed to come right
out If tho ground. and ten minutes lator
both If the Jordan bows we're landed in
separate cells in the Virginia CITY Gala
hoos" That night the Chokers broke into
the calahoosn and shot Bill Jordan n death
IN his cell. They shot Nod M a heap too,
hit he was still breathing when they yankcd
lin ont Of his cell and s'rlng him IN.
This. then. wasn't any mic, Dieca of
work. and the hlindast hombre in camn
could SEQ that it wasn't. 1t got on tho
nerves NJ all hands moro or less who didn't
train with the ChOkcrs.
'From that night there was 4 plenty Of
ugly talk plain, open talk. uttered right
o't loud Among tho peoplN who didn't
hesitate TO cypress themselvcs audihly as
n tho way the rs wore ovoTstapping
tho mark were Dan Lane and Doc Vail.
both Of whom dealt faro bank in Fred
Pa'-1n's big Virginia City house.
They wero 80 out in the open in their
TAX about il that one afternoon. n few days
sfter tho murder Of the Jordan boys. they
received a joint invitation, conveyed in
writing from the Chokers, 10 leave Virginia
CITY on the westbound stage that night.
They read the note together,
You going, Doc?' Lane asked Vail.
\ n replied Vail.
I'm sticking. said lane
They carried the Checkers invitation TO
ffsn PStten, their employer. mere never
vas a gamer or better man In Nevada than
this same Fred Patten, even II he did run a
gambling house. The Checkers note to
Lane and Vail. his two dealers, sent the
hostile blood dancing through him.
He spat on the pack Of the note and
pasted it against the front we'll Of his gamb-
ling houso. Then he yanked out both Of his
guns and described a curiously accurate
circle ~ bullets on that piece OF paper.
linen he took a carpenters pencil and
wrote across the whole face Of the p%unctured
invitation these words:
..Chokers Take Heed. My Men Stick
Fred Patten strolled about in the sun
chine for a while and studied the situation,
and then he returned 10 his gambling house,
where Lane and Vail were waiting for him.
They had a talk. Az the conclusion NJ the
tax Patten handed each OF his men $500 in
gold.
Tn case the play doesn't go through,
10 explained in doing this, 'and you boys
nave 20 vamp. you'll need the money
Then Patten went around and had a
lev duiet little talks with SOM Virginia
Illy citizens whom he knew would be along
.de Of him and hacking him up in the little
Undertaking he had on hand. The party
was made up. In all there were eleven
lnen. There want n In wbraakpT in the LOT.