The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1908-07-25
AVENGED HIS opal"
TRAGEDY IN THE HISTORY OF A
KANSAS TOWN.
Newton, In the Early '7os, the Scene
Of Remarkable ARRAY That
Ended In tho Death Of
Il Nine Persons.

Nine Persons.
THE town Of Newton, Kan, was the
arena of the storm and stress of the
times that tried mems souls and
placed every life In the balance" said
retired cattleman. Back In the
'70s 1t was what might have been
called the trocha of civilization. The
Santa Fe railway was just building
into the town. 1t was on the line OF
the cattle trail. Cattlemen from Tex.
as and the southwest drove up great
herds. some as large as 5000. and sold
them to the northern market 1t
was an open range for miles around.
with good grazing all the way to the
Seminole. The town was filled all the
while with cattlemen and Newton
soon became known all over the coun.
try as the Paris Of the West. Within
its rude confines all the foibles and
follies of the rough sons of the plains
were exploited and INDUCED.
"As was the case In Denver In her
beginning, the dance hall was the
rendezvous for those who sought re-
lief from the business of cattle buying
and selling as well as those who were
called upon to perform the more un.
romantic duty Of punching. Among
the many who blew into Newton along
about 1875 we're two young men, who
rs eager hearted boys had left their
homes on the farms and gone out into
the world to make their fortune. One
was called Sid Bloodsaw, who came
from Illinois. and at first was well
supplied with money. Another. Ted
Bland, hailed from Iowa. He was a
young fellow with plenty of sand. and
he was not afraid Of work.
"Bloodsaw and Bland became fast
friends. Both had lost an their money
at three card monte. and there was a
touch Of sympathy between them that
made them akin. After they had
fallen short OF funds, they tried sew
eral things, but, like the tiger, every
thing went against them. Starvation
stared them In the face. They could get
no work and were hungry. While Blood
saw was absent one night his partner
ventured into one of the dance halls
as Q locker on. He got to drinking
and became involved in a difficulty
with Texan. Bland had pawned his
gun to buy food, which showed to
what depth he had descended. The
Texan killed him. His body was laid
out for burial next day when Bloodsaw
returned. He went to the under
takers shop and looked upon the face
OF his friend.
He had made few dollars and he
spent II all giving Bland as decent a
burial as possible. That night Blood
saw crept through the darkness and
looked in at the dance hall where
Bland had met his death. He found
the same crowd Of TEXANS, eight in all.
one OF whose members had shot his
friend. He heard the music mingled
with the loud outlaws of the men who
counted lightly the life Of penniless
stranger. He went around to the back
door Of the dance hall and nailed 1t
up. There was so much noise In the
hall and the men and women had
given themselves over so completely
to the merry. orgie that his work at
tracted no attention. This completed
to his satisfaction. he went to the
front door and locked 1t and put the
key In his pocket. He had armed him
self with two guns. which he knew
how to use in an emergency.
"The front OF the hall was occupied
by the bar. He vaulted the counter
and told the mixer Of drinks to get
out, and that worthy obeyed promptly,
giving the alarm as he departed. Then
the Texans made rush for the in
truder, firing rs they came. Using the
as q barricade. Bloodsaw
greeted the onslaught of the Texans with
two bullets from his revolvers. Both
took effect and two men fell dead.
Two Others stumbled and fell over
their mates, and Bloodsaw put bull
let each in their bodies. BY this time
the other four had become terror
stricken and made for the rear en-
trance. Here was the chance that the
mans strategy had planned. When
the fleeins men rushed to the door and
found II barred. they turned to and
met another fusillade from Bloodsaw's
battery. When his revolvers we're
emptied eight desperate Texas cattle
men Iay, dad on the floor. Several
shots had been fred ct Bloodsaw. but
only one took effect, that making .
slight fesh wound. Chicago Inter
Ocean.