Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-06-08
CHAPTER XIV.

S CHAPTER XIV.
The Sunday Murder.
Banks posse, leaving Medicine Bend
before daybreak, headed northwest.
Their instructions were explicit: To
scatter after crossing the Frenchman,
watch the trails from the Goose river
country and through the Mission
mountains, and intercept everybody
riding north until the posse from
Sleepy Cat or Whispering Smith
should communicate with them from
the southwest. Nine men rode in the
party that crossed the Crawling Stone
Sunday morning at sunrise with Ed
Banks.
After leaving the river the three
white-capped Saddles of the Mission
range afforded a landmark for moro
than 100 miles. and toward these the
party pressed steadily all day. The
southern pass Of the Missions opens
on the north slope Of the range into
q pretty valley known as Mission
l6pI1uS6 vdllOy, duA tA0 6P1lAS30 al
the head-waters Of Deep creek. The
posse did not quite obey the instruc-
tons, and following natural instinct
of safety Ave Of them, after Banks
and his three deputies had scattered,
punched again, and at dark crossed
Deep creek at some distance below the
springs. It was afterward known that
these five men had been seen entering
the valley from the east at shutdown
Just as four Of the men they wanted
rode down South Mission pass toward
the springs. That they knew they
would soon be cut of, or must cut
their way through the line which Ed
Banks, ahead OF them, was posting at
every gateway to Williams Cache, was
probably clear to them. Four men
rode that evening from Tower W
through the south pass: the fifth man
had already left the party. The four
men were headed for Williams Cache
and had reason to believe, until they
bighted Banks men, that their path
was open.
They halted to take counsel on the
MISUNDERSTANDING posse far below
them, and while their cruelty ex-
hausted horses rested, Du Sang, al
ways In Sinclair's absence the brains
OF the gang, planned the escape over
Deep creek at Bags crossing. At
dusk they divided: two men lurking in
the brush along the creek rode as
close as they could. unobserved, to-
ward the crossing, while Du Sang and
the cowboy Karg. known as Flat Nose,
rode down to Baggs' ranch at the foot
OF the pass.
: At that point Dan Baggs, an old 10
connective engineer. had taken home
stead, got together q little bunch. Of
cattle, and was living alone with his
son, boy of ten years. It was q
hard country and too close to VIII
1iams Cache for comfort, but Dan got
on with everybody because the tough
est man In the Cache country could
get a meal, feed for his horse, and a
place to sleep at Baggs'. without
charge, when he needed 1t.
Ed Banks, by hard riding, got to the
crossing at five o'clock, and told Baggs
of the hold-up and the shooting Of
Oliver Sellers. The news stirred the
old engineman, and his excitement
threw him OF his guard. Banks rode
straight on for the middle pass, leaw-
dng word that two OF his men would be
along within half an hour to watch the
pass and the ranch crossing, and asked
Baggs to put up some kind of a light for
the crossing until more Of the posse
came. up-at the least, to make sure
that nobody got any fresh horses.
The boy was cooking supper in the
Kitchen, and Baggs had done his milk
dng and gone back to the corral, when
two men rode around the corner Of the
barn and asked II they could get
something to eat. Poor Baggs sold his
atfe in SIX words: "Why. yes: be you
Banks men?"
Du Sang answered: mo; we're from
Sheriff Coon's office at Oroville, look
Ding up a bunch Of Duck Bar steers
that's been run somewhere up Deep
creek. Gan we stay here all night?"
They dismounted and disarmed
Bags suspicious. though the condi-
tion Of their horses might have warned
him had he had his senses. The I'M
fortunate man had probably fixed it in
his mind that q ride from Tower w to
Deep creek In 16 hours was physical
dmpossibility.
@Stay here! Sure! want you to
stay" said Baggs, blufiy. Looks to
me like seen you down at Crawling
Stone. amt II" he asked Of Karg.
Karg was lighting cigarette. II
used to mark ct the Dunning ranch
The answered, throwing away his
match.
Chats hit. Good! The boys cook.
ing supper. Step up to the kitchen
and tell him to cut ham for four more .
], ''Four7"
1.-TWO Of Ed Banks men will be here
siby six o'clock. Heard about the hold.
Iups They stopped Number Three at
Tower w last night and shot Ollie
Sellers. as white boy as ever pulled
l.: throttle. Boys, man that'll kill q
locomotive engineer is worse'n an In.
dian; I'd help skin him."
The hell you would" cried Du
Sang. Well, don't you want to start
IL on met killed sollers. Look. at
me; amt ! handsome7 What you 20.
|ing to % about III"
Bafore Baggs could think Du sang
WAS shooting him down. II Was wan.
ton. sDu 6Anx stood n no need Of the
!hutchery: To eseape could have been
made without It. His victim had pulled