The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-06-27
BAD MAN FROM
 BITTER CREEK Parsons Eloquent Appeal Pre-
 vents Lynching UNEXPECTED RESULTS n.I
UNEXPECTED
Offender Is Not Only Released But Is Given $22 in Money To Carry to Ills Suffering Wife
 and Children"
From the New York Telegraph.

From the New York Telegraph.
 When the Methodist conference sent Billy Wheeler to New Mexico to turn the bad man from his evil ways, 1t must have been the result of inspiration. The little church at Los Cerrillos was "Biys" first charge. and he was as proud of his adobe walls and goods-box bell tower as a six 7year-old boy with a new red wagon. Billy was 200 pound- CT, a rosy-eheeked lad, with a keen blue eye that looked thoughtfully at the boys when they told him fairy tales of the miners and the cliff dwellers He was slow of speech. but earnest in action, and when the men of the sombreo learned he wasn't afraid of a gun, they took to him as brother and gentle man. The first collection was taken up by Shorty Mac the saloon keeper, and Stormy Jones, the quietest card sharp In camp who volunteered as ushers, and produced results by carrying the contri- button hat in one hand and a cooked re- volver in the other. That Sunday not man passed up the chance to contri- bute.
 So as not to offend proprieties, Billy took to wearing a revolver, and in time became quite expert in hitting the ace Hailed to a tree.-
 "Billys wonderful popularity as shep- herd of the camp arose from the fact that he was one of the boys" He learned the men to whom he was sent to preach, and respected the environments which caused them to be somewhat diff ferent from the safely saved 6ocks in the haunts of civilization. Mining and cattle raising became a part of his study, and he was as good judge of horseaesh as the territory had. In consequence, the little adobe church was filled every Sun day with a respectful congregation, and there was some talk of having prayer meetin. By the boys Billy" was af- fectionately dubbed The Parson.' and if he wanted anything he just had to raise his hand.
 One morning stranger blew in from up the valley somewhere, and went over to Sandy McPherson's tavern, where he registered as Chauncey de Argyle, Bitter Creek, Mozambique" in characters that looked like they had been enmeshed in a wireless current. Chauncey was six feet three, broad shouldered and wore a fierce black mustache that curled down to his collar. About his sash were four navy revolvers, all loaded and ready for use. A dagger handle stuck out of the right boot top. Chaunceys head was covered with an unusually big soD1breo, round which little bells jingled from a leather band. Physically he was as fierce proposition eyer came to town, and he know it.
 I'm the bad man from Bitter Creek" said the warlike guest, pounding on the counter with the butt of revolver, ''an' l want the best you got; no hand-me- downs for me-"
 T see' said Sandy" who was a quiet, unemotional chap, and who ver<carried his gun in sight. How long you gqS ing to stop2' "
 "As lon gas damn pleasel" thundered the bad man, glaring down on Sandy"
 At dinner the guest from Bitter Creek laid his revolver on the table beside his plate, and looked around on the assem- bled miners, cowboys and gamblers
 'I come down from Bitter Creek to help run this town," he proclaimed. T killed 13 men up where live. an If any bodys got anything to say bout 1t. I'm waitin to hear from himr
 Some of the boys looked up curiously, and then went on eating. The bad man used his dagger ostentatiously to cut up his victuals, now and then dropping 1t on the floor to make noise. Failing in his effort to pick a fuss, the gentleman from bllleT OTo6h IL n Blcdl S4S al anu oLlolAOu about town. In the afternoon he went out to the hills, where Karl Inglefritz, an inoffesive old German. had a little claim, and took possession by shooting at Karls feet. Karl came running to town and told of the invasion The bad man went to other places issuing ultimatums and telling of his slaughter of the unfor- tunate 13.
 If there was any spirit of retaliation among the denizens of the frontier camp, an outsider could not have located 1t with a spyglass. On such occasions as the real hair-trigger men of the mountafns have serious work ahead, they don't an- nounce the program from the house tops. When they fixed the date of the funeral, they tread as a cat until after the obsequies The shank of that afternoon in Los Cerrillos was as quiet as in well-ordered cemetery. Men lounged about in the shade of frame and adobe shacks, too lazy to talk. When the bad man stalked down the street whoever was In his way stood aside to let him pass. Without protest he was permitted to empty his revolver into the belfry of the town hall, and to jump up and crack his heels together whenever he felt a-mind.
 It was nearly midnight when Sandy McPherson. the tavern keeper, hammered on the door of Parson Wheeler's two room cabin, down the gulch. Billy got up to see what the matter was.
 "They got that man from Bitter Creek down in Shorty Macs place, Parson," said Sandy ''an' they'll sure hang him If you don't go over and talk to 'em. Stormy Jones is out now hunting rope'
 Billy" knew 1t was no idle threat. He had seen the bad man about town late that day and recognized him as a sort of renegade brawler who had lately come into the territory from Kansas, where his head had got turned on train-robber talk. The fellow had the look of lion, but the nerve of calf.
 Billy" hastened down to Shorty Macs" place, which was the principal sa- loon and cardroom of the town. The boys were sitting around on kegs and boxes, smoking quietly, while the committee searched for rope The bad man, white and in state of utter collapse, was un- der guard on a bench in the rear.
 Boys" said Billy" "what are you going to do?' Just hang that coyote over there," re- piled Big Enough Jim Hines, the stage driver.
 Hang him? Whats he done?" "Killed 13 men up at Bitter Crik; he | paid so hisself."
 ''But that was only in fun,'' replied 'Billy." That fellow never killed man In his life"
 '.,rhen we'll hang him for lyin' bout it." said Hines, decidedly. This mans rode