Gilpin observer., 1909-08-26

Men were headed for Williams Cache
and had reason to believe, until they
sighted Banks men, that their path
was open.
They halted to take counsel on the
suspicious-looking posse far below
them, and while their cruelty ex.
hausted horses rested, Du Sang, al
ways in Sinclairs absence the brains
Of the gang, planned the escape over
Deep creek at Baggs' 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 To-
comotive engineer, had taken a home
cattle, and was living alone with his
son, a boy of ten years. 1t was a
hard country and too close to Will
liams Cache for comfort, but Dan got
on with everybody because the tough
est man in the Cache country could
get meal, a feed for his horse, and a
place to sleep at Baggs', without
charge, when he needed it.
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 off his guard. Banks rode
straight on for the middle pass, leav-
ing 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 fight 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
ing and gone back to the corral, when
two men rode around the corner of the
barn and asked if they could get
something to eat. Poor Baggs sold his
life in six words: why, yes; be you
Banks men,"
Du Sang answered: mo; we're from
Sheriff Coons Office ae Oroville, look
ing up a bunch of Duck Bar steers
that's been run somewhere up Deep
creek. Can we stay here all night"
They dismounted and disarmed
Baggs' suspicious, though the condi-
ton of their horses might have warned
him had he had his senses. The un-
fortunate man had probably fixed it in
his mind that a ride from Tower w to
Deep creek in 16 hours was a physical
impossibility.
Stay here? Sure! l want you to
stay" said Baggs, bluffly. Looks to
me like l seen you down at Crawling
Stone, amt II" he asked of Karg.
Karg was lighting cigarette. Il
used to mark at the Dunning ranch"
he answered, throwing away his
match.
That's hit. Good! The boys cook
ing supper. Step up to the kitchen
and tell him to cut ham for four more. "
Four"
1.-TWO of Ed Banks men will be here
by six o'clock. Heard about the hold
up? They stopped Number Three at
Tower w last night and shot Ollie
Sellers, as white boy as ever pulled
a throttle. Boys. a man that'll kill a
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
in on me? l killed Sellers. Look at
me; amt l handsome? What you go.
ing to do about it,"
Before Baggs could think Du Sang
was shooting him down. 1t was wan.
ton. Du Sang stood in no need of the
butchery; the escape could have been
made without it. His victim had pulled
an engine throttle too long to show
the white feather, but he was dying
by the time he had dragged a revolver
from his pocket. Du Sang did the
killing alone. At least, Flat Nose
who alone saw all of the murder, after
ward maintained that he did not draw
because he had no occasion to, and
that Baggs was dead before he, Karg
had finished his cigarette. With his
right arm broken and two bullets
through his chest, Baggs fell on his
face. That, however. did not check
his murderer. Rising to his knees
Raggs begged for his life. For Gods
sake! I'm helpless, gentlemen. I'm
helpless. Don't kill me like a dog
But Du Sang. emptying his pistol
threw his rifle to his shoulder and sent
bullet after bullet crashing through
| the shapeless form writhing and
| twitchins before him until he hat
beaten it in the dust soft and fiat and
still
Banks men came up within an houl
to find the ranchhouse deserted. They
saw lantern in the yard below, ant
near the corral gate they found the
little boy in the darkness, screaming
beside his fathers body. The sheriff's
men carried the old engineman to the
house; others OF the posse crossed the
| creek during the evening. and at L