Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1909-12-03


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 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 Bags ranch at the foot
Of the pass.
At that point Dan Baggs, an old To-
connective engineer, had taken a home.
stead, got together a little bunch of
cattle, and was living alone with his
son, a boy Of ten years. 1t was a
hard country and too close to VIII
hams 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 Bags, without
charge, when he needed II.
Ed Banks, by hard riding, got to the
crossing at five o'clock, and told Bags
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, 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
Bags 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 Bags 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 Bags sold his
life in six words: why, yes; be you
Banks mem"
Du Sang answered: NO; we're from
Sheriff Coon's Office at Oroville, look
ing up bunch Of Duck Bar steers
that's been run somewhere up Deer
creek. Can we stay here all night?"
They dismounted and disarmed
Bags suspicious, though the condi
ton 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 a ride from Tower W tC
Deep creek in 16 hours was a physica
impossibility.
Stay here? Sure! l want you t
stay" said Bags, blufly. Looks t.
me like l seen you down at Crawlinl
Stone, amt II" he asked Of Karg.
Karg was lighting a cigarette. g
used to mark at the Dunning ranch,
he answered, throwing away hi,
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"
Two Of Ed Banks men will be here
by six o'clock. Heard about the hold
up? They stopped Number Three a
Tower W last night and shot Oil,
Sellers, az white boy as ever pullet
a throttle. Boys, man that'll kill
locomotive engineer is worse'n an In
dian; I'd help skin him."
The hell you would" cried d.
Sang. well, don't you want to star
in on me? l killed Sellers. Look a
me; amt l handsome? What you &c
iH6 " w duOul II.
Before Baggs could think Du San
was shooting him down. 1t was wan
ton. Du Sang stood in no need of tn
butchery; the escape could have beel
made without it. His victim had pullel
an engine throttle too long to shoy
. the white feather, but he was dyin
by the time he had dragged a revolve
, from his pocket. Du Sang did tn
killing alone. At least, Flat Nose
who alone saw all Of the murder, aftel
7 ward maintained that he did not drav
because he had no occasion to, an
that Bags was dead before he, Karl
had finished his cigarette. With hi
right arm broken and two bullet
E through his chest, Bags fell on hi
q face. That, however, did not chez
his murderer. Rising to his knee
e Bags begged for his life. For God
4 sake! I'm helpless, gentlemen. II
e helpless. Don't kill me like a dog!
e But Du Sang, emptying his pisto
e threw his rife to his shoulder and ser
S bullet after bullet crashing throug
o the shapeless form writhing an
d twitching before him until he ha
e beaten 1t in the dust soft and fat an
e still.
: Banks men came up within an hot
t to find the ranchhouse deserted. The
s saw lantern in the yard below, an
!, near the corral gate they found II
d little boy in the darkness, screami1
e beside his fathers body. The sheriff
It men carried the old engineman to Il
g house; others Of the posse crossed Il
n creek during the evening, and at
d o'clock Whispering Smith rode dow
d from the south pass to find that fol