The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-09-26
OLD TIMERS STORY OF CLEANING UP How Laramie City Was Clean
 ed Out BIGGEST HANGING IN WEST Town Surrounded With Gamblers and Crooks Killed in Cold Blood,
 Some of Whom Were
 Game to End.
BIGGEST HANGING IN WEST

heiena Mon--"lt a1n't like it used to be out west In the old days we didn't have them kind of scum to fool with. " said the old time peace officer reminfs- gently as he tipped his chair back in the police station and Jerked his head at two strong arm men who were being led back to the cells
 Times has quieted down." he contin- ued. Now you take Miles I served there seven years during the early sos when the Texas trail herds was comin' through. Them southern punchers paint ed the town red after being on the road for months and 1t kept us pretty lively. Ihere were some other bad places, but the worst was Laramie City, Wyo., as they called it then.
 Tt was in the spring of '6S I hit Chey- enne with some pretty good letters in my pocket and I caught with the sheriff there. I'd only been around few days when prizehghter was killed at Laramie and the sheriff sent up to investigate. I buried the corpse and in- Vestigated. Then I got orders to remain. The railroad was building through Lara mic and 1t was the worst hell ever seen. Criminals come there from all over the world. The Vigilantes in Montana drove some bad men out who hocked to Lara mic. All the gun men and sure-thing gamblers, hoss thieves and such came like buzzards to a water hole in the spring time.
 q soon found I couldn't run things alone. There was too many fer me. When l was havin a dispute at one end of town they was raisin hell at the other.
 T had standin' offer of s175 month and chuck for assistant Finally a fellow named Rody Power blew in and said he'd take it. That Rody Power was dandy. At the end of three weeks Rody Power had planted 21 men, killin' desperado with every sunset, but his 21st nearly cost him his life
 "Rody had arrested a hanger-on who was tryin' to kill his woman. and Rody nearly beat the life out of him. The jail fin them days was a no count affair and this feller had a gun slipped in to him and said he was goin' to kill Rody. The man that give the prisoner the gun told Rody. He marches up to the jail, throws open the door and begins shootin'. The man drops dead with his gun in his hands.
 "Enemies said we were assassinating people and the Vigilantes got after Rody. I I heard of it. gave Rody the best horse l had and he hikes. That left me shy. The Vgilantes wouldn't help and I had to resort to extreme measures. About a month lcter committee waits on me and says while they appreciate my work, if I don't leave they'll burn the town down. They calls me a 'destrooctive ele- ment who was hurtin the camp.
 Very we'll, I says. TN go but when you call on me I won't return.
 q went up the road bout IS miles and gets a contract pressin' hay. week later a beggin' letter comes for me to come back. At the end of three weeks got two more, which I tore up. A few days later and a feller on hossback comes to my cabin with a message from the chief of the Vigantes.
 Friend Bill he writes, if you want recompense for all your sufferins come ia a trainload of Vigilantes is comn' to make this moral town
 q went down to see the doins. 1'm under oath, Bill the chief of the Vigi- lantes tells me when I asked him the next day about the plan. but there's 500 men comin' on the train
 He wants to give me a gun, sayin' ones not enough, but I tells him they drove me out of camp onct an I won't take no part in festivities.
 At 6:30 o'clock that evenin while I'm at the depot q train comes slippin' along with no whistles blowin' and lights all out. Out from the town little ways men begin to drop off in twos and threes, all armed. More get off where l am. in about five minutes a chain picket is thrown around Laramie and the shootin' begins,
 "In big punches the Vigiantes went from gamblin hell to dance hall. Local members pints out the bad uns. Poker tables left with dead men holdin' cards and faro dealers is killed with their pockets bulgin with money which they stuffed in when they heard the racket. Pretty soon the pickets begin iirin', drivin back pore devils who tried to get out of town
 Some of those Vigiantes were as bad as the men they killed. In the dance halls they shot some of the women who were on the stage. Killed em out of pure deviltry. Say, did you ever hear of them rabbit drives in Washington. They had Q man drive in Laramie that night
 "I was with gang that went into one joint where they found the leader of the toughs, Warner-he was driven out of Helena by the Vigilantes and came to Laramie. He was standin' on poker table lookin white and sick when we came in.
 ..He spots me and sings out: Save me. Bll -, save me Bill -, and I'll go back to St Joe and look after my wife and kids Just then the guns begin to spit and he keels over with a gurgle.
 {" Who's Bill - asks the Vigilantes, gettin' ready to shoot I keeps still. I wouldn't "a saved Warner no way. You see this?" and the old man took off his hat and disclosed long scar where the hair and part of the scalp had been chis- elled away. 'He gave me this when arrested him one time"
 The speaker paused for awhile. Big Steve, we called nm, ne resumed Tn a softer tone, gancing about him. He was big-hearted fellow, Always smilin' and jokin and lendin' his money to poor people There was a kid, I remember, who was slowly dyin'. He'd watch tho trains go east every day. Steve was at the station one day when he caught the boy brushn' away his tears.
 That kid was pinin' for home. Steve finds out where his home is, buys him a ticket and gives him $50. Then he hur- fies away.
 ''I told him if he didn't break away from the crowd he was trailin with the Vigilantes would get him some day. He 9ust laughs.
 That's all right, Steve says You think cause you're on the square they won't tetch you. They'll hang you too. Well, you'll die with your boots on any, way I concludes
 '' Bet you I don't die with my boots on,' he replies.
 .eWhen the slaughter begins that night Gteye must have remembered what I tol' him. The gang sees him streakin' into a shanty. When I got there thev was just takin' him out.
 "'One minute, gentlemen, he pipes out when he sees me at the door. He suuat- ted on the floor and yanked off his boots Let US proceed with the little drama now he says as chipper as you please Steve died like gentleman.