The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-07-11
CHAPTER XIV.
The Sunday Murder.


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 more
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
Springs valley. and the springs are
the headwaters Of Deep creek. The
posse did not quite obey the instruc-
tons. and following a natural instinct
Of safety five Of them, after Banks
and his three deputies had scattered,
punched again, and at dark crossed
Deep creek at some distance below the
springs. 1t was afterward known that
these five men had been seen entering
the valley from the east at shutdown
just as IOuI OF the men IleY 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
sighted Banks men, that their path
was open.
They halted to take counsel on the
uspiciOus-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 Bags, an old To-
connective engineer, had taken a home
stead, got together a little bunch of
cattle, and was living alone with his
son, boy of 10 years. 1t was a. hard
country and too close to Williams
Cache for comfort, but Dan got on
with everybody because the toughest
man IN the Cache country could get a
meal. a feed for his horse. and a place
to sleep at Bags, without charge.
when he needed it.
Ed Banks, by hard riding, got to the
crossing at o'clock, and told Bags
Of the hold-up and the shooting of
Oliver Sellers. The news stirred the
old engineer, 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
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 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 Baggs sold his
life in six words; why, yes; be you
Banks menu"
Du Sang answered: NO, we're from
Sheriff CoOn's office at 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
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 to
Deep creek in sixteen hours was a
physical impOssibility.
stay here? SUrei I want you to
stay" said Baggs, bluffly.- Looks to
me ike I seen you down at Crawling
Stone, amt I?' ne asked Of Karg.
Karg was lighting a cigarette 4
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 20 cut ham for four more"
"Four?"
Two Of Ed Banks men will be here
by 6 o'clock. Heard about the hOld-up?
They stopped No. 3 at Tower W last
night and shot Ollie Sellers. as white a
boy as ever pulled a throttle. Boys a
man thatn kill a locomotive engineer
is worse'n an Indian; I'd help skin
him.