The Charles Mix new era. (Wagner, Charles Mix County, S.D.) 1???-1911, 1910-11-25
SLAYER OF SULLY
LIEUTENANT JOHN r. PETRiE, Ex.
DEPUTY FEDERAL MAPSHAL
Ill AND PENNiIESS
SOLDIERS HOSPICE
Many of the Stirring Incidents of His
Career in the State are Woven
Into Novel "Langford
of Three Bars"

M.tchell-word has lately been
received IN this city to the effect
that l. eutenant John r. Pc re Of
Chamberlain is down and out at Los
Angeles, Cal. at which pla e be has
applied 70 admission to the soldiers
home. because he was out Of money
and broken in heath Tle n VS. Eil
be received with regret by tn many
hundreds Of friends of PetV:e through
cut South Dakota. for he IA widely
known as a trusted and wo thy Oh
Ger OF the federal gover7ue t having
he'd the position of United States dep
uty marshal for a great many yea s.
For Wa q quarter of a century Mr..
Petr.e worked q at Chambalain, and
in his capacity Of marshal has track
ed down over a thousand criminals
who were wanted by the COVE nmeat
The case was are where Pet ie failed
to get his man dead or alive. His last
and most notable capture was that o.
Jack Sully. who for years roamed the
prairies west of the Missouri river as
the leader Of a famous gang o no. Sc
thieves and cattle ru~stlers, who sue
ceeded in running CT tho sands OF
horses and cattle and Sc reeing them
along the banks of the river and then
driving them into market al some re-
mote point from the scene o. stealing.
Sully had all the officers stand -ng in
ear of him, for his reputation was
bad, and he successfully carried out
many a raid. Sully's last "a d Brought
him to the end of his rope. He had
succeeded in getting away with q Zig
bunch of cattle and u them TO the
southern part of the state. crossed
the river over into Nebraska and
stopped at verdigree. Neb. At that
place he was captured by a local o.
fcer and brought back into this state.
For safety he was placed in the county
Jail AT Mitchell. He made his escape
from the Jail one Sunday night whan
the sheriff of the county 0ie1, and
whereby the vigilance Of the oheers
was lacking for the moment. SuLys
friends were in waiting for him ann
had been planning and waiting Tor the
opportunity for him 10 escaE Horses
we're in waiting that night ant his
friends spirited MIN off to the reser-
walton west of the river. II was then
that John r. Pet lie was placed On the
trail of Sully. with orders TO bring
him In dead or alive.
Sully. thinking that Petrse would
come after him, arranged with the
ranchers and neighbors VINO warned
him of the approach of the deputy
when he appeared in the vicinity. Pc
trie anticipated some such action. a
he knew the ranchmen were I tenely
TO Sully. and was compelled TO go after
him with a posse. After pest ng the
latter, rs directed the ran Inner 10
ride I'D to Sully's house and tell o ID
that Petrie was after him and had q
warrant or his arrest and that ne
would best submit without trouble
Sully only needed the warning TO
make his escape. Booted and spur ed
the cattle rustler sprang from ms COW
er, mounted mis- ever waiting morse
and dashed out into the open n down
a hill at Petrie joined in the a
taking with him two OF his posse
Petrie ordered his men 10 IRE low
and thus take Sully alive lmmedi-
ately the three men commenced 10
pump lead from their Winchesters al
the fleeing rider and his horse, but one
bullet went too high and drilled a ]
through the body Of the desperate.
who rolled OF the saddle and fell TO
the ground, but still showing fight as
the deputy and his posse o up Sui
ly felt and knew that his time a
come when the bullet pierced his
body. Petrie kneeled beside Inc
wounded and dying desperate and par
italy revived him with the contents
of his flask, and a few moments later
SGIly died.
This is but n O the many ex-
plofts which marked the career OF the
once prominent Petrie. and IL prac-
ideally closed his career on d plans
west of the river. A couple OF years
ago he went out TO the Pacific coast
for the benefit of his health, and
comes the sad information that ne Is
practically all in.
In the recently published novel,
"Langford of the Three Bars the IN
cidents o which are laid on the Sioux
reservation west of the river, Petrie
hgured as the character OF Aarsnai
Johnson, in which much of his work
as a deputy was exploited. Petite en-
listed in Company A, Second ILLINOIS
cavalry, as a private. He was muster
ed out Of the service as a lieutenant
of company I. One Hundred and o.
tieth infantry. He was born at MI
Nr 1p iii which ne