The National tribune., 1910-11-24

was going to die, and, rubbing his
hands together in helpless sort OF
way, he asked anxiously: What dc
you think I'd better give you? Can't
you think of something?"
Seeing the hopelessness of relying on
his skill, 1 requested him to go to my
wagon and get a bottle of brandy and
q bottle of essence of peppermint that
had there, and prepare and give me
o hot spoonful or two of the two COM
bined
While preparing the dose for me the
doctor took advantage of the chance
to help himself to several good big
"snorts" out of my brandy bottle, ex-
cusing himself by saying that he was
afraid that complaint Of mine might be
"ketchin'."
Ny prescription relieved me, and in
q few days l was well again. Shortly
afterwards Armstrong called on me for
$40 for professional seryices."'I asked
him If that was not pretty steep.
We'll, it do look little that way;
but, you know, doctors prices is purity
stiff, and / mus try and keep up with
the rest of 'em."
/ explained to him that as I had pre-
scribed for myself and furnished my
own medicine he was not entitled to
any fee, and finally offered him dol
lar, which thought was ample for all
dollar. with an urgent request that /
would not tell anyone how cheap he
let me off, for fear that they might get
the idea that he wasn't much of a
doctor"
And this was the only physician of
Baxter Springs for several months after
] went there.
Immediately after the arrest and
taking to Fort Scott of Davis, Arm
EnOU he n
the robber gang to be taken in was
Joe Boyleston. who saved his bacon"
by turning States evidence" giving
the whole thing away. After confess
ing the stealing of my blankets and
some goods out of my wagon one night
while ] was away from it, he surprised
us by voluntarily making the statement
that al the time ] left Baxter Springs
to go Lawrence, accompanied by my
brother-in-laW, Al Collins, the gang
had cOncocted a plan to overhaul me
at the crossing OF Shawnee Creek-Or
wherever l camped the first night
out-and kill me; and having on ac-
count Of previous trouble, adopted the
motto, dead men tell no tales" they
had decided that they would have to
kill Al. too, as n matter Of safety;
then, taking what money, If any, we
had, they would run the team off
some distance into Missouri and sell it.
To throw suspicion off those of the
gang who lived in Baxter, this job was
TO be delegated to the Mizer boys and
some others who lived on the other
side of Spring River. AS soon as ]
started JEFF Davis was TO ride over 10
the MIXERS place, start then after me,
and then return and show himself about
town to ward off suspicion. while his
deputies did the rest.
The Plot Was Not Carried Out.
But. as before stated, IT was our
good luck that by some mishap the
robbers failed to carry out this plot
and Al. and slipped thru unmolested
have always felt satisfied, however
that II they had tackled me that night
at Shawnee Creek ] would have at least
killed as many of them as they did oi
me, for ! had OWNED their intentions
and was loaded for bear"
Roydston also confessed to other mis-.
carried schemes of the robbers that
had been armed against several Of oul
best citizens, our President, Albert vii.
lard, being one of the prescribed ones
and told of a number of successful rob
berries and horse and cattle-stealint
scrapes in which he and others of tho
gang had been engaged. He mentioned
several murders that had been com
had been done ''in self-defense;" tina
been engaged in their regular busines
of robbing, but claimed that the KILN,
had been done lin self-defense;" tha
is, that the parties murdered had OBJ
jected to being robbed and had beer
foolish enough 20 resist. He also tolt
of the plot TO coax Curran out and xii
him, and that JEFF Davis was the mar
who had shot at Curran.
This fellow, Boydston, undoubtedly
richly deserved hanging, but as we hat
promised him immunity in considera.