The Washington herald., 1910-05-15

hot wind swept over the Southwest
Pastures were burned brown, as was
everything else. Corn went from i
cents to 30 cents bushel in long jumps.
Lost on Cattle.
81 rode In a buggy all winter buying
rough feed from men who didn't want TO
sell IT, We had paid S2O3, 900 for cattle
and $4,000 in freightage to get them TO
Kansas. 1 spent Sc. 600 for fodder. SUCH
as Il was Next year / shipped the cattle
10 Chicago, where they were sold at 4
loss Of $4,000 net. BY tnat time taking
one experience with another, was pretty
tired of COWS. Again ] started for Cali
fornla. However, left the train at Flag
staff TO visit the boys, whereUpon they
promptly nominated me for sheriff.
held the Office three terms. or six years"
The words, an Arizona sheriff.
said. sound rather melodramatic?"
sheep and cattle rustlers often raided
the country" Mr.. Cameron replied. but
we eventually drove them out. trailed
a Mexican murderer all over Arizona
New Mexico. and Texas. but caught him
at the end Of a month. My most interest
ing experience taking one thing with an
other. was with Jim Parker, train rob-
Der. Parker organized a company Of six
performers and rehearsed them for a
month and a half I'm a quiet place I'm the
mountains. Between times he and his
brother outlaws collected forty horses on
which to escape. A former railroad en-
gineer was mechanical director OF the
gang Only Parker and one other man.
however, were directly concerned in the
hold-up.
, while Parker put his guns on the en-
gineer and fireman. his partner cut or
the first car Of the train. which. In the
dark. he supposed contained money sent
by express Instead, II was the one car
rying mail. There was a lot Of shooting
for moral effect. The express messenger
ran TO the mail car and got on the
trucks. When the engine started. the
messenger climbed up one side OF the
car, while the robber went up the other.
Both men came 10 the line Of the roof
together. The messenger fred and shot
the robber through the heart After the
engine stopped on a sidetrack, Parker
looked for his partner in vain. Then
he took all the registered mail and rode
off.
Got Out of Jail.
II tracked Parker into the Grand Can
yon. At daybreak on the fourth morn
ing. one-eyed man and saw Parker
leisurely walking down a creek. We hid
in some willow brush and when he came
along We threw our guns into his face.
1 took him to be Prescott, where there
was a strong jail He and two other
men. one OF them a big Mexican. over
powered the jailer and got out The as
sistant district attorney was upstairs
writing letter 10 the girl he was soon
TO marry. Parker shot him dead The
three despersdoes stole two OF the sher-
ins horses and. the Mexican behind Par
ker. fed. I again took the trail Par
ker hung the Mexican TO the ground a
short distance from Prescott and left him
20 his fate. II was a mean trick The
Mexican. oddly enough. escaped. Par
ker was caught and hanged. But those
wild days are past and Arizona is now
as orderly as the City OF Washington"
How did you happen 10 build the
Bright Angel trail into the Grand Can
yon2"
Simply as a mineral undertaking. That
was sixteen years ago. and I have been
working on II ever since. It's a bouIe-
ward now by comparison. staked II with
a common day laborer and made IL. blast
ing hundreds OF thousands OF tons OF
rock. where the mountain was a sheer
descent. We worked in winter and drank
melted snow, because there was no water
at the edge Of the canyon in the summer
time. The trail is seven miles long. al
though the canyon is less than a mile
deep. a railroad coming that way. and
wanting a monopoly Of the entire situa-
ton, fought me in the courts. the terri
torial legislature. and the Interior Depart
ment in Washington. After years Of Iitl-
cation I won. The trail is now mine In
theory and in fact. I get 81 for every
animal that starts downward from the
top Each animal. OF course. carries a
tourist or a guide"
Copyright. 1910 by James r Morrow