The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1910-06-13
THE PASSING
OF MURDOCH
By AINswORTH RHODES
Copyright. 1910. By American Press
Association.
3y AINsWORTH RIoDEs

Il have iaken my life in my hands, i"
said the western sheriff. when there
was every chance against me. ! have
shot down men in fight or when 1
had them on the run. but the hardest
job ever had to do, the job against
which my sensibilities most revolted.
was in the killing Of John Murdock,
desperado Murdoch was far superior
10 the general run Of outlaws. don't
know what made him such, but ! al
ways fancied be got started ia by some
unfortunate circumstance. such as kill
ing some enemy illegally or being
wrongfully accused. Be this as it may.
he was physically splendid specimen
Of man, and ! always thought that
his distaste for the life he lived. to say
nothing Of his conscience. made him
choose at last a speedy death In pref
erence to prison walls. But the true
cause he gave himself.
After a train robbery in Texas by
single masked man 1t was my duty to
follow indications that be had left be-
hind him and 90 in search Of him. A
man named ellison told me that ID
passing through the chaparrals be had
picked up articles to indicate that the
robber had dropped them There were
pieces of torn letters and a gold chain.
felt sure from these finds that the
robber after leaving the train had
passed over this grouud and that
could track him.
] started with Gilson each Of us
being armed with pair Of revolvers
and a Winchester. He took me TO the
place where he had picked up the
chain and bits Of letters. and we fol-
lowed the trail 1t consisted of bent
grass through open ground and an oc
casional bit of paper dropped by the
way 1t seemed to me then and II
seems strange now that the man should
have been so careless. ellison seemed
to know instinctively the direction
taken by the man we were following
and led the way. He simply agreed to
pilot me and forewarned me that he
would do no shooting to kill unless it
should be necessary IN our defense.
We Travelled about six miles when we
suddenly came upon a man with his
back to us sorting out valuables. 1t
was evident he was the man we were
after We had proceeded so silently
that we had made no sound to indicate
our approach We got within easy
shooting distance Of him when we
stopped. and !. drawing bead on him
with my Winchester, shouted:
Hands upD
The man turned. rose and stood erect
before us. He did not throw up his
hands. but folded his arms. While
turning he had seized revolver IN
each hand. and they were now pointed
in opposite directions. sidewise. He
was six feet high ana admirably pro-
portioned. He looked me in the eye
and said:
Il don't wish to add murder to my
other crimes. They are many enough
and black enough without my increas
ing them. They began by my being
mistaken for another man. and they
are to end on account OF letter re-
Gently received from my mother. who
doesn't know what kind Of d life !
have been leading. II l die now she
may never know. If am jailed for
term OF years she will likely know. and
if / kill one Of you men it will do me
no good. am not to be taken alive;
therefore would prefer that you
should shoot me down here as stand.
Only ! ask you to finish me with one
shot ] am known as John Murdoch.
That's not my name but my real name
no man in the state knows. I'm ready
Fire at either my heart or my fore
head and aim true"
As / stood there looking at this splen-
did specimen OF a man calling on me
to shoot him that his mother might
not know what he was ] realized
more fully than ever before that man
is a superior animal only in heredity
and influence This man who had
been contemplate enough to rob de-
fenseless men and women could stand
up to be killed that he might save his
mother the distress of knowing that
the child she had borne and reared
was a robber Whatever of influence
for good he had received as child
was telling now in trumpet tones.
Had luck not been against him doubt
less this influence would have been
sufficient to make fine man OF him.
''You had better surrender" ! said
to him. ~At any rate. wish you
would. I'm sheriff but / don't like
the role OF executioner
mo have made my peace. Sew
eral times since was wrongfuly
made felon have exposed myself
that my career would be finished by
bullet. ] have no desire to live.
can't undo the past can't live re-
spectacle life can't be comfort to