Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1910-04-14

man, somewhere up in the northern uer OF
counties, with the same result. This was q
good while before he came down to Childress
county and got to be sheriff, but there were
those who had not forgotten, and among them
was Capt. Bill Mcdonald, then stopping at
Wichita Falls. Matthews, or Pierce, as he was
called, frequently came down to the Falls for
a spree, and on one such visit made application
to join a secret society. Mcdonald was a prom
1nent member of that society and Matthews did
not get in. This stirred the animosity of
Matthews and he began to clean his six-shooter
daily and to practice sudden and accurate fir
ing, which he knew would be necessary in
case of a show down.
Matthews also had another enemy, one Joe
Beckham, sheriff of Motley county, an officer of
his own kind, who presently got as short as
possible In his accounts, absconded, and set
out for Indian Territory. Matthews had no
right to go outside of his own county after a
fugitive, and no business in this matter any
way, but he had an itch for Beckham on his
own account, so he picked up another enemy
of Beckham, named Cook, a citizen of Motley
with an ambition for Beckham's office, and
the two came with peaceful attitude and fair
words to Quanah where Capt. Bill was then
stopping, requesting the loan Of a Ranger to
go over into the Territory after the defaulting
officer. Mcdonald refused, but said he would
send a man as far as the Territory line
Ranger authority not extending beyond that
border. He did send one Ranger, Mcclure, who
being strongly persuaded, overstepped, at the
same instant, his authority and the state line;
captured Beckham, whom he lost through a
writ of habeas corpus; fell into a plot devised
by Matthews and Cook to get rid Of him, and
was finally brought back to Quanah by Can't.
Bill, who drove 100 miles on a bad night to
get him out of the mess; after which Mcclure
was a wiser and better Ranger.
Beckham, meanwhile, had fallen a victim to
remorse, or more likely had been promised
immunity, and now hurried over to Quanah
and gave himself up again to Ranger Mcclure
Capt. Bill being absent from Quanah at the
time. Beckham asked to be taken to Matador,
county seat Of Motley, for trial, and begged
Mcclure to see him through Childress, where
he expected to be killed by Matthews and
Cook.
Mcclure assured Beckham that he would
see him hafely to Matador, and they set out
by rail for Childress. at which point they
would take the stage for the Motley county
seat.
Matthews was on hand at Childress. He de-
manded Beckham of Mcclure, who refused to
deliver his prisoner.
Ii Matthews wanted to commit suicide he
began preparing for it, now, in the right way.
lie gave 1t out openly that he was going to
wander over to Quanah some day and kill Bill
Mcdonald, just as a matter Of pastime, and he
sent word to the same effect by any Of Capt.
Bits friends that he found going that way.
1t was in December, 1895, at last that Mat
theWs and his pals came down to Quanah for
the declared purpose of killing a Ranger cap
tain. 1t was a cold, dreary day and they Wis
TIED one saloon after another, getting a supply
OF courage for the job, and explaining what
they were going to do. Then they took to fol-
lowing Mcdonald, always in a group, evidently
waiting the proper opportunity, confident
enough that Mcdonald would not take the Of
%fensive. Finally, however, they pressed him
SO close that he suddenly turned and told
them to quit following him or trouble would
ensue. Perhaps it did not seem a good place
to do the job-there being no sort of protec-
ton; perhaps there was something disquieting<
In the manner of Capt. Bills warning. They
dropped away, for the time. and Mcdonald