Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1910-01-06


and had reason to believe, until they
sighted Banks men, that their path
was open.
They halted to take counsel on the
notwithstanding posse far below
them, and while their cruelty ex.
hausted horses rested, Du Sang, al
ways in Sinclair's absence the brains
of the gang, planned the escape over
Deep creek at Bags crossing. At
dusk they divided; two men lurking in
the brush along the creek rode as
close as they could, unobserved, to-
ward the crossing, while Du Sang and
the cowboy Karg, known as Flat Nose,
rode down to Bags ranch at the foot
of the pass.
AT that point Dan Baggs, an old To-
connective engineer, had taken a home
stead, got together a little bunch of
cattle, and was living alone with his
son, boy of ten years. 1t was
hard country and too close to Will
liams Cache for comfort but Dan got
on with everybody because the tough
est man in the Cache country could
get a meal, a feed for his horse, and a
place to sleep at Bags without
charge, when he needed it,
Ed Banks, by hard riding, got to the
crossing at five o'clock, and told Baggs
Oliver Sellers. The news stirred the
old engineman, and his excitement
threw him off his guard. Banks rode
straight on for the middle pass, leav-
ing word that two of his men would be
along within half an hour to watch the
pass and the ranch crossing, and asked
Baggs to put up some kind of fight for
the crossing until more of the posse
came up-at the least, to make sure
that nobody got any fresh horses.
The boy was cooking supper in the
kitchen, and Bags had done his milk
two men rode around the corner of the
barn and asked if they could get
something to eat. Poor Baggs sold his
life in six words: Why, yes; be you
Banks men,"
Du Sang answered: mo; we're from
ing up bunch of Duck Bar steers
that's been run somewhere up Deep
creek. Can we stay here all night ?"
They dismounted and disarmed
Bags suspicious, though the condi-
ton of their horses might have warned
him had he had his senses. The I'M
fortunate man had probably fixed it in
his mind that ride from Tower w to
Deep creek in 16 hours was a physical
impossibility.
Stay here? Sure! l want you to
stay" said Bags, bluffiy. Looks to
me like | seen you down at Crawling
Stone, amt H." he asked of Karg.
Karg was lighting cigarette. Il
used to mark at the Dunning ranch"
he answered, throwing away his
match.
That's hit. Good! The boys cook
ing supper. Step up to the kitchen
and tell him to cut ham for four more"
"Four?"
1.-TWO of Ed Banks men will be here
by six o'clock. Heard about the hold
up? They stopped Number Three at
Tower w last night and shot Ollie
Sellers, as white a boy as ever pulled
a throttle. Boys, man that'll kill a
locomotive engineer is worse'n an In
dian; I'd help skin him."
The hell you would" cried Du
Sang. well, don't you want to start
in on me? | killed Sellers. Look al
me; amt handsome? What you go
ing to do about it,"
Before Baggs could think Du Sang
was shooting him down. 1t was wan
ton. Du Sang stood in no need of the
butchery; the escape could have been
made without 1t. His victim had pulled
an engine throttle too long to show
the white feather, but he was dying
by the time he had dragged a revolver
from his pocket. Du Sang did the
killing alone. At least, Flat Nose,
who alone saw all of the murder, after
ward maintained that he did not draw
because he had no occasion to, and
that Baggs was dead before he, Karg.
| had finished his cigarette. With his
| right arm broken and two bullets
| through his chest, Baggs fell on his
face. That, however, did not check
his murderer. Rising to his knees.
Baggs begged for his life. For God s
sake. I'm helpless, gentlemen. I'm
helpless Don't kill me like dog!"
But Du Sang, emptying his pistol,
threw his rifle to his shoulder and sent
bullet after bullet crashing through
the shapeless form writhing and
twitchin3 before him until he had
beaten it in the dust soft and fat and
| still
Banks men came up within an hour
to find the ranchhouse deserted. They
saw lantern in the yard below, and
near the corral gate they found the
little boy In the darkness, screaming
beside his fathers body The sheriff's
men carried the old engineman to the
house; others of the posse crossed the
creek during the evening, and at IL
o'clock Whispering Smith rode down
from the south pass to find that four
of the men they were after had taken
fresh horses, after killing Bags, and