Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1910-05-19
THE PASSING
OF MURDOCH
By AINSWORTH RHODES
Copyright, 1910, by American Press
Association.

was every cldnco against me. L nave
shot down men in fight or when /
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 Murdoch,
desperate. Murdoch was far superior
to the general run Of outlaws. | don't
know what made him such, but | al
ways fancied he got started in 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 a man, and l 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 train robbery in Texas by a
single masked man it was my duty to
follow indications that he had left be-
hind him and go in search Of him. A
man named ellison told me that in
passing through the chaparrals he had
picked up articles to indicate that the
robber had dropped them. There were
pieces Of torn letters and a gold chain
I felt sure from these finds that the
robber after leaving the train had
passed over this ground and that |
could track him.
/ started with ellison. each of us
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 it
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 l. drawing bead on him
with my Winchester, shouted:
Hands up!"
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 and admirably pro-
portioned. He looked me in the eye
and said:
81 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 a life I
have been leading. If die now she
may never know. If | am jailed for
term of years she will likely know, and
if l 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 l 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. Pm 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 hpredity
and influence. This man who had
been contemplate enough to rob de-
fenseless men and women could stand
up to be killed that be might save his
mother the distress of knowing that
the child she had borne and reared
was robber. Whatever of influence
for good he had received as a child
was telling now in trumpet tones.
Had luck not been against him doubt
less this influence would have been
sufficient to make a fine man of him.
'You had better surrender" l said
to him. ''At any rate, wish you
would. I'm a sheriff, but don't like
the role of executioner."
mo. | have made my peace. Sew
eral times since was wrongfully
made felon l have exposed myself
that my career would be finished by
a bullet. l have no desire to live l
can't undo the past. l can't live re-
spectacle life. | can't be a comfort to
those who have loved me- You will
be doing me a favor to kill me. But
don't let your sympathies cause you to
bungle. You know how to shoot
straight. Put your bullet where it
will do the job at once"
I wished / could turn the work over
to ellison. But it was my duty, not
his. 1t must be done, and in mercy
to the man / was to kill it should be