The Rich Hill tribune. (Rich Hill, Mo.) 1903-1911, 1910-03-10

somehow almost without realizing Il they told
a great many things about themselves and
neighbors. He wrote down the orders and
listened and chuckled at some OF the yarns,
while he encouraged further condolences.
The tree man did not hesitate to give a
generous return for any such condolences, in
venting on the spot some OF his own for the
purpose. The number and character Of crimes
he confessed TO having been accused Of in
the States would be worth recording In this
history IL they could be remembered now. The
tree man would then fall to abusing laws In
general and the men who enforced them In
particular and end by declaring that he was
nightly in love with that particular section
and would stay where there was little or no
chance Of meeting any OF those obnoxious on.
cials. II the boys would consider him one Of
them and all stand together in time Of trouble.
Talk like this would open the door for any
thing. The rest Of the interview was likely 70
run somewhat as follows:
by gum" mods the big, burly individual.
staring at a picture OF such peaches as grow
only in paradise. "eatin' peaches like them
would be like holdin' up the Santa Fe express"
That's what" asseuts the salesman. gaily.
regular picnic all the time. l s'pose you Eel
lows In here have money TO throw az the birds
after that kind Of a Job"
Well. not so much after all. Too many
TO have a piece out OF Il. Everybody wants TO
help on It IT has to be a pretty big basket OF
money to cut in two more'n twice and leave
enough to pay"
The salesman shows a sympathetic interest
"Of course" he agrees. ITS too bad to
spoil a good bunch Of money by making little
piles Of f. l guess you have to have a good
many, though, for a Job like that"
mo; two can do Il, an there Amt no need
Of more'n three. One TO take care OF the en-
gineer. another to pull down on the passengers
and the other man to go through EN-. It's
plum easy. They give up like sinners at a
camp meetin. and the messengers and mail
fellers come down pretty easy. too. II they
don't we put a few shots through their cars
and that fetches EN-.
You ought TO come down here an 20 in
with me. You've got a persuadlu' way about
you that would make a man give up anything
he had and thank you for takin' a. II 'ud
pay yeh better, | reckon. than rldin' a paint
boss over the country. peddlin' trees, That
reminds me-you en- give mo six o. them
peaches an a few o. them pears an plums an
a couple o. cherry trees and some grapoyinos
tho big yaller onos-Niagartes. l think you
said they was"
And this was the drift OF more than ono
conversation between the Cherokee agricultur
lists and the genial tree man. who certainly
did have a "persuadin' way" IN making a man
give up anything he had In the way OF lnfor
nation.
80 for several weeks the tree man on his
paint horse with his old tenderfoot saddle and
his picture book loitered up through the Strip
and on over into the Territory on the surface
taking orders FOR spring delivery and beneath
Il all locating the different communities Of
offenders. the individuals OF tho same. and
securing data Of particular crimes. He ended
his canvass az last at Guthrie. a busy frontier
point on the Santa Fe. with twenty-five hun
dred dollars worth Of orders for trees. trees
which might be bearing 10 this day II the
spring deliveries had been made Ms planned
But Mcdonald was ready now for d~eliverie.
Of a different Eort-deliyeries OF the purchaB
ers themselves into the hands Of the law. Al
a preliminary step he swore out warrants FOL
eight men--the chief operators IN a very bad
community located along a small creek be
tween Guthrie and Kinghsher-about 10 miller
west Of the latter. He then went with hil
warrants 20 a deputy marshal at Guthrie ant
invited his cooperation IN making the arrests
The Guthrie deputy looked AZ him with curl
osity, wondering perhaps II this circuit ndinl
Texas person was IN his right mind. CLEARLY
the fame OF Bill Mcdonald had not yet pone
trated into darkest Oklahoma. Then, whel
he had looked over Bill Jesss credentials, sz'
perhaps felt his pulse. he said;
III you can get a company OF soldiers 4
go along I might undertake that Job with you
You don't know that Sand creek crowd dc
No two men nor ten men could go up agains
that outht and get back aliya Bring a con