Bisbee daily review., 1911-03-01

the wild and woOlly west-fOr the silken mantle of civilization is fast spreading over the whole land-where the dividing line between honesty and dishonesty was not distinctly marked. The privatlons were great, and many of the people found it difficult to make living There was no law to keep the honest separated from the dishon. est. and this alone tended to obliterate The dividing iin-.
 one day two plain1men went to a land office TO enter some land. While there one of them told the following story:
 Last week" he said, "me and Josh was movin' toward the mountlngs on a prospecting trip. We had two good ridin' hosses and a pack hoss. One day we found a fine campin' ground beside a stream whar the trout was ! iist jumpin' outen the water to be ketched. and we concluded to rest thar couple O days. So we pitched our tent and got out our cookin' kit and ! calc'lated to spend the time like na- | bobs.
 "The next afternoon, when we was layin' or smokin our pipes, we saw a couple O men comin' outen the timber on the ericll Ketchin' sight of us, they ] turned at fust, but we hollered to lem to come on, and they jined us. They was youngish chaps, neither ov 'em ] havin' yit growed a beard We of ! fered 'em the demijohp, but they didn't | seem to relish liquor much; mebby | they wasn't old enough 10 have learned We offered 'em pipes, but they didn't seem inclined to smoke neither
 "They told us they was n camp in a patch of timber a ways dowE the cTick, and after stayin' awhile with us they went away.
 "'What dye s'pose them kids is ado in over yereT says Josh when they was gone.
 They're hoss thieves says. 'Hoss thieves. They don't look nuthin' like boss thieves
 like enough they belong to some family as is mighty hard up. and the only way for sich in this yere country | to make haul is to run off hosses, sell 'em and stock up. Wen picket the stock strong tonight. fur it's my opin- ion these young fellers II try to stam- pede 'em.'
 1 I've made everything as fast as we | could. The moon was full, and the country was lit up like day. Me and Josh smoked till near Q o'clock, it must "a been, then turned in. We was awakened by hearin' the stock rushin' | this way and that way tryin' to break ] the ropes. and we heard whoops like Indians, only they was more like squaws and papooses than bucks. | Then come shots. The hosses was nigh crazy with fright. but we had tied 'em so strong they couldn't get away.
 Josh,' says, says I. them young ! fellers is doin' what said they'd do. Get your gun and let's go for 'em.'
 "T don't want to kill boy fur a hoss. said Josh, especially if he's staryin''
 "'WeH. we can't let 'em do what they like with our property Come on'
 
 ! from, and the first thing the kids lnowed we was right on 'em. They run. and we chased 'cm. One of 'em i ripped and fell. sat on him while ! Josh chased the other and after a hard run brought him in. We took lem to camp and in order 70 -righren ! lem told 'em we vas goin' to hang 'em to the limb of tree. They knowed well enough that's what's done to hosJ thieves, and they believed we was in earnest. What dye s'pose they did. They begun to cry. This give us such contempt fur 'em that says to Josh, says |:
 'Sich snivelin' younkers oughtn't to be lowed to live. They'll never make men, and the women wouldn't have 'em around. Let's string 'em up shore
 ''Then one of lem said, wringin' his 1 hands: We hain't men; we're gals. Our folks Is starvin' over thar, and we tried to git yer stock to sell 'em and git somepin fur the children
 ''Me and Josh looked at each other. T be doggoned.' says I, if ever I saw sicb hoss thieves before. What luck we didn't shoot at 'emg
 T told yoa,' says Josh, T wouldn't ] like to kill one of 'em
 ''We give up the tent to 'em and the ] blankets and made 'em as comfort able as could, and Josh and l built a fire and lay down by it for the rest O the night Next mornin' we give 'en fine breakfast ov hard tack and bacon washed down with coffee. Then we told 'em we'd go and see what we could do fur their folks. We found jist what the gals said we'd find. There wor three families in a mighty bad way not only fur food, but other things
 When the gals got on their own ' clothes they was good 'ookin'. and l offered to marry one if Josh'd marry ! t'other and settle down and take care of the hull crowd. seen there warn't no men among 'em, the men havin' been killed of either by Indians or fur . hOss steaiin' Josh agreed. and we Tipped up fur fust choice Josh won 1t, but I didn't keer, since they was both fine gals.
 ''We axed 'em if they'd agree to our nian and they said they didn't see