The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1911-04-04
THE HORSE
THIEVES
BY THEODORE L. BREWER
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation, 1911.

lively life out yere," said the old plains
man, "there use to was. These yert
railroads ruin n country"
was to spend the night In Josh Mil
ier's cabin. We were smoking our
pipes after supper, aud his wife was
washing the dishes | encouraged him
10 talk about the country rs II was
Formerly.
Them was times when the men
was wild as the beasts. Every man
was armed with n ride hooked TO his
saddle, two rcvolvcrs In his belt and
likely couple more IN his snddlebags.
Anyway that's the way | used TO go
about And tell you we had some
pretty likely women about yere In
them days. They could all shoot, and
shoot straight enough too. And. better
than that. they wasn't all day dom It.
one on 'em ! courted, too, for | wasn't
married then, but so far as could see
she hadn't no use for me.
"The boss thieves was about as bad
stun to deal with as anything we had
out yere In them days. There was
one gang OF 'em that and some Of the
rest of us got after and broke up. We
killed some, hung some, and some of
EN- got away. | hearn that them as
got away said they'd get even with
me. They'd git me alive and when
they got me they'd make me suffer a
death for every man OF their gang I'd
KILLED.
And they got me sure enough. One
AFTERNOON I'd strayed away from the
settlement crossed the river-One of
the forks of the INSECURITY ford
and looked about for some game for
supper I had only my rifle with me,
but | considered that enough to deal
with any Indians roamln' about.
didn't come on to no game, and, feeiin
kind OF lazy, | laid down on the ground
1.-The breeze rustled the leaves OF
tree under which was layin', and the
birds was nsingin' and everything
was peaceful. That was what made
che difference when the shootln' and
the scalpln' begun In them times. We
jumped from one TO t'other In a jiffy.
One minute 1t was istenin' TO the
gurglln' o. water and the sighIn' OF the
breeze: the next we hearn a bullet
singin' or n warwhoop.
"Well, | fell asleep | was woke IN
up by shake, and there, looking down
into my face, was Bin Aiken, one o.
the boss thieves that had said he'd do
me. He'd got my rifle, and saw It
was all up with me. Blll's boss was
nippin' the grass. So was niue. Three
other fellers come rldn' up. They
was the jollest lot at gittin' me you
ever see, and they begun mt ouct to
lay plans for torturin' me to death
''They concluded TO take me TO their
camp, They tied lariat around my
fore me, and another held one end be.
hind me, so that | shore couldn't git
away. Then they put me on my boss
To git TO their camp they was Obliged
TO go over the ford I'd come by. Two
of 'em rode ahead and two behind me.
When we reached the ford the first
man went In up TO his boss belly. |
was wonderln' IL couldn't find some
way to drown. But didn't have much
time TO think about It. for I'd scarce
got into the water when the man
who'd gone in first pitched forward
into the drink. At the same time |
heard crack and saw bit o. smoke
floatin' away from the high bank on
fother side of the river, But I could
see nothin' but the smoke.
''The second man, seem the one
m n xyhn L.
him, didn't know what to do. All of
as was In the river, and crossin' a
stream is the wo'st possible place for
10 be attacked. The third boss thief
called on the second to go on, but be
fore he could do 1t there was another
crack, and he dropped too. | was won.
derin' If ! was TO be killed-ruther
hopin | was-when the man behind me
give a YELL and he went the same way
as the others,
zone idee by this time must a. got
into the fourth mans head. | reckon
he thought some one was dom all this
for me and, not likin' to give me a
chance TO escape, concluded to shoot
me. turned jlst In time to see him
putin his hand back to git his re
Volver when red spot came In his
forehead ana he didn't git no pistol.
were was four men either dead or SO
near dead they couldn't do nothin'
Two of 'em was goin downstream
under the water. OF course didn't
waste no time. spurred my boss and
started across the ford. When I'd
climbed the bank looked for them
as had done the shootin'. didn't see
no one. II was as peaceful there as
an April mornin'. | listened, but
couldn't hear nothin' except a breeze
shakin' the leaves OF the trees. The
grass was long, and | hunted about
IN II.
Purity soon l came to gal lynn as
II dead. She was the one | was teilin'
you about n spell ago. A ride and a
AZ caliber revolver laid by her. l got
of my boss and knelt down to do
somepin to help her when she opened
her eyes. Seem me, she put her arms
around NV neck