Lincoln County times. (Jerome, Idaho) 1911-1919, 1911-12-14

" the prairie Ike
he sound Of a hidden brook The name
OF IL was Rosita McMullen; and she
was the daughter of old man NcMul-
len Of the SHUTDOWN sheep ranch
There came riding on red roam
steeds-or. TO be more explicit. on
paint and a fea-b bitten sorrel-two
wooers. One was Madison Lane and
the other was the Frio Kid But at
that time they did not call him the
FRO Kid. for he had not earned the
honors OF special nomenclature His
name was simply Johnny Mercy.
II must not be supposed that these
Two were the sun OF the agreeable
Rosita's admirers. The bronchos OF
dozen others champed their bits al
the long hitching rack Of the Sun
down ranch Many were the Sleeps
eyes that we're cast in those savannas
that did not belong TO the focks Of
liers Madison Lane and Johnny Nc
Roy galloped far ahead. wherefore
they are to be chronicled.
Madison Lane. a young cattleman
from the Nueces country, won the
race He and Rosita were married one
Christmas day. Armed. hilarious. vo-
ciferous. magnanimous. the cowmen
and the sheepmen. laying aside their
hereditary hatred. Joined forces to
celebrate the occasion.
But while the wedding feast was at
its liveliest there descended upon It
Johnny Mercy. bitten by jealousy.
like one possessed.
I'm give you a Christmas present"
he yelled. shrilly. at the door. with his
AS in his hand Even then he had
some reputation as an offhand shot
} His first bullet cut a neat underbit
In Madison Lanes right ear. The bar
rel of his gun moved an inch. The
next shot would have been the brides,
had not Carson, sheepman. pos
sessed a mind with triggers some
what well oiled and In repair. The
guns OF the wedding party had been
hung, In their belts. upon nails In the
wall when they sat at table. as a con
cession to good taste. But Carson,
with great promptness. hurled his
plate OF roast veniscE and frijoles al
Mercy. spelling his aim The second
bullet, then. only shattered the white
petals of Spanish dagger flower sus
pended two feet above Rosita's head
The guests spurned their chairs
and jumped for their weapons II
was considered an improper act tc
shoot the bride and groom at a wed
ding. In about six seconds there were
twenty OF so bullets due to be whiz
zing in the direction of Mr.. Mercy.
iii shoot better next time" yelled
Johnny; land theren be a next time.
He backed rapidly out the door.
The cattlemen swept out upon him
calling for vengeance.
But the sortie failed In its ven
geance. Mercy was on his horse anC
away, shouting back curses an;
threats as he galloped into the con
cealing chaparral
That night was the birthnight o
the FRO Kid. He became the "bat
man" of that portion of the state. Thu
rejection of his suit by Miss McMul
len turned him to a dangerous man
When officers went after him for tn,
shooting of Carson. he killed two o
them. and entered upon the life OF al
outlaw. When he was at last sho
and killed by a little cne-armed Mel
lean who was nearly dead himsel
from fright. the Frio Kid had tn
deaths of Is men on his head
Many tales are told along the boz
der of his impudent courage an
daring. But he was not one of tn
breed of desperadoes who have sea
sons of generosity and even of soft
ness. They say he never had mere
on the object of his anger Yet a
this and every Christmastide 1t
well to give each one credit, II 1t ca
be done, for whatever speck of goo
he may have possessed. II the Fri
Kid ever did a kindly act or felt
throb of generosity in his heart 1t wa
once at such a time and season. an
this is the way 1t happened:
One December In the FRO countr
rode the Frio Kid and his Satellit
and co-murderer, Mexican Frank Tn
Kid refined In his mustang. and sat 4
his saddle, thoughtful and grim. wit
, dangerously narrowing eyes
II don't know what | been thinking
out, Mex" he remarked in his usus