The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1912-12-29

but the stranger puts no such interpre.
tation on the words. The politeness oi
the Filipinos and their anxiety TO please
have MADE them, speaking strictly. some
what inaccurate If one of their govern.
ors were hated and should ask a citizen
II tt5 natives ;.ked him, the citizen would
Sale and instantly reply that they did
The Filipino chooses to walk In the
easiest way. He doesn't want to hurt
the feelings of the man with whom he
is conversing OF dealing Argument would
mean friction and might cause enmfty.
Words. bother and labor are saved, there
fore, by eyading the nice precision oil
truth. II Filipino promises that he
will do thing, one does not know wheth-
er he will or not. He will say yes
when in his heart he means no. merely
that the conversation may be saved from
discord or a disagreeable note. Plenty
of Americans, especially in trade, are
equally as unreliable and, well, let us
say, diplomatic. =
A Word About Tax-dodgers.
about his taxes? l was the assessor once
of Lincoln County, New Mexico. Shining
lights Of integrity in all communities an
nuaIly make false statements about their
property ana perjure themselves in the
bargain. Hypocrites are to be found
everywhere, but they are really more nu-
uerous, | think, in highly civilized coun-
tries than elsewhere. Man in his primal
state goes straight at most things. He
has become accustomed 20 contest-our
own Indians, for instance-and battles
with the elements, with wild beasts, and
with his own kind If. in his crude way,
he thinks he isn't getting justice.
Now, II you will indulge me, I should
like TO refer to a little of my own eX-
perience. i was an orphan at the age OF
fifteen. We had moved from Louisiana
to Kansas. where my mother died. 1 was
poor and without friends and went down
into New Mexico hunting work. For
time I was employed on a sheep ranch.
Then took the various degrees and be-
came a cowboy. lived for years among
plain. direct, and decisive men. There
was more or less violence then In the
Southwest. Everybody carried weapons.
Yet there was an honest effort made to
establish and maintain justice. All men
believed in it and tried to give it and to
get 1t. There was shooting and there was
sta bling, but justice was the great I'M
written law Of the plains, and many
good, peaceable man was pictured as
rufian and given a sensational record
simply because he attempted to obey the
law and TO uphold It in his own case.
such a person was Oliver Lee, and
Jim Gilliland was another. Sheep men.
coming onto the public domain, were. II
easily intimidated, driven away by those
who specialized in cattle. A scare was
turned on Lee, but he stood his ground
and never blinked an eye. Human beings
were killed, that / admit feud was
thus begun I suppose Lee had as many
notches on his gun, to use a Davy
Crockett expression, as had any man
west of the Mississippi River. His enc
niles tried to shoot him and thieves
tampered with his live stock. Thus his
reputation grew and spread until it was
something fierce.
A Big Reward for Lee.
Then Col Fountain and his little son
rode across the prairie in a blackboard
and vanished. They We're tracked to a
spot near Lees ranch. Signs of a strug-
gle were seen on the ground. Some
blood was found on the grass. The
bodies were never recovered-they were
carried away, so 1t was believed, and
buried in the sand. Fountain had been
cattle rustlers and. it was
thought. interested persons had caused
his murder. Lee and GillIland, by the
loUsest sort of reasoning, based on moth
ing but irrational suspicion, became i'm
plicated in the mystery.
They stood the officers and their enc
mics off for a year or better. Pat Gar
rett. celebrated gun-ighter, was sheriff.
There were several sudden mortalities
during the period. A reward of $4,000
was offered for the capture of Lee and
a similar reward was hung up for Gill;
land. l came into that situation when
elected sheriff of Lincoln County. On
the face Of matters. It looked rather bad
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land Immediately surrendered to me I'M |
They knew 1 would give
them a square deal and that was all |
they wanted. A whole lot OF trouble, |
personal, political and industrial, would |
be prevented If every man knew that he |
would get Justice on the merit of the |
,acts as they were discovered.
Being duly and fairly tried, Lee and |
iiIliIand were acquitted. Lee is still |
living and is one of the richest and most |
highly respected men in New Mexico /
iilliland also is alive and is a good, law
abiding citizen. The way to get along /
With people Is to be just. Other human
Qualities are praised in song, proverb, and |
'tory-love, for example, and likewise |
idelity and integrity-but Justice means /
Ill of them and. to my way Of thinking,
$ the foundation of human society. New
Mexico contained many robust and ready
-ldIdCltTS' pSTsOuS Will pOSlOlbs IOT use l
N horseback, or on foot, say at ten
laces or over. and with knives for a
loser and more intimate argument. but /
hey never embarrassed my administra-
ion or denied my Jurisdiction. The bad /
men, by common report, were actually
he easiest to handle.
Almost Killed by cred Men"
IF sheriff is fair and truthful he
will, in the West, at least, have little
lificulty with his constituents. No one,
Christian or pagen, wants to get the
worst Of 1t. Even a dog knows when he i
S badly used. When ]. went into the |
,rovince of Samar as Governor, found
90, 900 warriors. They are called Pula-
anes, which means red men, Chiefs i
uled them and led them into battle |
They grew q little hemp and, going out
f the mountains to the Coast towns,
we're robbed of their crops and .crueIly
reated by the more civilized natives
'hereupon they retaliated. They would
woop down on village, burn Il to the
round and liberate their friends--men
nd women-who were held by, debt in
lavery.
1T was not a proptitious district for
he operations Of an outside pacifer.
old the chiefs nothing but the truth and
hey seemed to have confidence in me
'ersonally. They met me by and by for
conference, We were to talk over
matters and possibly sign up a cove
ant. Fffty-one soldiers accompanied me.
was warned that the negotiation would
e dangerous. but l did not think SO.
While l was talking to the chiefs, the
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