The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-03-19
N-igalante Days and ways.)

Nigalante Days and Ways.)
There is this story about Joseph A.
Slade, a bad man of the early sixties,
in Virginia City, New. to whose va
rious authors have contributed, in
Guiding Mark Twain:
He and one Bob Scott. a somewhat
noted man of the time, had become
Interested in a set-to at poker; game
followed anne, and drink followed
drink. Both We're eXhilaratcd by liq-
uor; each raised the other till
SHADES money was cNha listed. Slade
pointed TO the piles of coin heaped
upon the table. eXciaiming, Bob. that
money belongs to me-
1T hoes if the cards say So said
Bob. not otherwise
'PerhapS, rejoined Slade, my
cards arc not better than yours; but
drawing his revolver and pointing IL
AT Scott. my hand is
Scott glanced at him with amaze
mcnt n for a moment both parties
were silent. AT length Slade reached
forward to pull down the pile OF dou-
pocket, whcn. with the uuickncss OF
lightning, Scott pushed aside the pis-
toll with II hand and dealt his am
taSonist a stunning blow between the
eyes with The other Slade fell. and
Scott fell on top of him. and gave
him a severe %drubbing. only permit
ting him to rise on his promising to
behave himself. The game was re-
newcd and no reference made to the
fight, until Shade. thoroughly sobcred.
quietly remarked. Well, Bob, if you'd
pounded me about TWO minutes long
Of, I'd have got sober sooner"
This story is old by Nathaniel Pitt
Lansford in illustration of SHADES
characteristic civility To the man who
once downed him thoroughly. lie
never seemed to forget. Mr.. Lang
ford, going to the frontier in June,
1862. with Captain James l.. Fisk's
Northern Overland expedition. had
personal experience with Shade me
other outlaws of the times.
Henry Plummcr. Charley Harper.
'Chcrokec Bol,." I!oone Helm. George
Ives. Dutch John" David Opdyke--
these and other men ready with guns
places in Mr.. Langford's pages. And
alonS with the tale of how outlawry
li"urished for a time is published the
count of how finally the Nigiluntcs,
a sclf-constituted authority. ended
the reign of terror. In no other re-
cent volume has the large caliber II
spoken so constantly and TO such
deadly effect: in 10 other current
chronicle is the noosed rope so eio-
! quent.
O%utlawry had gone far and muir
dorously before the vents took place
which led to the formation of the first
Vigilance committee.
The packer of a train belonging to
Neil ~McClinchey. a we'll known mer-
camille operator of the Upper Column
hia, in October. 1862, when -four DAYS
ont from Florence. on his return TO
Nalla Walla. was stopped by a mask
ed party. of which Harper was sup
posed to be the leader. and for want
of sufficient force robbed of fourteen
pounds of gold. AS he gave the
treasure into the hands of the assail-
ants the villain who Dol it said in a
consoline one: That's sensible. If
every man was as reasonable as you
things would go along smoother
shortly after this robbery Joseph
and John Berry We're returning to the
river with their train. They had
gone bat 40 miles from Florence
when they We're confronted by three
men in masks. who. with leveled pis-
tolls, commanded them to throw up
their hands. Seeing that resistance
was useless. they obeyed and were
relieved OF s1.1oo. The packers &c
ognized the voices of David English
and William Peoples. and the third
one was afterward ascertained to be
Nelson Scott. The victims returned
With all possible expedition to Lewis
ton. Idaho. where the report Of their
loss excited the most intense indigna-
ton"
An organized pursuit of the robbers
began at once.
From the fact that they passed
south of Lewiston it was believed that
they had gone down the Columbia.
Distributing themselves among the
different roads and trails in that di-
rection, h pursuers made diligent
search for them in every nook and
corner which would afford them a
hiding place. Their diligence was
successful. The robbers nae separ-
ated. but were arrested in detail
Peoples at Walla Walla. Scott on Dry
Creek. near there. and English at
Wallula. 40 miles distant on the CO.
lumhia.
The only surprise they manifest
ed upon being arrested was at the
tenerltN or their captors. In n com
munity which had so long held them
in fear and legal interference with
their business was deemed by them
an outrage. They did not pause to
inquire whether their reign was near
It's termination. nor think that per-
haps the people had decided as be-
tween longer submission to their VIII
lainlcss and condien punishment for
their actual crimes. If they had their
efforts to escape would have been inn
mediate. AS it was. they rested easy
and reflected savagely upon the re-
venge in store for their captors after
their friends had effected their res
cue"
Taken to Walla WalIa and then, bv
a judges order. to Florence. the nris-
oners presently found themselves in
charge of a popular committee. AS
night fell they were in "A strongly
guarded building on the banks of the
Clearwater.
"The next morning at an carly hour
the people gathered around the pris-
on. II guards were gone and the
door aiar. Unable to restrain their
curiosity and fearful that the robbers
had been rescued. they pushed the
door wide open There. hanging hy