Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-04-09
WHEN BAD MEN RULED THE WEST
Thrilling and Daring Deeds of Vigilantes Who
Cleaned Up the Outlaws.


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There is this story about Joseph A
slade, a bad man Of the early sixties
in Virginia City, New, to whose fame
various authors have contributed IN
cluding Mark Twain:
"He and one Bob Scott, a somewhat
noted man Of the time, had become m
,erested In a set-to at poker; game 1oi-
lowed game, and drink followed drink
Both were exhilarated by liquor; eacn
raised the other till SHADES money
was exhausted. Slade pointed 10 the
piles of coin heaped upon the table ex-
claiming, Bob. that money belongs
to me- :,
"It does If the cards say so.' SAID
Bob, not otherwise
Perhaps rejoined Slade. my cards
ore not better than yours; but draw
ing his revolver and pointing 1t al
Scott, my hand is
scott glanced at him with amaze
ment, and for a moment both parties
were silent. At length Slade reached
forward to pull down the pile or dou-
bile eagles and transfer them TO MS
pocket, when, quick as lightning, Scott
pushed aside the pistol with one hano
and dealt his antagonist stunning
blow between the eyes with the otner'
slade fell, and Scott fell on top OF
him. and gave him a severe drupDlhs'
only permitting him to rise on MS
promising to behave himself The
game was resumed and no reference
made to the fight, until Slade, thor
ouehly sobered, quietly remarked
We'll. Bob, IL you'd pounded me about
two minutes longer, I'd have got sober
sooner"
This story is told by Nathaniel Pitt
Langford in illustration of Slades
characteristic civility to the man VINO
once downed him thoroughly. He new
er seemed to forget. Mr.. Langford'
going to the frontier in June, 1852,
with Captain James L. Fisk's North
ern Overland Expedition, had personal
experiences with Slade and other out
laws Of the times.
Henry Plummer, Charley Harper,
Cherokee Bob" Boone Helm, George
Ives, Dutch john" David Opdyke-
these and other men with ready guns
and contemptuous of laws have their
places in Mr.. Langford's pages. And
along with the tale Of how outlawry
fourished for a time is published the
account Of how finally the Vigilantes,
a self-constituted authority, ended the
reign Of terror. In other recent vol
ume has the large-caliber gun spoken
so constantly and to such deadly ef-
feet; In no other current chronicle is
the noosed rope so eloquent
Outlawry had gone far and murder
ously before the events took place
which led to the formation Of the first
Vigilance committee.
THE packer of train belonging to
Neil McClinchey, well-known mer-
camille operator Of the upper Colum-
bia, in October, 1862. when four days
out from Florence, on his return to
Walla Walla, was stopped by 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 treas
ure into the hands of the assailants
the villain who took it said in a con-
soling tone: That's sensible. If ev-
cry man was as reasonable as you
things would go along smoother
Shortly after this robbery Joseph
and John Berry were returning to the
river with their train. They had gone
but 40 miles from Florence when they
were confronted by three men In
masks who, with leveled pistols, COM
manded them to throw up their hands.
Seeing that resistance was useless, they
obeyed and were relieved of $1,100.
The packers recognized the voices Of
David English and William Peoples,
and the third one was afterwards as
certained to be Nelson Scott. The VIC
Tins returned with all possible expedi-
ton to Lewiston, Idaho. where the re-
port Of their loss excited the most in
tense Indignation"
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, the pursuers made diligent
search for them in every nook and
corner which would afford them a
hiding place. Their diligence was sue
cessful. The robbers had separated,
but were arrested in detail-Peoples at
Walla walla, Scott on Dry Creek, near
there, and English at Walla, 40 miles
distant on the Columbia.
The only surprise they manifested
upon being arrested was at the temeri-
ty of their captors. In a community
which had so long held them in fear
and legal interference with their bus
mess was deemd by them an outrage
They did not pause to inquire whether
their reign was near it's termination
nor think that perhaps the people had
decided as between longer submission
to their villainies and condign punish
ment for their actual crimes. If they
had their efforts to escape would have
been immediate. AS 1t was, they rest
ed easy and reflected savagely upon
the revenge in store for their captors
after their friends had effected their
rescue"
Taken to Walla Walla and then, by 9
judges order, to Florence, the prison.
ers presently found themselves ir
the hands of a popular committee. As
night fell they were in a strongly
guarded building on the Clearwater.
The next morning at an early houi
the people gathered around the prison
The guards were gone and the door
ajar. Unable to restrain their curios.
ity and fearful that the robbers haG
been rescued they pushed the door
wide open. There, hanging by the
na,I storL opd cold thav hehald thf