La Junta tribune., 1912-08-10
BAD MAN ROUNDED UP.
George ealie~s, South Platte Oesper.
ado, Rounded Up by otero County
Officers and Dies by Own Hand.

George Ballew. the stage driver.
who shot up the inmates OF sum
mer hotel at South Platte. near
Denver. one week ago yesterday. and
after woundinE four persons. two OF
whom viii die. set fire and burned
the hotel. was cornered In an or.
chArd about five miles west OF La
Junta. last Sunday morning, after a
$50 mile chase across the country.
and died by his own hand. Ra!lew
was firs; sighted by the officers OF
Otero county near the big rock cut
on the Otero canal. about mile
southwest OF the stockyards, and was
chased for about q mile and half
to the orchard on the Higgins ranch,
where he had secluded himself In a
dense growth Of weeds higher than a
mans head. The officers had sur.
rounded the orchard, and while
searching for him, accidentally
stumbled upon the dead body OF the
desperate. When last seen Ballew
was entering the dense growth OF
weeds holding his revolver In front
Of his face. with the muzzle pointing
upwards. Ballew stumbled into
wire fence. and had then either shot
himself accidentally or by intent. His
body was found In dry irrigation
ditch several feet from the wire
fence, and his revolver under the
fence. The shot fired by Ballew at
the climax OF the tragedy Was the
only one fired by him during the
chase. The bullet entered at a point
just below the right eye and nearly
tore off the right side of his head,
every ounce OF his brains being found
at the side OF his dead body.
The first inkling that the officers
had that a desperate was at large
Sunday morning when Undersheriff
Devine received a telephone message
from Rocky Ford notifying him that
q horse had been stolen during the
night from the barn OF c. l.. Cove
rau. and that the horse thief had
headed south. 4 few minutes later
another telephone message was re-
ceived sby Devine from George Gren.
slit, station agen, for the Santa Fe
at Ormega. to the effect that a man.
who was acting suspiciously. was In
that vicinity. and had horse that
Tailed with the description OF the
stolen animal sent in from Rocky
Ford.
Undersheriff Deyine. accompanied
BY N. A. Lee and 8. n, Rose. who
Was acting a. city marshal for Frank
Nixon. left At once In an automobile
for OrmeEa. There they were In
formed that a man. with q horse an
swering the description OF the one
stolen at Rocky Ford. had been
around there during the morning. and
had first been seen climbing out Of
a box car. the horse being tied to AN
adjoining warehouse. Later he had
called at the station and at his re-
quest No I had been tagged. as he
said he wanted To go to Trinidad
Ballcw climbed aboard but almost i'm
mediately got off again. later claim.
ing that he thought Grensiit had siy-
nailed to him IN do SO. He was very
much pu, out when he learned that
ne had made a mistake. and said that
he would not have missed the train
for any amount OF money. Bailew
then got on his horse and went down
the road towards Trinidad.
When the officers arrived In the
automobile there was no trace Of
either the man or the horse. and they
went on TO a point Just the other
side Of the rock cut on the Otero
canal. Devine left the machine and
went TO . house 10 make Inquiries.
lie waa Informed that . man with =
horse answering the description Of
the one stolen had been seen there
during the morning and would prob
ably b. found nearby. Devine walk.
I'd To the railroad near the rock cut
and found that the machine had gone
on down the road towards Trinidad.
the officers having caught sight os
an object that they thought might
pro,e to b. the naa they were look.
ing for. A. Devine looked down the
track towards Ia Junta he saw .
man come out oe the weeds and starr
down the track. and from the de-
scription given knew that he vas the
\Inan wanted. D~vins started toward
Nm and when within about iso yards
= naiisw ordered hin to halt When
Dai1ev refased. pev!ne fired shot
10 the air 10 scare him. Bapsw then
pulled bic gun. and going over To the
oad gut behind . telephone pole.
49,. >~lsa - ~~uNa~~ ~ tu1A