The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-07-06
Though Indian Wars Were Things Of the Past Outbreaks
Of Red Men Were Frequent Seth Bullock and
Other Friends Of the Old Days 4

gun one day." He added: The Mayor,
he didn't mind 1t. but the superinten-
dent Of Police said he guessed I'd better
resign" His feeling. obviously, was
that the Superintendent Of Police was q
martinez, unit to take large views of
life
1t was while with Bill Jones that
first made acquaintance with Seth Bull
lock. Seth was that time Sheriff in the
Black Hills district. and q man he had
wanted-a horse thief-I finally got. I
being at the time deputy sheriff two
or three hundred miles to the north.
The man went by the nickname which
shall call Crazy Steve A year or
two afterwards received q letter ask
ing about him from his uncle. . thor
oughly respectable man In q Western
State. and later this uncle and I met
at Washington when / was President
and he United States Senator.
1t was some time after "Steve's cap
ture that went down to Deadwood on
business. Sylvane Ferris and I on horse
back, while Bill Jones drove the wagon.
At a little town. Spearnsh. / think. after
crossing the last eighty or ninety miles
Of gumbo prairie. we met Seth Bullock.
We had had rather q rough trip. and
had lain out for q fortnight. 20 sup
pose we looked somewhat unkempt. Seth
received us with rather distant courtesy
at first. but unbent when he found out
who we were. remarking:
You see. by your looks thought you
were some kind of tin-horn gambling
outfit. and that i might have to keep
an eye on your' He then inquired after
the capture Of .'Steve"-with Q little Of
the air Of one sportsman when another
has shot a quail that either might have
claimed-''My bird. believer"
Later Seth Bullock became. and has
ever since remained. one Of my etanch-
est and most valued friends. He served
as marshal for South Dakota under me
as President. When. after the close Of
my term, I went to Africa. on gettinS
back to Europe I cabled Seth Bullock
to bring Mrs. Bullock and meet me in
London,-which he did; by that time I
felt that I Just had to meet my own
people, who spoke my neighborhood dia-
lect.
Doing 1t First.
When serving as deputy sheriff was
impressed with the advantage the oficer
OF the law has over ordinary wrong
doors. provided he thoroughly knows hiG
own mind. There are exceptional out
laws. men with a price on their heads
and of remarkable prowess, who arl
whose warfare against society Il as open
as that of savage on the warpath. The
law officer has no advantage whatever
over these men save what his own
prowess mayor may not-give him.
Such a man was Billy the Kid, the no.
torious man-killer and desperate of New
Mexico, who was himself finally slain
by friend Of mine. Pat Garrett. whom.
when 1 was President. I made collector
Of customs at FL Paso.
But the ordinary criminal. even when
murderously inclined. feels just a mo-
ments hesitation as to whether he cares
to kill an officer of the law engaged in
his duty. I took in more than one man
who was probably a better man than I
as with both rife and revolver: but In
each case I knew Just what wanted to
do, and. like David Harum, i did u
first" whereas the fraction OF . second
that the other man hesitated put him
in a position where it was useless for
him to resist >