Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-07-02

Crawling anu Creeping, uHlll, " Oui
surprise, We became convinced we had
won through beyond their lines. Then
we up and bumped away our best,
rounding the point of Eagle Mountain
and getting into cover on the slope Of
Sierra Blanca by dawn.
For some reason they did not pursue
us, probably out of respect for our
long-range rifles or, perhaps, of con-
tempt Of our poverty of everything
except our arms and scalps.
And so, moneyless, ragged, and bag
gard we reached Mesilla. And it was
not until more than year later, when
old John Chisholm tackled the job him
self, that any one again undertook to
bring cattle across the Staked Plain.
In Mesilla l found my old comrade,
Cox, a few. weeks out of hospital en-
tirely recovered, but carrying a bit OF
metal in his skull nature never put
there. But he was all the reader to
engage in a promising new enterprise
for that, and, wonder of wonders to
me, he was about as nearly strapped Of
ready dough as l. 1t was the first time
had ever known him broke.
For just credit Of his gaming indus
try and skill I want to explain that
nothing but his wounds could have
brought him to such low financial
state.
But we were not without friends,
and managed to borrow a couple or
horses to carry us down to Paso del
Norte, where Maximilian's invasion or
Mexico was making lively times along
the Chihuahua frontier.
And it was right there our luck
turned for the better temporarily at
least The next day after our arrival
we learned that the general command
ing the native Mexican forces had been
offering one thousand dollars to any
one who would carry dispatches
through to his superior in the city OF
Chihuahua, with no takers.
That sounded about our size. Both
the intervening country and Chihuahua
itself were held by the French or their
partizans: the road was patrolled. The
warfare had been so merciless that
neither natives nor foreigners had
cared to take chance of being caught
with those dispatches and Of finishing
blindfold before an adobe wall.
But we had a few tricks up our
sleeves for the Frenchmen, and jump
ed at the chance-moseyed away down
the Rio Grande until we were below
the last settlement, Guadalupe, and
then split the desert open. We made
Decline that proved to be well
enough chosen and followed to fetch
us into Chihuahua one dark night,
without having seen either the high
road or even a human being on our
journey We returned by the same
route-and took down that useful
little thousand.
Our next venture was bad loser;
might have known it would be before
we went into it. But I have always
thanked my stars we got out of it as
soon as we did, for to this day it re-
mains the only downright hold-up game
ever started to draw cards In.
Colonel Latham. an ex-ConfederatN
was organizing band of thugs for the
avowed purpose O. "C Chihuahua
CITY and STANDING robbing the
French specie II y rtly due 10
come up from the A. re,st Bee, st<s&-ra
He had assembled al camp among
the cottonwoods below Paso, del Norte
two hundred Of the worst scoundrels
the two recently opposing armies had
let loose on the Rio Grande border.
Cox and sat in and drew cards,
but we did not last long in that game
To hold the men together the leaders
had kept the camp full OF mescal,
liquor made from the century plant,
and about eight out of every ten men
were fighting drunk, the DULLES forcing
all the mental camp tasks on the
The very next day after we Joined
we marched south. In the early eve.
ming, while l was watering my horse
short distance from camp, one OF the.
DULLES to whom Cox was unknown or
dered him to 60 and rustic firewood.
Cox's answer was quiet inquiry
whether the giver of the order was
fighter. To which the poor fool an
swered:
'Im from the Lone Star STAGE; I've
got five points to my star, and each one
is fighting point! Square up in front
of me. you id brass-mounted old
blowhard!"
AS he talked-for he had made the
same fatal mistake Of talking so many
did inTdealing with Cox--he drew his
pistol and pointed it directly, at Cox.
But scarcely were his lips shut on his
last word before he fell with a bullet
through his heart.
That was one Of the lightning plays
Cox loved to make, giving man every
advantage of perfect drop and then
potting him.
(To be Continued)