The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1914-02-20
A mysterious
4 Story Of tie WORKINGS Of
Lynch Law
IBy JOHN TURNLEc


One evening when the stagecoach
stopped at the tavern at B.. a town in
New Mexico. q melancholy looking
nan alighted. with no baggage but a
4ripsack in his hand. and. being re-
Seived by the landlord. the two went
inside together.
Landlord" said the stranger. II
have come out here from the last to
settle and try to make a living. l
lave been recommended to this town.
anong others. as one likely to grow.
and I've concluded to put in my stake
here. but ! haven't u cent. It's better
70 tell you this In the beginning than
II stay with you awhile and then have
you turn me out for nOnpayment Of
hoard. I'm an educated physician and
hope to gather a practice. II you'll
board me while I'm getting patients
I'll pay as ! get In fees"
That's just the kind Of man we
want out here" replied the landlord.
Il like the frank way you put the
case. 1t shall not be said that Jim
Henderson refused to help any man
coming into New Mexico to try to
make a living. Most OF our people
who have come here from the east
have come strapped. If they hadn't
been strapped they wouldn't have
come. But ! don't remember n Of
Them that have been as frank about 1t
Us you have. Enter your name on the
register: supper Is ready. and after
you've oiled up I'll show you to a
rOOm."
The newcomer thanked the landlord
for his kindness and entered his name
- "Dr. George Atwater. City"
II see you don't give the point you
hail FROM" said the landlord.
"What's the use? I'm a citizen Of
this town."
$50 you are-sO you are. Nobody
here cares where anybody comes from
o. what he's done elsewh here 50 long
q he behaves himself after he gets
here"
DR.. Atwator was recommended BY
Henderson. the landlord. and occasion
Oily got q cas- In some one of the
guests Of the tavern. He became popu-
lar In the town and would have sue
ceeded had there been more people or
q greater proportion Of invalids there.
But B. did not grow as fast "a had
1een expected and was q very health
full place. Atwater managed to pay his
board by turning Over q fee when he
got one. but after he had been It the
tavern about a year there came an in
terval when not q person in the town
was III. and. there being no fees, there
was no money to pay board.
In new countries where there is no
law the punishment for crime is usual
" assumed BY a vigilance committee.
There may be conditions of society
where q vigilance committee is better
than NO law or ven poorly admins
tered law, but after all Judge Lynch is
but a return to barbarous methods.
There were ut this time more or less
shooting going on among the citizens
06 New Mexico and considerable horse
stealing. There was no objection to
the shooting so long as each man had
q fair chance. but the horse stealing
was bitterly condemned. A vigilance
committee was organized to punish
Durderers and especially horse thieves.
Since shooting them was not 0
sidered murder the principal business
II the committee was catching and
Dunishing horse thieves.
One day Bill Evans. one Of the com.
nittoe. entered the barrOom and Of.
- cO0bined Of the tavern. Hender-
o was sitting by the stove with his
back to the door. while DR.. Atwatel
vas leaning against the bar. Evans
con say to the doctor:
You haven't paid any board in four
months"
That was all the conversation Evans
heard. for Henderson. hearing a step.
0arned. and the doctor left the room.
The remark made no further impress.
sion 81 Evans than to acquaint hin,
with the fact that Atwater was in debt
6or his board.
One day DR.. Atwater received a let
ter that seemed to produce a marked
effect upon him. After reading it he
gut 1t back In its envelope without re-
mark. but Henderson. who was with
1flm at the time. noticed that he had
peceived some unweicOme. news. The
landlord. however. was not y man tt
~ into other peoples affairs and made
10 mention of the matter to the Doctor
It was not long after this that q
Summons came In the middle Of thu
aight' for d." Atwater to attend an In
valid. He went On his errand and die
@not return. When a week elapsed and
soothing was een or heard Of him
<lgppie began to talk about the case
Curiosity was the chief incentive t
-a4bate the matter. and all speculatet
upon a reason for the mysterious dis
appearance. No possible clew to tn
eon1e Of his going away was sug
aeefed until Bill Evans told Of the re
mark be had overheard when be hat
>Auddenly entered the tavern ant
aGund Henderson and Atwater to
nalaer. He told II SimpIy n it haI