The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1914-03-06
A Mysterious
Disappearance
A Story Of the Workings Of
Lynch Law
By JOHN TURNLeH

~
One evening when the s~tagecoach
| stopped at the tavern at B., 4 town in
New Mexico. a melancholy looking
man alighted, with no baggage but a
gripsack in his hand. and. being re-
ceived by the landlord. the two went
inside together.
Landlord" said the stranger, Il
have come out here from the east to
settle and try to make a living. |
have been recommended to this town.
among others. as one likely to grow.
and I've concluded to put in my stake
here, but l haven't a cent. It's better
to tell you this in the beginning than
to stay with you awhile and then have
you turn me out for nonpayment of
board. I'm an educated physician and
hope to gather a practice. If you'll
board me while I'm getting patients
I'll pay as l get in fees" .
That's just the kind of man We
want out here" replied the landlord.
L INT IHc lIhuh way yOu put LIE
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 l don't remember any Of
them that have been as frank about it
as you have. Enter your name on the
register; supper is ready. and after
you've filed up I'll show you to a
| ROOM"
The newcomer thanked the landlord
for his kindness and entered his name
as "Dr. George Atwater. City," s
II see you don't give the point you
hail FROM" said the landlord.
whats the use? Pm a citizen Of
this town."
$50 you are-sO you are. Nobody
here cares where anybody comes from
OF what he's done elsewhere so long
as he behaves himself after he gets
| here"
DR.. Atwater was recommended BY
Henderson, the landlord. and occasion
ally got a case in ONE n Of the
guests of the tavern. BE 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 Is had
been expected and was q very health
full place. .Atwater managed to pay his
board by turning over a fee when he
got one. but after he had been at the
tavern about a year there came an in.
terval when not a person in the town
was i'll, 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 even poorly admins
tered law, but after all Judge Lynch is
but a return to barbarous methods.
There were at this time more or less
shooting going on among the citizens
Of New Mexico and considerable horse
stealing. There was no objection to
the shooting SO long as each man had
a fair chance, but the horse stealing
was bitterly condemned. A vigilance
committee vas organized to punish
murderers and especially horse thieves.
| Since shooting them vas not con
sidered murder the principal business
Of the committee vas catching and
Furnishing horse thieves.
Ooo xln~ Dill EH~,o~s 1~o - kA~ o4~o
mittee, entered the barroom and Of
dee combined Of the tavern. Hender-
son was sitting by the stove with his
back to the door. while DR.. Atwater
was leaning against the bar. Evans
came in just in time to hear Hender-
son 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.
turned, and the doctor left the room.
The remark made no further impress
sion on Evans than to acquaint him
with the fact that Atwater was in debt
for his board.
One day DR.. Atwater received a let
ter that seemed to produce q marked
effect upon him. After reading it he
put It back In it's envelope without re-
mark. but Henderson. VINO was with
him at the time. noticed that he had
received some unwelcome news. The
landlord. however, was not q man to
pry into other peoples affairs and made
no mention of the matter to the doctor.
It was not long after this that a
summons came in the middle Of the
night for DR.. Atwater to attend an in
valid. He went on his erIand and did
not return. When q week elapsed and
nothing wal seen or heard Of him
people began to talk about the case
Curiosity was the chief incentive to
debate the matter. and ali ~speculated
upon q reason for the mysterious dis
appearance. No possible clsw to the
cause Of his going away was sug-
eosted until Bill Evans told Of the re-
marx he had overheard when he had
suddenly entered the tavern and
hhund Henderson and AtWater to