Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1916-08-23

hind this border pillage: a master ca
pable of handling those terrors Poggir
II knell. OF all the thousands ol
outlaws developed by western Texas
IN the last 20 Years. these three are
the greatest. In southern Texas, dowr
between the Pecos and the Neuces
there have been and are Still many baG
men. But doubt il any outlaw there
possibly exceptins Suck Duane. eve,
eQualed Posgin. You've heard of this
Duaner"
Yes. a little" replied Duane quietly
I'm from southern Texas. Buck Duane
then. is known out here?
Why. man. where isn't his name
knowns"" replied Colonel Webb. I've
kept track OF his record as L have all
the others. OF course. Duane. being a
lone outlaw. is somewhat of a mystery
also. but not like Cheseldine. Out here
there have drifled many stories of
Duane, horrible some of them. But
despite them u sort If ramance clings
TO that NeuceS outlaw. Hes killed
three great outlaw leaders. l believe
Bland. Hardin and the other / forgot.
Hardin was known in the Big Bend.
had friends there. Bland had a hard
name at Del Rio"
Then this man Duane enjoys rather
an unusual repute west of the Pecos -
inquired Duane.
He's considered more of an enemy
to his kind than TO honest men. | under
stand Duane had many friends, that
whole counties swear by him-secretly,
OF course. for he's a hunted outlaw with
rewards on his head. His fame in this
country appears to hang on his match
less gun play and his enmity toward
outlaw chiefs. I've heard many a
rancher say I wish to God that Buck
Duane would drift out here. Id give
llD naSnS 70 soc him, on1 pNcri,, 40 '
Its a singular thing, stranger, how
1ealouS these great outlaws are OF each
other
Yes. indeed, all about them is singu-
lar" replied Duane. Has Cheseldine's
gang been busy lately"
NO. This section has been free OF
rustling for months. though there's un-
explained movements OF stock. Proba-
bly, all the stock that's being shipped
now was rustled long 60. Cheseldine
works over a wide section, too wide for
news to travel inside of weeks. Then
sometimes he's not heard of al all for
a spell. These lulls are pretty surely in
dlcative of a big storm sooner or later.
And Cheseldine's deals, as they grow
fewer n father between, certainly get
bigger, more daring. There are some
people who think Cheseldine had MOTH
ing to do with the bank-robberies and
train holdups during the last few years
In this country. But that's poor reason
ing. The jobs have been too we'll done,
too surely covered, to be the work of
greasers or ordinary outlaws"
What's your view of the outlook ?
How's all this going to wind up? Will
the outlaw ever be driven out?" asked
Duane.
Never. There will always be out
laws along the Rio Grande. All he
armies in the world couldn't comb the
Wild brakes OF that 1900 miles Of river.
But the sway of the outlaw. such as is
enjoyed by these great leaders. will
sooner or later be past. The criminal
element flock to the southwest. But not
SO thick and fast as the pioneers. Be-
sides, the outlaws kill themselves, and
the ranchers are slowly rising in wrath,
II not in action. That will come soon.
II they only had a leader to start the
fight. But that will come. There's talk
of v~igilantes. the same that were or
ganlzed in California and are now in
force in Idaho. So far it's only talk.
But the time will come. And the days
of Cheseldine and Poggin are num-
bered."
Duane went to bed that night ex-
ceedingly thoughtful. The long trail
was growing hot. This voluble colonel
had given him new ideas. 1t came to
Duane in surprise that he was famous
along the upper Rio Grande. Assured
~ he would not long be able to conceal
his identity. He had no doubt that he
would soon meet the chiefs of this
clever and bold rustling gang. He
could not decide whether he would be
safer unknown or known. In the latter
case his one chance lay in the fatality
connected with his name, in his power
to look it and act it. Duane had never
dreamed of any sleuthhound tendency
In his nature, but now he felt
thing like one. Above all others his
mind fixed on Poggin = Poggin the
brute, the executor of Cheseldine's will.
but mostly upon Poggin the gunman.
Ihls IN itself was a warning to Duane.
He felt terrible forces at work within
him. There was the stern and in.
domitable resolve to make MacNelly's
boast good to the governor OF the state
to break up Chesaldine's gang Yet
this was not in Duane's mind before a
grim and deadly instinct which he
had to drive away for fear he would
find in 1t a passion to kill Poggin, not
for the state, nor for his word to Mac
Nelly. but for himself. Had his fathers
blood and the hard years made Duane
the ! OF man who in%stinctively
wanted to meet Poggin? He was sworn
to MacNelly's service. and he fought
himself to keep that, and that only, in
his mind.
DUANE ascertained that Fairdal was
situated two days. ride from Bradford
toward the north. There was a stage
which made the journey twice a week.
Next morning Duane his
horse and headed for Fairdale. He rode
~leasurely, as he wanted to learn all he
could about the country. There were
Few ranches. The farther he travelled
the better grazing he encountered, and.
strange to note, the fewer herds Of
cattle.
1t was just sunset when he made out
a cluster of adobe houses that marked
the halfway point between Bradford
and Fairdale. Here, Duane had learned.
was stationed q comfortable inn for