French Broad hustler and Western Carolina Democrat. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1915-1916, 1916-02-24
TRIAL OF Man
KILLED BOWEN
INTERESTING ACCOUNT OF THE
LIFE AND CHARACTER OF THE
DESPERATE MELDRUM.
SON OF LOCAL MAN
Case win be Watched With Interest
by Relatives and Friends in
Henderson County.

Henderson County.
i An interesting account of the life
and character of Robert w. MeIdrum
who is alleged to have shot and killed
John Bowen, the twenty eight year old
son of J. N. Bowen OF this city, ap-l
peared in the Durango, Col. Demo-
erat and is produced below. The trial
of Meldrum, upon the charge of muir
der in the first degree, is now in pro-
gress and will be watched witt inter
est by the many friends OF the deceas-
ed who was raised in this county and
went West ,yhen he WAS about q
years old. The Hustler carried ansac-
count of the death Of young Bowen
several years ago.
The following is what the Durango
Democrat has to say:
DR.. E. G. Condit of Silverton, Well
known throughout the San Juan Basin
arrived in Durango last night, on the
work train, after s1oWshoelng down
the Animas canon to Nile Post Al,
below Cascade Greek.
Dr. Condit will leave this morning
fer Denver, and thence will go to Raw.
| lins. Wyo.. where he will attend the
trial of Robert w. Meldrum, Familiarity
/ known throughout the western coun-
try as Bob" Meldrum.
| Meldrum faces a charge Of first de-
gree murder for having shot and kill
ec Chick" Bowen, a coWpuncher, on
the streets Of Baggs, Wyoa in Carbon
county in January II, 1913.
tMeldrum has for many years been
one of the most notorious "gunmen'
/ in the wst He has been employed
| by mine operators and cattlenen IN.
several states.
He is recognized as brutal cruel
and nlerciless. He is said to have kill
i ed a number of men, and has shot a
gr eatkmany others Although he is a
''bad man. when he is packing a coI-
pie of big guns, he is a contemplate
physical coward and is afraid to tight
with his fists. When he was in Tellu-
ride. he staggered around the camp
| bullying the miners and citizens. But
one day, out at tht fair grounds 3
re- cehorse man stood Meldrum up in
a big crowd, dared him to "even start
tc pull gum" and then gave him
vallop on the jaw that knocked him
81 feet While Meldrum lay on the
ground, the racing man kicked him
around, and Meldrum took it like a
deg,
But it is the professional, hired
''killer" that Meldrum shines. When
hacked by mine operators or cattle
men,, with accurance of protection"
from weak or crooked district attoT-
neys, Meldrum is tyer ready to shoot
men without seconds warning.
However, it is matter of record
that when it comes to dealing with
men recognized as deal Shots" Me-
drum has always skunk away in the
back ground Meldrum always snoets
where he knows he can, get away
with it." He never took a sporting
chance in his life.
Everyone in southwestern Colorado
is hoping that Bob Me1drum will be
hanged. 1t is general public opinion
that he should have been swung at
the end of rope 80 years ago.
Meldrum was for years a 'spaP' Of
Tom Horn, the dirty coward who muir
dered poor little 10-year old Willie
Nickel for price paid by the cattle
barons of Wyoming, when Senator
Warren and his political--railroading
ring ruled that state with an iron
hand.
And Meldrum is of the same stripe,
Tom Horn "got his" in the moose in
Cheyenne in 1908, after Joe LaFors
] trfcked him into narration of his
countelss dastardly crimes, in the
hope that by showing that he was a
genuine bad man. he could get job
bof killing off, homeSteaders in Mon
tana..
"Bob" Meldrum came originally as
a killer" from the Snake River eoun
try in Wyoming, where he acted as a
ttcattle detective" He was body
guard" for Bulkley Wells in Telluride,
and was one of the sweet-scented fig
ures imported by the operators in the
Il Telluride strike about eight years ago.
4 It was at that time that the racing
man knocked him down and kicked
him all over the fair grounds.
/ After Telluride got too hot for him,
j he beat it back to his old stamping
grounds in the Snake River country
II Wyoming, where he again acted as
! a ..cattle detective"
On account of an outbreak of horse
thieves in southern Wyoming, Mel
drum was brought in and located at
Baggs the center of the cow-countrJ,
where he was given the double JOB
i of deputy sheriff and town marshall,
drawing 500 from the county and $50
firm the town.
! The coming of such a notorious
te4kilIer', as Meldrum put the horse
thieves on the run. Medium got
\