Bridgeton pioneer., 1917-03-01
A SHERIFF'S
STORY
The Only Life He Took
That Troubled Hira.
BY WILLARD BLAKEMAN

ed more desperadoes alive and dead
than any other sheriff. but it must be
admitted that by far the larger num-
ber were dead when captured. Sor very
few of them could be taken alive. Be-
sides, Rodman didn't take any chances.
for an officer of the law was no more
immune from these people than an.
one else. | once asked him If he had
any shrinking at killing one of them
or any qualms afterward. He replied
that if he had been built that way they
would have landed him instead of his
landing them.
"But there was one killin'," he said,
'that has troubled me ever since. I
wake up nights some time and get to
thinkin' about it and always feel tho
same sinkin' about the heart. It was
this way:
Before l was made sheriff I was
workin' on a ranch owned by a gen.
tleman as had come out from the east.
He had been banker or somep'n like
that, but had given up the business to
bring his daughter, little gal about
nineteen, who was threatened with
consumption. out here, hopin' the air
would do her good. Havin' plenty Of
money. the natural thing fer him ii
do was to buy ranch and stock it
But he didn't care nothin' about that.
except to give him somep'n to do. He
was bound up in his daughter Susie,
just as everybody else was. Talk about
heart winners, Susie could slaughter
more people that way than any one
ever seen. There wasn't any one on
the ranch or off'n it that wouldn't
swaller dose O. lead fer her.
81 never could tell jist what it was
about her that had this effec', but
allowed the principal part Of it was
that her heart went out to every
body. When they was hankerin' to
do sumpin fer her she was worryin'
because they was putin themselves
out'n their way on her account. Be
sides. delicate people allus attract
strong ones. Susie was so frail she
looked as if the fust good wind that
blew would carry her away. But be-
sides all this thur was somep'n win
min about her that no one could reck-
on on.
81 got ahead of every cHe else with
her this way: owned blooded mare
that was as easy managed as kitten
and could git along like the wind.
Nothin' Susie liked better'n to ride on
horseback. hut she wouldn't ride any
other horse than my Kate. I used to
go with her lots O times. fer her fa-
ther woulda't let her go alone and
didn't like 70 have her go under the
care O. any one else. l was only about
ten years cider than Susie and un-
married: bur. laws. I'd as soon cal
culated on maxim love to some gal as
come down from heaven! But this
didn't mattel. nohow, fer there was a
young gent us he'd left college to go
to ranchin' that Susie had met and
tumbled to. In our rides together she
got confidential with me and tole me
all about 1t; tOle me when the feller
hisself didn't know nothin' at all about
1t. In fac l was the only pusson as
knowed it except the little gal herself.
This young mans. Dick Walcott's.
ranch was Il matter O fifty miles from
ourn. which was known as the Court
ney ranch from Susie's father. who
owned it. But Walcott used to come
over quite frequent. maxim excuses
all the time. to see Susie. Gosh. how
the young feller was wrapt up in her!
He would any time have crawled on
the ground Eefore her. She tole me
she didn't let on she cared any more
fer him than any one else. because she
wasn't strong and healthy and wasn't
willin' to pull any man down by mar
ryin' him. .Iist think O this angel
confidin' this to a rough feller like me
when nobody else knowed it!
There was one O. the herders in Mr..
Courtney's employ that was bad egg.
Walcott. didn't know the reason at
first. l jist reckoued that Walcott had
treated him like the galoot he was.
This herder. Jim Stiggs. was not only
a powerful man. but was one O. the
quickest and straightest shots l ever
seen. | allus allowed that if l had
dispute with him l wouldn't do much
sleepin'. but would keep my right eye
on him continually till the fracas was
settled. l was sorry he'd turned agin
Walcott. for Walcott was no match
fer him whatever-more of feller to
handle books than revolvers. Mind
you. wasn't thinkin' Of Walcott.
was fearful for Susie. knowin' mighty
we'll that If anything happened to him
1t would knock her into smithereens.
"Well, one day the secret Of Stiggs'
dislike came out with a vengeance.
Susie came to me all Of a-futter and
a-wringin' Of her hands and said:
"'Jim Stiggs has left here to go to
the Walcott ranch to kill Dick. Stiggs
has made love to me-
"eWhati That galoot made love IA