The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1917-05-26

4 has not even hailed any Of those VINO
| have assaulted him into court. When
the word reached him, Johnson sad
| died his horse and rode into Barley
vile, and, in his own words, Il made
a little play" at Lewis stable.
He wouldn't come out says John
| son. He wasn't just ready to come
| out and have the shooting match in
! the street. ! saw that | had taken
/ the sand out of him, and rode away"
! At last the day Of statehood for
I Oklahoma and the Territory dawned,
/ and Johnson, who was now made chief
| special officer over all the Indian res
ervations in the country, had no long
! er power in Indian Territory. He had
no authority to arrest Lewis. How
4 ever he got two of his men to swear
in deputies and go down to the saloon
/ that Lewis had Immediately opened,
| and smash it. Oklahoma was now
| prohibition state, under the terms Of
| her admission to the Union. One of
! Johnson's deputies was Keller, who
had helped him to raid the Monte
Carlo; the other was George Williams.
! The intention was to carry out sur
! prise attack and make mincemcat OF
| the furnishings and smash the bot
! ties that contained the stock in
| trade.
The officers duly arrived outside the
saloon, which was running in full
blast. Lewis, however, had got wind
of their approach, and was ready for
them AS they entered Lewis pulled
a revolver and fired. The bullet
pierced Williams through the heart,
| and he fell dead across the threshold.
Before he could fire a second time.
Fred Keller had drawn his weapon
and shot Lewis dead.
Three men had now died as the re-
suit OF Johnson's raid on No Mans
Lands Monte Carlo. More deaths
were to follow, though not in this i'm
mediate connection.
Johnson's activities in the terri
tory, and his increased powers, which
| took him into practically every state
west Of the Mississippi, had thorough
ly alarmed the bootleggers all over
the country. They felt that. until he
was out Of the way, their traffic
would be improbable and their lives
in jeopardy. Traps were carefully
laid, and gangs sought to ambush
| Johnson and his deputies.
One Of the most jealous of these
! was Harry Sanders, who lived near
Mckay, and had been specially
marked down by the bootleggers on
account of the zeal with which he had
helped Johnson in his work. Johnson
learned that the rufians were on
Sanders track, and specially warned
him not to show himself outside his
door, unless accompanied by others
Of the deputies But Sanders, know
ing that the gangs were too cowardly
to attack in daylight, laughed at the
warning
"All the same, mind they don't trick
| you," Johnson warned him.
A week or two went by. and Sand
ers begn to think that the bootleg
gers had decided to let him alone, for
! he was handy man with a gun, as
they all knew. One night, just as he
was about to go to bed. there was
knock at the door. With his revolver
in his hand, Sanders went to the
door, and, before opening, asked who
/ the visitors were, and what they want
ed. The reply came in voice which
sounded like that of a woman, and
| hn
as that of a neighbor. He cautiously
| opened the door and peered round,
having his gun ready. as he was still
suspicious. He got a glimpse OF
three men, but the outlaws were too
quick for him, and before he could
fire be fell with bullet through his
head. The ruffians at once made Off,
! and it was not until some hours later
that Sanders was discovered, upon
the verge Of death. Although shot
right through the side Of the head, he
made a miraculous recovery, and
lived to bring many more bootleggers
to justice, but he was never able to
discover the identity of the man who
shot him.
The shooting OF Sanders was the
beginning Of a whole series Of muir
derous exploits, in the course OF which
eight or nine of Jchnson's men were
either killed or badly injured. That
he himself escaped with his life was
contrary to his expectations, for,
brave as his men were, and animated
by a spirit of reckless loyalty to him,
Johnson went single-handed into dan
ger with the odds appallingly against
him, as will be instanced later IN the
case Of the murderer Harris, whom he
took single-handed out Of a camp OF
outlaws. He led his men in a re-
morseless chase. Stills and saloons
were raided, and bootleggers arrested.
Revolver battles we're constant. Prob
ably a score Of outlaws were killed
by Johnsons deputies before he had
finally cleaned the region.
After the death Of Lewis and VIII
liams in the saloon duel, one Of john
sons most trusted aids was Robert
L. Bowman, who was indefatigable in
hunting down bootleggers. He &C.
| Ton-oar most Nf hta