The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1918-01-25
IN THE DAYS OF THE
WILD AND WOOLLY.

In the issue of January 10 the We
natchee World contains a long sketch
OF the late Dave Correll, written by
n n. Brown. Dave was a rough and
ready product of the days that were
wild and woolly in the west, and yet
had virtues besides courage that ap-
pealed to those who knew him best.
In the body of the article mentioned
appears the following extract, where
the writer expresses thankfulness,
probably tinctured by surprise in his
own mind, that Carroll failed to pass
out with his boots on:
How different the fate of Hank
Vaughn and Charlie Long, known as
the worst gun men in Oregon and
Washington, each having killed sew
eral men and in 1883 at Prineville,
Oregon, they got into trouble between
themselves and each agreed to take
the end of a silk handkerchief in the
left hand, six shooter in the right
and open fire on each other. They did
it, and strange to say, each lived
through the affair, though piecrced
full of lead. Vaughn was killed in
stantly, by bucking horse in Pendle-
ton, Oregon, while Long was killed by
George F. Smith near Conconully in
1898, in a gun fight on Smiths home
stead that Long is a bluff way was
trying to make Smith abandon"
There is hardly an old timer in the
northwest who is not familiar with
the tragic meeting of Vaughn and
Long at Prinevile, in which the men
stood at the end of a silk handkerA
chief pumping lead into each other,
to the horror of numerous witnesses,
who dared not interfere. 1t was a dis
play of nerve never surpassed in the
widest days of the widest period of
the west. The story has been repeated
so often that it is not necessary to re-
tell the gruesome border encounter,
but it may be interesting to many at
the present day, when the pistol has
disappeared as necessary part Of
every mans daily personal adornment,
and law prevails where once every
man was law unto himself, to give
the particulars of the dramatic ending
of one of the participants in that re-
markable duel, mentioned in the ex-
tract published above, and somewhat
inaccurate as to time and place.
Charlie Long was cousin of A. S.
Long, better known as Jack Long, an
old time cattle man of LOomis, and
Charlie came up into Okanogan in
1891 or 1892 to locate, and here he
met the violent death that usually
falls to the lot of men given to quick
action with weapons By rare chance
we have an old, faded, frayed copy Of
the "Loomis Journal" published by
A. H. Sroufe, which had an existence.
we believe, of less than year, and in
that copy is the following account of
the death of Charlie Long. 1t may be
added that Geo. H. Smith, who did the
killing and escaped punishment on
the claim of self defense, some years
ago Joined the silent majority:
Charlie Long was shot, beaten and
killed by Geo. Smith, at the Kelly.
or Kinchelo cabin, (the cabin is still
standing, by-the-wayD near the north
end of Palmer lake, about o'clok on
the evening of January 2, 1894. The
first news of the killing was brought
up the valley by Smith himself, who
informed his father, at Phillips rancn,
about the deed, and the two came on to
Loomis and told Lou BurrelI about the
affair.
"The only direct evidence about the
details of the killing before the jury
was given by Lou Burrell, who simply
told Smiths story as Smith told it to
him, although Messrs. Whistler, Ball
ou, and Kinslow told of how they went
to the place of the fight and found the
body the next morning. AS they went
together their testimony was much
the same as to the appearance of the
body and the condition of the prem
ises. They said they found where the
of the house near a sleigh, then few
feet further at an angle and left near
wood pile, with a bloody ak lying
near. They testified that Charlie Long S
revolver was at his cousin Jack Long s
house, and it was seen there the next
day after the killing That Long went
to where Smith was living unarmed as
far as their knowledge went. That they
knew of no reason why Long should
have gone to see Smith.
Lou Burrell testified that on the
night of the killing Smith and his
father came to his home in Loomiston /;
that young George said that he had
killed Charlie Long. Burrell told the
story of the killing as Smith told it to
him. Smith said he was in the house
alone, heard the dog bark, looked out
and saw Charlie Long coming to the
house. Asked him to come in: asked
him to sit down. Long refused, and
ly. Smith said they were up to Phillip
ranch. Long then said: 4 came to kill
you.' Smith said: You have, have you
and fired at Long. His revolver went
off twice, and the chambers stuck and
would not work. He said Long fired
one shot, but didn't know where the
bullet went, but did not hit him. He
took the pistol he said was Longs to
Conconully. After he found he could
not shoot any more he clinched with
Long and got out of doors, he all the
time striking and fighting Long. Knew
one shot took effect in Long as hid
thumb went into the hole when they
clinched. After getting out of doors
Long said: Let me go home, or 4
want to go home,' and then fell down
He was afraid that Long would rally
and shoot him, and he got an ak Ga
double bit) and hit him ON the head
with it. He saw that Long was dead
and went out to the pasture for a