The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-09-13

ter. maintained his little tir .
on the Cimarron. Maxwell S.s /
daughter Of whom he was = ~.
that he would not let an.,ns ~.
her. He used to meet an s.,s.
with a gun. But a young ~
captain made love to Virginia ~
well through the window ~ II.
bedroom on moonless nights =
ally she passed down her tn.s' |
brush and a few other thinrs -
climbed out after them and ~. ~
eloped. They hunted up this
and only preacher and wished ~
him the hazardous job Of marrr,ss
them. He performed the ceremass
In the mill at dead Of night ~
speeded the couple to rort i,nt.-
where the old man couldnt ~ !.
them. He therefore went after -
preacher with a rife and a bur,t y
language not really fit for cleric, !
ears. But the preacher stood n.
ground and told the irate MaxvsH
where to 60 as well as a pre.ch.s
could tell him. What became -
this preacher is not known IN.
Maxwell did not have the nerve !"
shoot him.
The Murdered Miaistw
One OF his successors who cana
to Clmarron after Maxwell had len
was not so fortunate. The srss.
Maxwell land grants had then ~ ,
sold to a syndicate of British al.
talists and there were stormy tins.
In Cimarron. A number Of souss.
tiers and miners had taken =.
claims on land which the Enali,s
company claimed, and a regular IN.
tie war was started by the effort "A
put of these alleged trespass.r,
Four men who were hostile to ths
grant company were mysteriou,Iy
killed. This preacher, whom ~
will call Smith, had more nerys
than judgment. He loudly and
publicly asserted that he would 0nd
out VINO was guilty OF the crimes
and would have the murderers In.
dicted. A couple of days later his
body was found in the canyon with
bullet hole in the back.
He did not, however, die in vain.
for he had been a well-liked man
and a mob of 1000 formed to
avenge him. They lynched . Mexi.
can who was said to have been
paid to do the job, and they were
about to lynch an attorney for the
English company when the United
States troops interfered. That 1T.
torney still lives near here, 4 man
Of IS, and he can tell you a hair.
raising story of how II feels to
have a rope around your neck and
over the limb of tree.
A Fighting Divine.
Still later in this same struggle
between the grant company and the
squatters another Methods. preach.
er player a striking part. He or.
ganized the squatters into an army
and whenever proceedings wen
started to dispossess one OF then
he would ride to the scene at thu
head of 800 armed men and bloch
the course of the law. This mill
tant man of God had an able lien.
tenant in the person OF the Local
newspaper editor.
Well never get any results hen
until we've killed IL or II msn
JONES'" the preacher told the ed
tor one day. The latter immel'
lately produced his lead pencil and
| q piece of paper.
"All right, DOCTOR" he said. WIN
shall we kill?"
This same preacher went u
Washington to get justice for tn'
squatters, but at first no one tnef'
would pay any attention to him. II
relieve his obscurity he climbed u
the top of the capitol steps AM
emptied his six-shooter INTO the al
thus bringing the senators an
congressman to him in a crowd.
They haven't had a real GOO
shooting in Cimarron for a ION!
time now. Occasionally man s'ii
appears in the. streets with sul
tied to his leg, but this IS locau'
frowned upon as bad form.
Rev. Traveller tells you Q
those exciting old days in a SOFT :
wistful way. He wishes mat =
had been here IN the times OF I'd
open range. His opinion OF MS pr
decessors seems to be that tne
! were not really equal to the )oo
being a frontier preacher.
"They better not try any OF ths
| rough stuff with me" he ooserve
with a genial smile. III Silva
'em up with the .hirty-t1irty.