The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1921-05-12

one any greater scrutiny than usual,
but it so happened as he was about
to pass behind him and go on his
way, the Mexican took a large silver
watch out of his pocket, which at a
glance Billy recognized as the time
piece that nee had belonged to his
brother John.
Murderer Hanged
True son of the great west that he
was, Billy believed in doing every
thing in legal form, SO after sizing up
his man so that he would know him
anywhere again should he run across
him, he went for the sheriff, told his
story and had the greaser arrested.
Then bit by bit Billy chased down all
the evidence and wove around the
prisoner as complete a case of cir
cumstantial evidence as could pos
sibly be made. The trial came on
and the Mexican was convicted and
sentenced to death. All the possible
laws delays were invoked in behalf
of the prisoner, but Billy stayed on
and helped to fight every step, being
determined to witness the last scene
of the act. Finally the day of execu-
ton broke, and Billy asked permits
sion of the sheriff to spring the trap.
This privilege was denied, but the
last words the condemned man ever
heard on this earth were the ones
spoken in his ear after the black cap
had been placed upon the condemn
ed murderer's head, and those words,
it is generally believed, were not
ones of spiritual consolation.
mkt l..4-x - - I-@4I -
performed Billy returned to Montana.
He never got over the loss of his
brother and the manne of his death.
He was a man who during Johns
life had made few intimates, being
satisfied for the most part with his
brothers companionship. He was a
mar of the wide spaces and he liked
to be alone. He loved nature and all
animals and was infinitely kind to
dumb creatures, whom he seemed to
love and understand, as many of
them did him.
Liked Wide Places
The restlessness to be going and
out in the mountains, always had him
in it's grasp, and he was continuously
traversing the trails that led across
the country from New Mexico and
Arizona to Montana. He had a few
very warm and close friends and
among these old acquaintance was
Alex j. Johnston, the well known
Butte banker. About five years ago
Johnston, not having heard from vi
pond, asked a Butte paper to make
inquiry for him. A week or two
later he came into Butte with three
burros and a dog that had accom-
panied him all the way from Arizona.
Billy, as usual, did not like staying
in town and Johnston suggested to
him that he take up his temporary
residence in Bear gulch, where the
banker had a most comfortable cabin
of several rooms. There Billy went,
always saying he was going to start
out on another prospecting trip the
next spring or fall. Instead of this,
he kept postponing his departure I'M
til last fall he n~oticeably began to
fail and as the winter approached and
passed he grew weaker and weaker,
lungs apparently being affected.
He would not go to a Butte hospital,
and he ever would not move to Twin
Bridges, where he might have re-
CtlfCd bCttSl CdlO. II Wd6 Ouly uuI-l
ing the last three or four weeks
he could be prevailed upon to
let anyone stay with him to look after
him.
A Last Visit
Last week Johnston went to Bear
gulch and spent the day with him,
and he found the old timer very weak
but displaying the same grim courage
and determination to fight it out. A
doctor from Twin Bridges had been
the old frontlersman nearly
every day. but could do little or moth
ing for him, for it was simply a case
of the human machine running down.
Some time during the night the grim