, 1921-08-25
Kid Carr; Marshal
of Caldwell
BY VIM. L.
(@. 1921, Western Newspaper Union.)

We'll, huuSuS, near the line OF the III
dian territory, IA one of the warm
est 'cow-towns" out of doors. To be-
come city marshal of Caldwell was "a
distinguished IL precarious honor
that early after attainment bloomed
Into IL more or less imposing funeral.
Bill Lee was the foreman of a cat
tie ranch contiguous to the booze
business and other allied industries
II interests of Caldwell. Its brand
was "Bar-O."
In the days of his childhood and
adolescence Willie Lee had been an
exemplary pupil of u red schoolhouse
in Missouri and member of the ad-
vanced Bible class in the Methodist
Sunday school In the village adjacent
TO his ather's small farm. The farm,
aside from two brothers and a pretty
little sister of Willie, was not copious-
ly productive. Willie's elder broth
ers, james and George, had learned
the black art Of printing In the office
of the newspaper of the village.
The time came, some years before
the main Incidents of his true
chronicle had occurred, when james
and George took u Washington hand
press, some fonts of type and other
implements, adjuncts and accessories,
pertaining to the art preventative, and
also took the Santa Fe trail to a new
town in western Kansas where they
established a county paper.
James and George brought out their
promising younger brother william,
with a xIa,,. - ,,,Itn- ILL.,. A. al~.-fty
Of their printing office.
However, William shortly fell into
the company of cowpunchers that rode
hard, n high hand, in the vicinity,
and as far away as the Pan Handle
of Texas and the Staked plains of
New Mexico. Counseled and catoled
by these roughriders and influenced
by his own disposition to be some 9TH
er sort of a devil than that of a print
shop, Billy Joined the bunch.
Suffice 1t that Bill and his bunch
had contracted a habit of riding into
cow-towns that they met up with, and
shooting them up with much vigor and
lubilant abandon. Caldwell, Kansas,
being nearest to the ranch, "Bar-O,"
where this Lee bunch had, in a man
aer, become domesticated, was at the
chief dates of this history, the object
Of its most frequent and hilarious at
tention. When Lee and his laddies
took possession of the town their own
ership was certainly absolute and I'M
disputed, even to the extent that the
onice of city marshal there had come
10 be a negligible and unsought dis
tinctfon.
Nevertheless, one balmy day during
his peculiar regime, a young man,
with many of the indications of a ten
d~erfoot, dropped into the office Of the
mayor Of Caldwell.
The mayors visitor was a slight
built person of apparently about TWEEN
ty-fve halcyon summers. He was con-
s~picuously well-dressed for the time
and region; his bearing was civil his
manner urbane; his language indlca-
tive OF good-breeding.
Sam Bascom, the mayor, received
his caller In the g~ood-natured way OF
the West. The visitor said that he
had learned that Caldwell was bereft
OF 4 city marshal n that he had
ND'hN nBP' Aot iHt pihct.
The mayor emitted a short whistle of
establishment N he said: do you
know, young man, what 1t means to
be marshal of Caldwell?"
Eyes. sir, l understand tha 1t means
the meeting, at times, of n rude lot OF
nomadic visitors"
ut comes mighty nigh being the
death warrant OF the man thai takes
the ointment of town marshal here"
81 am willing to take the chances"
The mayor again let loose that quick
whistle and calculated: well, I'll
be-say. young Teller, take II day or
so to think about It. then come an
see me.
o course l win do as you say.
Obedience to orders being IA primal
duty" the applicant r~eturned-and
he also returned in the morning of the
mex day.
Thought II over somei" the mayor
inquired.
well,' the young man firmly responded.
you are IT,"
Thank you"
I'm n plumb believer In helping
young folks along" the mayor added.
but dlnged II I like to help a good
looking Teller on the bone-yard trail.
Hows'ever. here's the star of yo' Of
fee andy the way-whnt's yo'
namef"
As the young man took the silver
star. he said "My name Is Carr"
"All right, kid. Lemme pin Il ON.
II you wear II n week, you1l
break the record. I'm hoping for you
u whole lot his honor said.
Electrically, II seemed. the fact that
Caldwell had n new and fresh mar
shnl, rnmlfied the town. md that his
name was Carr and that he wns little
more than n kid. Thus he quickly and
/ naturally haeoma Euntvu ma nEldff