The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1922-10-12
Romantic Life Of Out : :
i ]: law; Once Of Blaclfoot


some moments. Getting his breatl
finally, he hiked out to town I,
spread the alarm that sometime
was going wrong.
I. In the meantime the two coloret
murderers had gone down to TIL,
Indian camps which were abou
where o. Buchanan lives now, ant
Woods, armed with gun, hid in thu
sage brush while Williams got thu
Indian disguise as stated in Arney'l
article.
!; Sheriff Taylor was a Kentuckian
and a horse man and had some very
f1ne steeds, and the prisoners got
some Of them to ride away on. While
they were mounting, some gentle
man whose name the writer has for
gotten, came walking by looking
casually at the men and horses, and
he heard one of them say, ''If that
----says anything we will just
plug him." and on hearing that re-
mark he decided that something was
up and that it was up to him not to
speak, and he walked on in silence
and escaped the bullet that was
waiting for him.
After the sheriff's posse had
started in pursuit, George Robethan
and others began looking for tracks
and traced the two colored men
down thru the sage and sand dunes
OF what is now Shilling avenue, and
when Robethan was by himself and
picking his way among some prickly
pears, glanced ahead again and
looked right at the face Of a colored
man and gun trained on him, the
man lying fiat on the ground by
sage bush. He said afterwards that
1t knocked the wind out of him just
about as completely as did the fall
out of the window an hour before.
and he simply wilted and skunk back
to a place Of safety and couldn't
help it. The other negro, Williams,
escaped as stated above, and was
brought back and hanged on July
20. A long search was made for
Woods and finally was employed as
a cooks helper in a hotel at Billings,
Mont. Robert Hayes was sent up to
bring him back, the hotel manager
keeping him employed and happy
while secretly communicating with
Sheriff Taylor and waiting for the
officer to arrive. When Hayes
walked in on him in the kitchen he
had been at liberty about three
months, and as he sat pealing pota-
toes, he beheld Hayes standing in,
front Of him, and with marked ex-
element. he exclaimed, What sab!
Youall follow me away up heah!"
Hayes took him in charge, and as
the journey proceeded his excite
ment died down and melancholy
took Its place, until, as they APP
preached Blackfoot, he showed in
tense mental suffering. He was
hanged one fine day in October, and
according to information given out
at the time, his body was placed on
hand car and taken out north of
town and buried in the sage plain
not far from the railroad, track, and
the party never gave out any in
formation as to the location.
When the county commissioners
convened in October they were
asked to pay bill for two extra
guards employed by the sheriff to
watch this bad bunch in the jail. The
guards were w. j. Dineen and F. w.
High, and their bills were s270
each. Hayes had bills for boarding
the prisoners, $1337.50, and Taylor
had a bill for $2S.25 for shackles,
and there were bills for rewards for
information and capture of Traitor,
and Nickerson, amounting
20 $299.6O, all of which the board
paid excepting the bills for the two
extra guards. George Rogers and
i. M. Bennett, commissioners, voted
% d1sallow the bill and William
voted to pay them.
Mr.. Taylor said he believed he
vas justified in employing the
guards, and said that if the board
persisted in their refusal to pay, it
you'd result in suit to compel pay !,
nent. The board answered that
hreat by employing H. w. Smith to s.
lelp the states attorney fight the
ase. The suit was brought, iudg-
aent obtained and the board had to !,
ay the bills, and H. w. Smith
harged them 5000 for his service
ghting a losing case.
Sheriff Taylor and Deputy HAYES
'ere considerably chagrinned at {
avlng Trafton and Nickerson steal
nelr hne steeds to ride away on,
nd they were ambitious to have
nem prosecuted on the charge of
teailng those particular horses, so >.
! the November term of ocurt, that :!
harge was fled and Trafton was =
onvicted and Nickerson was ac-
uitted. But there was evidence to ;.
now that Nickerson had stolen :
omething else, gun we think, and y
g could be convicted of petty !,
arceny, and this was done and I
udge Hayes sentenced him to six :
lonths in the Blackfoot Jail. When =
ra1t0n came up for sentence.
Judge Hayes made the remark al
eady quoted by Mr.. Arney and then
ave him the limit of the law. b
The jury that tried Trafton and d
ickerson were William Winchell. t,
/. T. Woodall, Peter Haze, f. p a
1omack, Thomas Scott, James Hull. a
lillian Morgan, G. B. Hawley. al. D
srt G. Worden, John Prichett. E
lmes Murphey and W. J. Hardy. t
Z. II. Dye OF Rexburg and w. H. s.
anilson Jr., Of Blackfoot were the
Iiliffs In charge Of the jury. Harvey f
sher Of Blackfoot was the court v
Iiliff during the trial. "
The witnesses BALLAD m foet;fp h