Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1922-05-08
SENSATIONALISM.

The yellow press has been devoting much front
mage space the past few days to the Killing Oh buu
Balew by the chief of police at Ardmore' oKia'
,,robabIv not dozen readers of any of these PERI
odicals ever heard of Bud Ballew until an interest
was manufactured by carrying the storles
Are these editors right in their theory that tnele
ia a public demand for stories about bad men
who "burn down" people with their sx guns?' FER
hans II such an appetite exists it is abnormal
The great elaboration of such incidents certainly Is
unwholesome in its effect upon young boys
II occurs 10 us that an exceedingly enterprisAnS
newspaper man who is paid by the men, iounu
snhtect which, sufficiently colored, would sell llsc'
to the gullible sensation mongers among he"spa-
pers.
we are all more or less primitive we ADMIRE
nersonal courage, steady eye, cool ana quicN
aeosion and an ntantaneous will to execute mat
decision stories portraying such traits have nat
,ral and basic appeal But they must be aceoHi-
named by sense of justice. IL Their posseSSor is
cold cruel heartless, arrogant and unjust ana we
despise him for the bully which he Is
Bud Ballew nobody He was survival VI
an earlier day in Indian territory Wheh ou-,','
rsiened until some quiet man "called" them. ba'-
80 cou,d draw gun with some speed and shoot
i+h some accuracy. Time upon the frohtle'
,yben this accompaniment may have been oesi'a-
Bile although it never possessed the merit a''iip'
ted TO It. Plenty Of men have outliVeo ballew WIZ
o,ar sven .toted" gun in those strenuous lndlau
rerr;torv DAYS Attending to ones own business
and facing trouble calmly and firmly If 1t came was
the better defense -.
Ballew was not courageous. He was crlnsihs
coward Caught without his six gum where lie
r,ust fare an average unarmed man with no weap-
nm hut his hands, he disgustingiy craven. oliI'
his WEAPONS allowed him TO act the braVado. lie
was merely an actor.
The "eleven notches' on his gun were fifty per
rent Imagination and big talk" The rest were
largely the advantage taken of drunk men ana
,oyices Barew avoided trouble with men VINO
r.bo could and would draw" quickly. Finally he
accidentally aroused one such and Ballew is dead
His friends say he was shot in the back we can
readily believe it. He doubtless turned to run from
the trouble he stirred up
The Journal knows nothing Of the facts OF Inc
tragedy But its editor knew Bud Ballew lor
nearly twenty years. Our only surprise is that ms
sense Of caution did not keep him 'off from man
who really would kill. judgment In th's
regard which had never failed him before evidently
made a fatal mistake. Perhaps Balew was dlpN-
ing and his Judgment obscured
Ballew was the type of a man whose persona
qualities were not susceptible Of applause Wltnou'
instrumentation. There admirable quallt9
about the man. He was lawless oyerbearing anu
insulting.
We can picture in our minds eye terror whicf
possessed his soul when he saw he had su'reo
the wrong animal. 1t is safe to say he died IN
panic of fear.
An adroit reporter has created out OF his Fancy
anv other appraisal of the man. The pubic oeVoul'
n as fact. "old-timers' in Oklahoma will smile a
the tales Of Bud Ballew.