Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-07
amazing valance.

Morton and Frank Baker, the latter also one Of
the group who had killed Tunstall. The two
men fed holed up In dugout, and stood on
the Brewer gang until their ammunition was
exhausted. Under q promise Of safe conduct
to Lincoln they surrendered.
Both Morton and Baker knew to what q
frail reed they were trusting. They had ridden
the range with several Of their captors, had
snapped stories at friendly camphreS Nearly
all present were boys not yet Of age. But none
Of this mattered. The death Of Tunstall stood
between them. The captiyes knew that they
had to pay q debt Of vengeance.
The party spent night at the Chisum ranch.
Both of the condemned men wrote letters Of
farewell to relatives It chances that the one
from Morton has been preserved. In 1t he dis
cusses quite coolly the probabilities. tells his
version Of the trouble, gives information as to
what property he has, and signs himself yours
respectfully" There is not even a faint sug-
gestion of fear in the remarkable document.
Though he knows he is marked for death, he
faces the fact with imperturbable courage.
In some canyon on the way to Lincoln the
two prisoners were shot to death. McCloskey
was friend OF Morton. He protested at the
slaughter of men who had surrendered under q
pledge Of protection. He tried to defend them
and he himself was killed.
7 INCOLN COUNTY had become an armed
camp. Men were ry-gulched by unknown
assassins. Others were shot down among the
jackpines that dotted the red arroyos Settlers
were careful where they rode and when. They
ventured from their cabins warily.
Court began at Lincoln on April /, but Judge
Bristol had not arrived. Sheriff Brady; his
deputy George Hindman; Clerk Of the Court
william Matthews and old Dad" Foppin started
for the courthouse to post a notice Of postpone
ment. There was roar of guns from the adobe
wall adjoining the McSween store and house
Matthews and Poppin escaped, but Brady was
killed and his deputy fatally wounded. The
hired warriors" Billy the Kid, McNab, Tom
OFolliard Charley Bowdre and Fred Waite
had ambushed the officers.
The bodies of the dead men-So says q news
paper report of the affair-were still lying in
the street when McSween and Chisum rode into
town few hours later. Nobody had cared to
run the risk of removing them. The implica-
ton of the reporter that these two leaders were
directly responsible for this crime is not war
ranted by any known facts. Chisum in par
ticular tried to wash his hands of the whole
fractional warfare that had arisen explosively
He wanted nothing to do with it, He had
Sowed the wind. but he did not want to reap the
whirlwind. 1t Is probable that both he and
McSween were appalled, at the work of the
killers they had employed
ON the Ruidoso lived little ranchman known
as ."Buckshot" Roberts. He had been
soldier and a Texas ranger. and his cognomen
had been given him because he still carried in
his body so many leaden souvenirs of past
engagements. The man was of no Importance
in the community. He was not outstanding in
any way, except in the hour of his death, when
against overwhelming odds he fought the most
desperate battle ever known to have taken place
in the West outside of Indian warfare.