The Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1931-1952, 1935-07-04
DIsCARDS ALIAS
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roy who said they could identify
him.
"All you have to DO is to sign
this paper" the white men told
him, "and go back to Texas where
we can clear this matter up and
the money is yours"
But Young hesitated. He refus-
ed to sign. They were not going
to trick" him back to Texas.
Forty years ago they were hav-
ing election troubles in Texas such
as have existed until this very day.
At that time, at Henderson. Tex
as, there was young man nam
ed Gabe McElroy. On election
he had engaged in q violent al
tercation with group of white
men. That night the white caps"
came to the McElroy homestead,
short distance from Tyler, Aex-
as, looking for the boy, Gabe. He
saw them and determined to fight
it out. Seizing shotgun, he took
aim at the mob and fired. He load
ed and reloaded and kept on fir
ing. Finally the mob of white
caps" fled. So did Gabe McEIroy
He was sure that he had killed
two or three, maybe half a dozen
of them.
For years and years Gabe Nc
Elroy wandered about the coun-
try. Sixteen years ago, he came
to Omaha, still doing odd jobs and
for a time engaged as local
preacher.
In the meantime the parents of
Gabe McElroy died without know
ledge of their lost son. They own
ed 100 acres of good Texas land
and they had five children.
With Gabe missing, this land
fell into the hands of the four
remaining heirs. They eventually
contracted to sell it, one of them
receiving only ten dollars for his
share.
But a part of that land belonged
to the lost Gabe, and unless it
could be established that Gabe was
dead. nobody could acquire legal
possession of it. In 1881, prospec-
tors found oil on this land. OF
course they were aware of the
missing Gabe. They approached
one of the brothers of Gabe and
tried to make him swear that his
brother Gabe was dead. They
wanted him to sign an affidavit.
He wouldn't. He was taken into
the wood and whipped brutality,
but he still refused.
An oil company took a lease
from the fraudulent white owners
of the land, but it held the part of
the missing heir in trust, thinking
that som aay he might show up
or be found.
When a tip reached Texas that
Gabe McElroy might be found in
Omaha, the oil company sent its
representatives there. They were
told that the man they wanted
could be found in a Kansas City
jail under the name of Daniel
Young. But when they went to
Kansas City, Daniel Young said,
mo. I'm not Gabe.'
Even after Young was returned
to Omaha and surrounded by his
friends, he stodd fast, fearing that
the oil company men were Texas
officers sent up to return him to
Texas for that white cap" affair
of forty years ago. I'm Daniel
Young he insisted.
AS a last resort, a cousin and
nephew of Gabe McElroy were
sent for. They came to Omaha
and reported that the story of the
fortune was true. While Gabe was
awaiting the arrival Of these rela-
tives new fears assailed him. He
was afraid, even if the story were
true, that if he entrusted himself
to these men (there were now in
terests of three oil companies try
ing. to purchase his land), that he
would be abducted and murdered.
The story told by his relatives as
sured him.
But what helped him most was
what they told him about the af-
fair of forty years ago. They in
formed him that his aim had been
very bad, that he had done a lot
of shooting, but he had not hit a
single soul.
Us that really so?" Daniel
Young asked.
"That's the actual fact" replied
the cousin and nephew.
"All right then" replied Young,
from now on I'm Gabe McElroy.p
Last Friday, Gabe McElroy, al
las Daniel Young, accompanied by
two city detectives, lawyer, his
cousin and nephew, took an air