Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1940-02-10
When Broncho Charlie Got
His Man Near Pony i'm rs

+ fore he'd lifted his hand the second
time, and shot him through the
neck. He fell, and could see him
tWitchin' to get his Six-Shooter in line,
so I let him have it a second time.
That did for Reilly, top hand of the
Varney g. Farrell outfit on the road.
The tough miner he'd brought with
him to help put me away was on his
horse and off. before the Shootin' was
fair over. The rest of the boys never
said a word"
Broncho Charlie knew he would have
to stand trial for the killing of Reilly,
though the case was clearly one of
self defense, so he rode into Pony and
surrendered to the sheriff. The sheriff
understood the situation, also under
stood that the important thing was
getting the herd through, so he took
Broncho Charles word of honor that
Charlie would return as soon as he
could to stand trial The herd was
taken into the Gallatin, and Charlie
headed back for Pony. There had been
considerable time spent on the trail
and the fall Of the year was coming
on. Charlie did not hurry. In his own
words:
st reckon you think I was dawdlin'
along on purpose, to put off seem the
sheriff But you're wrong. There amt
no use in tryin' to fool yourself that
away. If you're goin' to hang, you
might as well get 1t over with"
In the Madison valley Charlie ran
across a big bunch of longhorns on the
trek, and hired out with them for a
week or two, to ride herd. Here he al
most killed another man, though the
story is considerably lighter than the
one concerning Reilly.
with this outfit was Mexican fell
low name of Jesus Manuel dark
skinned fellow. always sleepy eyed and
surly. Him and me didn't cotton to
each other at all
"Ridin' herd at night. you know.
there's four puncherS, one to each side
of the cattle, so that each man covers
his territory back and forth, or sits
still on his horse, watchfn' the critters
chew their cud, and careful to keep his
eyes and ears open, so that If any one
OF EN- gets to movin' too fast out Of
the herd he can ride up on him and
turn him back.
Rode Both Sides Of Herd
We'll, I began to notice that several
nights, when I was in charge, the
young fellow on the next post to mine
would do more ridin' than seemed
right. Looked as If he was handlin'
two sides of the herd instead of one
SO I rode up to him one night and
asks him what's the idea. And he says:
Jesus Manuel is supposed to take
care of the other corner, but he seems
just TO lean over his saddle all the
time, so just ride over to see that the
herds quiet over that way
THE next night watched and sure
enough the thing the kid said hap
pened. can't see the Mexican from
where I'm stationed, but see the kid
ridtn' his round for him again. So
took a look and see that all's quiet
with my side of the herd, and then
rode around and come up soft behind
the Mexican. I'll be hogtied If he
wasn't sittin' there, sound asleep.
"'Jesus MANUEL I yells, but not 50
loud as to scare the cattle.
HE jumps so quick he like to fell off
the horse.
" 81. Carlos, he says, Que pasa?'
'Nothin's happened-yetP I tells
him, What do you think you're dom?
Who in hell wants a sleepin' night
herd rider?'
ct ride my own way, you blank
blank gringol' he says.
II was so mad that I near brought
Betsy out, and gave him what gave
Reilly. You know, there's somethin'
queer about that: when you've killed
q man, 1t don't seem no trouble at all
to kin another, in fact, it comes right
easy.
sThat geaser never knew how close
to death he was. II he had, he'd have
been croSSin' himself so quick you'd
have thought he had st. VituS dance!
But knew that shot Just then at
such close range would stampede the
herd, and so I slid my gun back
"The next mornin' I come onto q |
coyote lynn under some brush with |
her cubs. 1 shot the mother and took
the cubs back with me, and when the |
boys all come around and wanted to |
know what aimed to do with the |
little devils, q big idea come to me.
Just like thatl
THAT night when we was ridin |
herd, I sneaked up onto the Mexican |
and there he was sleepin' over the |
saddle-horn and payin' no attention to 1
the cattle. Wen, I tied the front legs 1
and the hind legs OF one Of them little 1
FighEfn' coyotes together, and then /
led him across the hack OF the greas-
m's saddle He never woke up at all