The Lincoln times., 1955-04-04
"Two-Gun Mullins" Of Maiden> Route l. Recalls
Exciting Past As Vivid As Any Wild West Novel

pie to take the horse and guns
back to the fort and failed. After
several days of hiding out, he
turned himself in. Weaver had not
then died.
He hired a battery of lawyers.
lone of them used to be a judge,
I GOT him because he was supposed
to have influence with the court. "
While in Jail, before Weaver
died. a widow woman" whose
daughter he had befriended when
fellow soldier had slapped her.
sent him a cake by the daughter.
He prevailed on the daughter TO
bring him a hack saw hidden in a
banana.
Il was sitting there holding that
little hack saw and thinking that
at midnight I'd be a free man.
when the jailer came clanking up
the steps and told me Weaver had
lust died They moved me to the
death cell then. I tried to grab the
Sheriff'S gun-was going to shoot
mySelf-but he knocked it out OF
my hand and kept his foot on it.
They thought I was going to shoot
the sheriff"
FLED TO TENNESSEE
He GOT out on bail and went to
Tracy City, Tenn. where the army
had been called because of a min
erS' strike.
On a Friday. he met another
widow woman "a little bit OF a
woman. Her name was Cora. On
Monday they were married. He
went back to Georgia, TODD trial
for murder and came clear on his
contention of self-defenSe.
For five years he worked with
his wife in her photography buSi-
ness. They had three sons, and
there was a son and daughter by
the Wife's first marriage. She died
in childbirth in 1910.
THAT doctor plain killed her.
Gave her calomel"
He was like a man obSeSSed af-
ter his wife died. The children
were taken over by his parents,
and he wandered again. He went
everywhere then. Back to Texas,
into Mexico where he did some
gold prospecting. back into Okla
hOma. He even travelled a while
with an old-time medicine man.
and was undercoyer man for the
/ Texas rangers.
But. as before, he finally return
ed to Georgia and was asked to
take a job as a deputy sheriff IN
Walker county.
"They wanted somebody tc
clean up those moonshinerS in the
mountain. l cleaned up that
mountain. too" he said, ANY
body down there will tell you so.
He stayed there twelve years.
SETTLED DOWN
He began to settle down Somt
then. Soon he cot a job as a rail,
road detective with the N. c. ano
St. L. Railroad. But even this
didn't turn out to be such qule
job.
Like I say. trouble Just dog9ee
me. Two hoboes knocked me off
/ speeding train once. I had plenty
of other close calls. too
He moved on from his railroad
Job to one as a deputy sheriff ant
police chief at FaIryland. when i
was developed for "rich people
as a resort on top of Lookou
Mountain near CHATTANOOGA, Tenn
1t was while he was at Fairy
land that he came to CataWpS
county to visit but stayed to guare
prisoners at the CataWba county
prison camp. He is the brother o.
P. A. Mullins of Hickory and tht
father of R. E. Moon" Mullins
also of Hickory.
While guarding prisoners work
ING on a rural road near Maiden
he met Stella Smyre, whose homt
was located on the road. That was
in 1884. They were married short
ly after they met and have lIvec
at Maiden since then.
Even here he's had his troubles
A bout with tuberculosis put him
in a sanatorium for a while.
For many years now he has lived
a fairly uneventful life. He work.
ed in a Maiden mill until yeal
ago.
But he can't and doesn't want
TO forget the DAYS of youth. Il
have vet to take my first drink OF
whiskey. Promised my mother,
wouldn't and l never have. Lots OF
nv buddies that did are pushing
up daisies now. Look at me-"
He still keeps his six gun loaded
in GOOD condition. Every now and
then he gets out in his yard and
blasts away. And he still wears his
hieh-heeled cowboy boots and
speaks with the vernacular OF an
old coWhand.
That his story would be hard to
believe is true. But he has pictures
newspaper clippings, letters and
numerous other mementoes which
lend authenticity to his words. He
GETS confused now and then on
some dates. which is understand
able. but his words carry the ring
of truth.
He says he is part Indian. He
looks it too. He has many arrow
heads in a collection, which prob
ably accounts for the arrowhead
collection hobby taken by his son
in Hickory. He has his old cavalry
hat with his name, number and
the name of regiment in 1t. And
he has his bow and arrows. Il was
GOOD with that thing once" he
l co;d r1o hoe me de arrows rpcPntlV