Year: 1875

tale OF lIidty


the hero may be, was calculated


arouse all interest of sympathy. He was
a square built man, with an honest, open
face, and pleasant though determined
looking blue eyes, and in not little did
his appearance indicate that he once shot
neighbor with whom he had o dispute,
by the light of his burning barn, which
an accessory had set fire to. For this
crime he was tried last fall here in Den
yer and acquitted, but when he went
down to his ranches on creek empty
inv into the Arkansas he found the ver-
dict of Denver jury was not regarded
as q passport to the safety of murderers
the friends of the murdered man. At
any rate, although he affects to have not
an inkling of their intention, he knew
the time had come when he must tight
for his life, when he was aroused at the
midnight that separated last Friday from
Saturday by fhe hoarse demand, was
Gibbs at home? Gibbs answered that he
was, on which he was told to get up and
come out, as somebody wanted TO see
him. Gibbs asked if morning would
not do as we'll, and was told no; he was
wanted then and there. He was next
informed that his interlocutor would
give him ten minutes to get out Of the
house, and fifteen to get out with his
family, if he did not take advantage of
which he and his family would be burn
ed on one funeral pile. he made no
answer to all this, and the next move of
of enemies was to the other side of the
rancho, a simple log cabin, lacking in
the modern conveniences of windows,
except on the side on which also was
the door, Taking advantage of the fact
that the dead wall presented no aperture
through which Gibbs might get at them
they lelsurely proceeded to do their best
to fire the building, but Jared i'll IN their
attempt, owing to the logs being old and
full of water. Tired with their fruifless
efforts Gibbs visitors came around to
the side they first approached and began
to pile hay and wood against the door for
the purpose of igniting it. One of the
would-be lynchers, named Sam Boone,
was in the act of STOPPING with lighted
match in his hand, revealing clearly his
entire form, to set fire to the pile thus
raised, when Gibbs fired, with . revolvor
through chink in the boards which
served in place of sash and glass for the
window, killing him instantly. His
comrades retreated some distance at this,
but soon returned, purposIng to burst
open the door by force. While they
were punched together preparatory to
making the charge that was to do this,
Gibbs fred again, hitting two men this
time. He builded wiser than he knew,
indeed, for the gun of one of them, as he
was falling, exploded, killing brother
to the man first killed. At this the rest
retreated, Gibbs fired at the retreating
party with rife, the bullet of which he
heard "spat" on a revolver one carried
40 that it did no harm. After seeing
the backs of bis enemies disappear in
the darkness, Gibbs, on his part turned
tail, and fed with his wife and three
children and neighbor and her child
over to his fathers ranch, situated some
half mile distant in direction oppo-
site TO that taken by his enemies. His
friends gathered around him the next
day, and when he was examined Mon
day the-event resulted in his acquittal,
ten of those who had tried to lynch
him testifying to his having acted in
self-defense. But this spirit of fair play
was not rife in the community, and not
only Gibbs, but the justice who presid-
ed at his trial and his friends and re-
latives found their lives were in danger.
Accordingly the justice, Gibbs his broth
er and a friend named Gilliard were
obliged to hurry off Immediately after
the trial and make tracks for t!iis place,
which they seem to have considered
their only city of safety. They had not
gone a score of miles before the Fhilis-
tines were upon them; and now came a
race for life. Their pursuers numbered
some two score, aud their multiplicity
enabled them to cover a tract of country
which left little loopholes for their es-
cape. Gibbs first evaded them by call
ing on his party to separate and hide in
a gulch till they had passed by, but this
plan did not avail fer long. They were
soon obliged to break cover, and then
the pursuing party gained on them fast
AT last by desperate squirt they man
aged to get start which gave them time
to throw off all their surplus load and
enable the horses to increase their speed
materially. Their object was to reach q
mountain near by, where they had de-
termined to make stand and sell their
lives as dearly as possible, but theil
horses were SO freshened up by theiI
lightened loads that they were enabled
to give the party in the rear the go by
completely. All this chase, forgot. te
say, was done at night, the pursuers first
appearing in sight little after mid
night. The moon, however, was very
nearly at the full, and, as the country
was we'll covered with snow, the motion


of pursuers and pursued were equally
visible to each other. 1t was dayligh


nevertheless, when the chase ended, anC
the pursued quartet rode into rancho
at the head of Curran Creek and deman
ded food for themselves and their horse


at the muzzles of their revolvers. The,
rode all that day, and by sun down wer


at the foot of Pixies Peak on the ives
side, passing the night at a rancho. Al
though no signs all this time had beel


seen of their pursuers, the next day the.


did not dare to take the regular road


way through the mountains, but pre-


ferred to 60 over the hills cross lots


There was no trail, and their wits an


the sun were their only guides. TIL


mountain, which, having no name,


best located by saying it is the head {


Dead Mans Gulch, rose some miles owe


the level of the plain, and over this ire