Newspaper Page Text
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TOOM TrIB MEMOIRS OrCAPEMJJ
MSBONAM), OF TEXAS
c
COfY?cHr or rtABjOi no. col
2r r
OMKTIUNO which resembled a
sense of security began to mani
fest Itself In Hardeman and th
surrounding counties. There
were still cnttlo thieves plenty
them but with their rrndeiTOus
In the Immediate neighborhood
broken up their work became
less deliberate. They harbored
now farther away In the remoter
places of the' Panhandle, In the
Cherokee Strip and In the fastnesses of No
(nan's Land.
Ko-mr.n'a Land was set down on the map
as a part of Indian territory, but really be
longed to nobody at all. Different ones of the
jsurroundlng states claimed It and the outlaws
owned It by possession and force of arms.
There was no law and few law-abiding cltl
rens. It was a fine, sightly land with good
crass and plenty of water leTel land, some
of It, though there was rough country there,
-too with good places for outlaws to hide.
Here they built their dugouts or cabins, estab
lished their households and herded their stolen
.stock. Home of the cattle they butchered,
reddling the meat In Kansas or the Panhandle.
It was necessary that Noman's land should
be reclaimed and It was partly for this pur
pose that V. S. Marshal George A. Knight had
commissioned mil McDonald his deputy. Thus
far all statutory law has been disregarded In
No-man's Ijnd all officers had been defied.
It had been demonstrated that Bill McDonald
fend a convincing way with Ms words and
movements and that he had a nose for locat
ing cow thieve. So. when the Brookens and
other established "dealers of the range" bad
bono evicted from Hardeman and adjoining
counties, it felt to Bill McDonald to begin the
No-Man's I-und crusade.
He was working over In the Panhandle In
1SS7 when he learned of a horse that had been
stolen somewhere below and be set out In pur
suit of the thief. Such trail as he could find
led straight for N'o-mau's Land said he knew
that be was bound at last for that lawless
locality where It. 8. deputy marshals were
favorite victims.
He was alone, but this fact did not disturb
"lilm. There was less chance of frightening
the game. When he reached Hutchinson
county, which Is In the second tier from the
north Texas line, he atopped at Turkey Track
ranch and borrowed a buckboard In which to
tsrts;; home tils catch.
It was a long, tiresome drive across
Hutchinson and Hansford counties and up
through Noman's Land, to the waters of Bea
rer creek. The trail was not very difficult
"here, for the thief probably did not expect to
be followed. It was toward tho end of the
second or third day. at last, that the trail be
came very fresh and the man In the buck
board came to a bait and set out on foot to
locate his game. As silently and cautiously
as an Indian he crept through the brush until
be reached a place where, peering through, he
located, some distance away on the river bank.
camp consisting of four men and the same
number of horses. His man had found com
rades, that was evident, and It was likely they
would join in his defense. McDonald lay in
the brush, watching them, as long as it was
light and then crept closer, trying to Identify
the horse be was after and which of the men
bad htm In charge. He had no Intention of
beginning operations that night.
He was obliged to wait until daylight be
fore ho could be sure of his ground; then,
wake and watching, he saw the different men
Ho to look after their horses. He located a
bay horse that answered the description of the
stolen onimnl and Identified the man who had
fcliu in charge. He crept back to Lis buck
board now, gut in and drove up leisurely to
the outlaw camp, looking as Inoffensive and
rulleless as any other fly with a borne and
buckboard, driving straight into the spider's
-den.
"Good morning, boys' he said, pleasantly,
"you-all look mighty comfortable wlih that fire
going. I lost my way and laid out lust night.
"Mebbe you all can tell me something about the
trails around here. Th' don't seem to be none
that I can find."
They invited lilm cordially to sit down and
warm himself and said they would show him
the trail. McDonald stepped out and walked
over to the fire, still talking about the coun
try and the weather, working over close to
tho man ho wanted. The deputy wore a short
overcoat and lie had a pair of handcuffs In the
left tide pocket. He got Just In front of his
man at last and reached out his right hand
as if to shuke hands with him. Instinctively
the man extended his own right hand and at
that inbtnnt McDonald's left with the open
handcuffs was out like a rtash there was a
quick snap, a sudden movement a sleight of
band movement it was theu another quick
nap and the horse thief, dazed and half stu
pefied, stood gazing down at the manacles on
tils wrists, while Bill McDonald, a gun in each
band, quietly regarded the other three mem
bers of tho camn.
Tho captive was first to break the silence.
"Boys," he snld, "what does this mean?"
Ouo of the men turned to McDonald.
"Yes," he said, "what does this mean? Who
are you and uhut are you going to do wilh
that man?"
"I'm Deputy I'nlted States Marshal McDon
ald of Texas," was the cheerful reply, "arid
I'm going to take this man back with me and
put him m Jail."
"What forT"
"For stealing that bay horse out there."
The outlaw advanced a step.
"And you'll Just about play bell doing 111"
ke snld.
"All right. I'm ready to t
start the game right .
now." said McDonald. -
The men whispered ar r
little among themselves .
Their saddles were off .to '
one side and their Win- .
chest rs lay across them,
all there together. They
wore six-shooters also,
but they realised who
their man was now and
they were careful tooiftke '
no movement toward
them. Presently one of
the men Bald:
"You say you are going
to put that fellow in Jail?"
"That's what I'm going'
to do."
"Well. now. lets see
about that."
The men were starting
In as If to make an argu
ment. One of the nartv
began working a little In the direction of the'
guns. The Idea was to distract, the oflicer's
attention for a moment and get the fim on
him. It was a good game, but ' It failed to
work In this Instance. McDonald- brouiltt his
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to charge at once and storm the works.
McDonald 8,nd Buraon proceeded in the
saddle to HlgKins, In Lipscomb comity - a sta
tion 'on the Santa Ko railroad, and their last
guns exactly to bear on the men, Ii' front of base -of supplies. Here they chartered a big
him.
"Throw up your hands!" he "commanded,
"every one of you. quick! Throw the'm up."
you scoundrels!" . 1 1
Three pairs of hands went up. That .onj-4
nmna irom uui .Mcixmaia nag" almost never
been disobeyed.
"Now face the other way!
command. Inc. The house stood In the edco of the oral
The men faced about, their hands st'lU high , rie. near Beater creek, and was easy of ae
above their heads. WltA one,s1J-Bht! still-' ce.sV-- '
on them. McDonald went up bcJjUid MQh r&n Oni.of tte- band- an early riser had Just
and disarmed him.' sticking the revolvers. In . gone Vl' Jn round up the horses w hen the two
bis own belt. Thvu he went oePand toJt 'tLo dtpMtius, mounted. mad their approach next
cartridges out of the WJnche.Rtpr. -He nf: (horning. s1 He discovered them when ther were
..t!yv seated hark Ir which to bring back their
prisoners, should their raid prove successful.
'They puf'rtclr own' horses to this vehicle,
loaded thir saddles in behind and continued
ther Journey
It" was toward evening when they arrived
' ' ' In the -neighborhood of the outlaw den and
was the? next oxnred In a eecljided place to wait for morn-
marched his men to where the horses were .
hitched, secured the stolen one "and tied him
to the buckboard- Then be objured his pris
oner to gej, Jp ,nnd proceeded to qhackle him
to the slats of the vehicle. The other three,
men, 'uieanflnie'. were kept In a group, a rdn
or so atrtad,. In M10 direction of-Texas.
about 4('0. yards away and made for the house.
McDonald and Burson following at full spevd.
Tim. outlaw was a little iii advance and his
eight companions were out In front with their
!fl'-kester-j when, the officer rode down on
t !?.;
"Go around the house. Ixm. and come in
"Now. march, for. Texas. ..votidevll" Mc-4 fom behind I'U tend to them on this side."
Donald said, when he was se.ited besidw bis i.iaia'VeTJtfnaftrT as' they dashed up This ma
prisoner. The procession sYaVrt'd, )t- me neuver was Immediately put Into action and
complaining that they had done ;iotJifj laid ; In les than a minute later the deputies were
that he bad no right to take them back, even
If he was authorised to' take the, other man.
McDonald said: . . .
"You fellows have been la'Mke hAblt oyer
here of resisting and killing officer,' or driv
ing them out. and doing as you please. T Ju'sf
want to show you how easy It Is to uke your
kind. Come, move right along thererypw. , I
don't know what you've dofle but. you prob-'
ably stole all those horses 'hack there."-"
The men now began to beg for thetrViorye.
complaining that, the euiuiAts left behind
would stay there and atarve,. lcDonnld really
had no Intention of taking them all the way
back w ith him. His purpose was to get them
on the spot, their game between them. In
another instant both deputies had slid from
HsJ'horses and were In the midst of the eon-
fuaed. naif-wakeful outlaws.
"Drop them guns! Drop "em and put up
your'likf.Ss!" commanded Mrlionald his own
gun and Ilurson's leveled.
, .Therewns not even an attempt at resist
ance. The banilhs were simply diued. over-
'whelmed by the' suddenness and vigor of ths
oruilagght.
.Mcjmijald kept the men covered now. while
Burt.t.0 secured their weapons.
The gang was landed safely n Wichita
- falls, ttomo of them were convicted the ret
far enough away so' that they would not be .cllJier became bettor citizens or sought re
likely to try to overtake, him and catch hliri ' 'inflter pfares for their Industries. The clean
asleep when he should halt for the night, lie iog up ofN ruan's land had begun,
made no concessions, however, until they wfjet ,.,-The, wojk of active reform was not allowed
wen aiong lowara me 1 exas lines. Then he . to languish. News of the first successful raid
' traveled quickly and Temple. Houston son of
fikiv. Sam Houston, and then slate senator
i notified Meltonuld that tho sheriff of Hansford
county was In nerd of osslstunce to cope with
said: ."''
"Now, If you fellow think you can behave
yourselves and want to go back there snd
'tend to your horses. I may .let you go back
on that account. But you can make up your
minds, and you ran tell your friends -about -It,
that I'm not afraid of any of you. and I'm
going to clear you dam'd thieves out of this
couutry. I'm going to show you that there'
on man you won't kill nor run out t Now; wllr
you do what I tell you?" ... x
The men protested that they were good
cltliens and that If he would lot them off they
a bSiH kang that had their' rendezvous Just
arrvq the border from Hansford. In No-man's
Land.. These bandit had been carrying on
th usuul buslues of horse and cattle steollng
and general highway robbery.
When .Bill McDonald got the word from
Rgiiator Houston he Immediately sent over for
Lon Burson and then proceeded to Canadian.
Huuiphllt county, w lie I'd Houston lived. Th
Usual i-ouiiiiodtous hack was secure, also a
would undertake missionary .work in t1t x aue
of law and order. Ho, let them go then, and light buggy for noulble side excursions. nd
nuilalng McDonald and IJurso
handed bark their unloaded arms, promising
ion, aecompanli'd by the
them another fat If he" everr nuglit them Ibr
mlsi tlef. He watched them dftinppeur behind
the first rise; then, whipping up, he made th
best time be could for Turkey Trac k ranch,
where he rested a day, delivered H e bor- out w here, the robber den - a log building -
rowed buckbourd. taking his prisoner next 1
rooming to Jail.
sheriff' -lis .guide, drove through the gray of
early morplng to the line which divided Han
ford county from No-man' Land.
Arriving at the border, the sheriff pointed
It was natural that other wock In No nuin's
I-and should follow this first experiment. . It .
having been demonstrated that Bill McDonald
could go Into that Infested place and nut only
come out alive but bring back his man. other
and more extensive contracts were laid out
for hlin.
McDonuld on hi part was rtady for the
undertaking, It being a ort Which he found
always most congenial. Deciding that It was
w located, not tiwro than titlO yards beyond.
Tien ue eald.ua would wait there until they
got buck.
MrDfiiaJd. and Burson therefore si t out In
th light buggy, driving leisurely across the
lutorvenlug space.. Arriving near the log
house, they discovered that five men were up
and .sitting sleepily on the ground iu front of
their cabin, ttielr Winchesters leaning sgalnst
the wall behind them. Evidently they did not
look for un attack and een when they saw
life npuiourhliig, buggy their nils were not
good thing to havo a reliable partner in th-.4,l,u(',,'"',)r collected to suspect that any two
handling of a gang, he selected for bis nssocl- ,-e""".n n,H )''$? .would drive over to attempt
ate another deputy marshal -one Lon 1'ursoq A U:r capture. In another instant they were
of Henrietta -i a quiet, athletic fellow wltfi covered. " ''
plenty of grit and endurance. .. "fl,.rup''rVnin Mere and put up your hands!"
"I could always rely upon I.011." McDonV w-tj roVd 'eg gteetlng they received. "And
aid said. In speaking of that period long, after; dvrc efy U fvmdtnthem gun. The first man
"I believed I knew ,Jiiet whut he tirj!iU.4. that yn.ikcs. a-iunve. Ill kill him "
every time, and he 111 yer fulled m " u - The 0e men ro-- It wn polite to do so
They began on what was U'vugtil to be on,y 1X tley if rained. fom offering any dlscour
of the worst gnegs, a band of. nine. if .,w I'1 V't lll"lU r V' 0 K'm. McDonald now
eslubllshed on Beaver creek' gerierul liejjd- Vailed UC roll of the names he wanted and,
quarter from whh ii they conducted a mlsccl- "cTi'l.'.ils tin H 'nitty- s'eem. each man answered
laneous busines In crime stealing battle and " duine. That 'night the gang omplele set
horses -robbing train and sluffillpa '" ' out for-Wfchlta lll, to be trli'd later In th
bank ofllclal when occaaloo offered. " 1 d yiteerojr st Dalln.
McDouald had laid . out the plan of at- . ' . Bald (ollnwad each other rajddly. On
tack, which wa to arrive on tl n at .-sang of cattle lblv after another was gath
bis favorite early hour daybreak and lha . ' la and took MP th march to Dalla and
to (lo no' parleying or long distance firing but
trial. Outlawing la No-mio'i Land b.
ram an unpopular occupation. Man
of more legitimate enterprise bgaa
to wonder If th tlin sit not com
lug by and by when they could do
business on or within th borders of
that territory without th protection
of a company of soldier. Th tarn
of Bill McIKinald wa on every man'
tongti and those who had not ien
hi m, especially th outlines still at
large, iiua1ly conceived Mm to b a
I I vpry terrible person large, bushy,
: I I lieiivv nf vnle and flerra of mien. Yet
he wni Just the opposite of all these
things. 11 wa slender, quiet, blue
eyed and gentle of voice only h bad
that gl'l of command that look and
that manner of speech with law break
ers which they did not disobey. Th
time came presently In No-man's Land
when his name alone and a rumor that
ho wa coming wa sufficient to cue
a gang to contemplate emigration.
It is neither necessary nor possible
to give a full history of all the raids
that during the brief period of little
more than a year broke tip organized
lawlessness In that stray corner of the
nation and reclaimed an abandoned
lund.
McDonald heard of a cow-thief in
No-man 'a Ijind who was working on
tils own hook a sporadic case, as one
might say and went over to arrest
him. He descended upon him in an un-
VI I expected moment and though the out
fl I law stronuoiusTv tirntested flint It helris
Cn.,l,. tli tn,v ,,f arrtxt ,11.1 ,. t.,.1.1
1 1 I good; Deputy Bill conveyed hltn across
the holder and. down into Roberts
county, where the cattle had been
htolen.
nr were the rnids Into No-lrinn'
J Land altogether pleasure excursions,
even though Deputies Bill McDonald
and Lon Burson. with their headlong
J( tactics and general disregard of death,
mm mines pretty mucu ineir own way
when It came to the final show-down.
There were long, wearying Journeys In
a trailless land and long night vigils
hen bone and muscle and nerve were racked
and the whole body cried out for sleep. The
onset might be swift and reckless, once begun,
but the preparation for that moment was cau
tious and slow and often beset with difficulties.
The few dwellers in No-man's Land really desir
ous of getting rid of the outlaws were afraid to
show any such anxiety, to give anything resem
bling Information, or even to offer shelter to
the ofllcers. They knew that to manifest any
Interest on the side of law and order would be
to incur the enmity of the gangs and bring
down reprisal swift nnd bloody. McIKinald
and Burson realized this and however severe
the conditions of weather and weariness faced
them rather than impose any risk upon men
whose only offense was to dwell among very
bad neighbors.
At ouo time the deputies were after a gang
of five men. wanted for murder and theft, and
were driving from Hlgglna into Noman's Land,
with hack and team, their saddle loaded In
behind, as usual. It w as late In the year now,
and suddenly In the swift Texas fashion a
norther came down, with piercing wind and
Hue. drhttig snow. If thu reader has never
seen a Terns norther or a Dakota blltard, he
will hardly understand their predicament. Tho
wind leaps up in a wild gale almost In an In
stant; the air from being balmy t tikes on a
sudden bitterness that withers the body and
numbs the heart and pinches the very soul.
Then the snow comes, fine nnd blinding sharp
and hard as glass Ni living being was ever
created that could sut 'iv- long In the face of
a storm like that. Cuttle know when a norther
Is coming and gather Into thick bum ties, their
head to the center Birds spei away to the
south, ahead of It, or find shelter In hollows
and crannies until the demon tins passed by.
A storm like that always means death. The
Texas norther and the Dakota blizzard have
s'rewn the prairies with bones
Mclvinald and Burson, in the fact of such a
tempest, tried to press oil, hoping to find a
shelter of some sort anything that would
break the wind. But everywhere was only the
wide prairie, level as the sea and lost now
In the swirling drift. It seemed to them that
they drifted for hours, battling against the
norther, though It probably was less than one
hour, when tliey raine upon some stacks of
prairie hay, which Indicated the habitation of
men. Without seeking further, they made for
the shelter of the stacks, burrowed themselves
ami their horses into them, allowing the latter
to feed liberally from the hay. There they
remained all night and until the afternoon ol
the next day. the men without food. The storm
abated then and the oiflccra. undlscouraged,
pressed on, reaching the outlaw ramp lute In
thn afternoon. Instead of at their favorite
morning hour
The surprise was quite as complete, how.
ever, for the last thing those bandits expected
was that two ofllcers should suddenly appear
out of that white devastation to take them In
Jail. They were too much astonished to at
tempt resistance and were on their way to
Wichita Kails Hint night, following the road
which so many of their kind had taken.
Indeed It was this capture at the end ol
18SS that marked about the end of the heaviest
work in that particular section. The year's
crusade had demonstrated that Soman's Ijind
was not big enough to hold a band of cow
thiuves and two deputies like BUI McDonald
and Ix.ii Burson at thn same time. It was no
encouragement to a band of hard working out
laws. Just as thty hud got their plant estab
lished and things well under way to be sud
denly pounced down upon and put out of bus
iness by two men who had no regard for the
customary rules of righting but Just rushed
right in with a lot of Impertinent orders and
an assortment of handcuffs and always had
big hack ready to start at a moment' nolle
for Wichita Kalis.
"What Is the use?" one of tho freebooters
is snld to have complained. "A fellow no more
than gets started when that fool comes In and
upsets everything."
What was the use? Surh of the No man's
Land fraternity as still remained unhung nnd
nut of Jul! set out for other fields of labor.
Some of them located In the more barren dis
tricts of New Mexico und ArUona. Homo of
them settled In the remoter places of what
was known then a thu Cherokee Htrlp. where
they Joined with congenial spirit In that ter
ritory and. pretending to be engaged lo agri
culture-for they were In a more settled coun
try Indian country continued their old busi
ness at the Daw stand.
AFTER
'OURYEARS
OF MISERY
Cured by Lydla E. Pink
ham's Vegetable Compound
llnltlrnore. Mil. "For four yrs
my lift) was t iiilserjr to inn. I stiflensl
from irregulari
ties, terrlblo dr;i)
plriff sensations,
i-x tic me nervous
Iics, ami that all
pone feeling in rnr
stomach. I luiil
frfvea up hope of
ever Kind ". U
when I iH'prtn to
taU LydUllllnlc
lmm's Vegetable
Compound. Then
I felt as though
new life hail bwri
friTen me, and I am recoinmemlinir it
to all my friend." Mrs. W. S. Fmm,
2.f'7 W. Franklm St.. Baltimore. JML
The most successful renntly iu thin
country for the euro of all form of
female complaints la Lydia L link
ham's Ve;;et.iblo Comouiul. It hat
stood the tost of years and to-day is
more widely and guccensf ully used tlian
fttiy other fcniiilo remedy, llhadoued
thousands f women who bate l-eerj
troubled with dtspUeements, tntfam
matioti. ulceration, librold tumors, ir.
rcfrularlUes, pcrlixlic p:iliis, backache,
that ts'iiriiiK-down feeling, flatulency,
itidipestion, and nervous nrostr.iUou,
ofter ull other mean bad fallc.L
If you aresulTeriturfrotnanyof the
ailments, don't frire up hop until you
have given Lydi.i K. llukhalu's V" (ro
table Compound n trial.
If you would like Nr"clal ndvloo
erritei to Airs. ritiLhuiit, Lynn,
Mass.. for IU Mio liujt eiiUbil
thoiiHanda to LcuJth, fro of
ctxurfo.
.eV .,, ,
Nor On a Half Dime. Either.
Simon Ilardeustle believed wlta sin
cere faith that any wife who had. or
aked, more than u quarter a year
for ber own amusement or enjoyuu-nt
was a Ixing too horrible to contem
plate. He came from the village store
for dinner and told what he had
heard.
"Miranda, would you believe that
the lxrd's Vrayer could be engraved
In a space no larger than a dime?''
"Well, yes, Simon," t-he bacarded,
if a dime is as large In the engraver's
eye ai it Is In yours. I should think
that he would have no dlfllrutty at
nil." The I louse keener.
Frt to Our Reader.
Writ Murine Kv ltrrnf-lv t., Oiirs.
tn, fi'l I tfc- lliii-lrnti-1 K Iii, I rt
VriiM nil nlut lour l!y? Trent w.tt
tlirv Will Sillrtt- UN t'e IT- - r All
ruttou nf tl Murine r've Iti m-'ti-e In
en r 8.-rlt Y"-ir 1 r ..moM will
tll von .t.ul Murm If. tl'-w-i r-..rf Kn-.
Sir rivl .t-i --Hk (v-p. l-t-iri Hir-irl.
H '!. Kv l-nln. smt s--tl li tV. . Try
Jt In V.Mir t:i- iiri.1 In itt a KyrS tr
Hly r.rll'i suit tirut-.uiutiin.
A Benefactor.
"Are you doing anything tor oth
ers?'' Iihkeil the philanthropist.
"Sure," uribweretl Mr Cromilot. "
make a g.udeti every year for th bcu
elit ol my neighbors' t hii kens "
Rheumatism Cured In a Dry.
tir I S'tcttoir 14-11-' f for lttiriimtirii
mtn-itll cur- In I to 3 ilnvs. Ita tin im
miirkunn-. tt rm t tii- rutin Alwt ttif
rtU. ;li- iUl. 1 Iv O'-rtlil" .u V irn lltMt
git-utly Ix-iH-tlla. 1 i ui,; (.
There Is no hcauttlM r of omplesinn.
or form, or behavior, like thu w lull to
scatter Joy and not pain around ue.
Itiilph W aldo Kim-mon
mm
"Guar"
Don't Persecute
your Bowels
fa mm mmnu9 -mJ tpwiiwk TW m (natal
i- iiiiMiiT. aiy
CARTf'R'3 IJTTU:,
UVtK PILLS
lJ ..I I. A J
wtrlf mm k, ;
A I W. tUBsi
! Carter
kk llWU wJ UArtiM, m mJInm Vmnt,
Sm.ll Pill. Small Dos. Small Price
CiUNUirvb mutt brar tmruilure t
TAKE A DOSE OF
r
i CURE
li will iulsntly rrllt-v tV.rl is lin ctm-K.
TaVra piomplly it Will ohra prrvaol
Aslitn, IWw.hlU sad rwicHH ihroal mm
lung trnubisa, GHsranlia-d u&m J vry
psIalsU.
All Dnwstata, KS tkr.
Stt3 WIE.W JMll, i1(S,aHIi
