Cattle Brands | Page 2

Ross, and this paper
estimated that his majority would be at least two hundred thousand. We
were all anxious to get home in time to vote for him.
Theodore Baughman was foreman of our outfit. Baugh was a typical
trail-boss. He had learned to take things as they came, play the cards as
they fell, and not fret himself about little things that could not be helped.
If we had been a month behind he would never have thought to explain
the why or wherefore to old man Carter. Several years after this, when
he was scouting for the army, he rode up to a herd over on the
Chisholm trail and asked one of the tail men: "Son, have you seen
anything of about three hundred nigger soldiers?" "No," said the
cowboy. "Well," said Baugh, "I've lost about that many."
That night around camp the smoke was curling upward from those
cigars in clouds. When supper was over and the guards arranged for the
night, story-telling was in order. This cattle-buyer with us lived in
Kansas City and gave us several good ones. He told us of an attempted
robbery of a bank which had occurred a few days before in a western
town. As a prelude to the tale, he gave us the history of the robbers.
"Cow Springs, Kansas," said he, "earned the reputation honestly of
being a hard cow-town. When it became the terminus of one of the

many eastern trails, it was at its worst. The death-rate amongst its city
marshals--always due to a six-shooter in the hands of some man who
never hesitated to use it--made the office not over desirable. The office
was vacated so frequently in this manner that at last no local man could
be found who would have it. Then the city fathers sent to Texas for a
man who had the reputation of being a killer. He kept his record a vivid
green by shooting first and asking questions afterward.
"Well, the first few months he filled the office of marshal he killed two
white men and an Indian, and had the people thoroughly buffaloed.
When the cattle season had ended and winter came on, the little town
grew tame and listless. There was no man to dare him to shoot, and he
longed for other worlds to conquer. He had won his way into public
confidence with his little gun. But this confidence reposed in him was
misplaced, for he proved his own double both in morals and courage.
"To show you the limit of the confidence he enjoyed: the treasurer of
the Cherokee Strip Cattle Association paid rent money to that tribe, at
their capital, fifty thousand dollars quarterly. The capital is not located
on any railroad; so the funds in currency were taken in regularly by the
treasurer, and turned over to the tribal authorities. This trip was always
made with secrecy, and the marshal was taken along as a trusted guard.
It was an extremely dangerous trip to make, as it was through a country
infested with robbers and the capital at least a hundred miles from the
railroad. Strange no one ever attempted to rob the stage or private
conveyance, though this sum was taken in regularly for several years.
The average robber was careful of his person, and could not be induced
to make a target of himself for any money consideration, where there
was danger of a gun in the hands of a man that would shoot rapidly and
carelessly.
"Before the herds began to reach as far north, the marshal and his
deputy gave some excuse and disappeared for a few days, which was
quite common and caused no comment. One fine morning the good
people of the town where the robbery was attempted were thrown into
an uproar by shooting in their bank, just at the opening hour. The
robbers were none other than our trusted marshal, his deputy, and a
cow-puncher who had been led into the deal. When they ordered the
officials of the bank to stand in a row with hands up, they were
nonplused at their refusal to comply. The attacked party unearthed ugly

looking guns and opened fire on the hold-ups instead.
"This proved bad policy, for when the smoke cleared away the cashier,
a very popular man, was found dead, while an assistant was
dangerously wounded. The shooting, however, had aroused the town to
the situation, and men were seen running to and fro with guns. This
unexpected refusal and the consequent shooting spoiled the plans of the
robbers, so that they abandoned the robbery and ran to their horses.
"After mounting they parleyed with each other a moment and seemed
bewildered as to which way they should ride, finally riding south
toward what seemed a