| Show Recent Deaths of Two Men One in the West and andOne andOne One fine in the East Recall Days When Gunfighters Wrote Their Names in Blood in the Wild West By ELMO SCOTT WATSON VATSON Released by Western Newspaper Union HE E Old West lived again gain T THE 1 recently and paradoxically it lived again because of the deaths of two men within the span of two weeks One of them died in the West Vest and the other in the East but both had once been closely associated associated as as- associated with events in what was once known as the Wild West the West of roaring cow towns and rowdy mining camps of shooting quick-shooting peace officers and equally trig hair I ger-fingered ger outlaws of lusty filled action-filled life and Boot Hill burials When death claimed the Rev Endicott Endicott Endicott En- En Peabody at the age of 87 in Groton Mass newspaper dispatches dispatches dispatches dis dis- dis- dis patches chronicled the fact that he had been the founder of the Groton school and its headmaster for many years during which time he had molded the minds and characters of many an eastern notable including President Franklin Delano Roose Roose- velt But few if any of these dispatches dispatches dispatches dis dis- dis- dis patches mentioned the fact that this same Rev Endicott Peabody had once lived and labored in one of the wildest towns in the history of the American frontier Tombstone Arizona Into such an environment in the summer of 1881 came a young Episcopal Episcopal Episcopal Epis Epis- copal minister recently ordained in Boston and what happened thereafter thereafter thereafter there there- after is best told in the words of a aman aman aman man who knew him then and there That man was William M. M ridge who was one of Sheriff J Johnny Johnny John ohn- ny Behan's deputies in Tombstone at the time In his book Hell do- do r I r r DR ENDICOTT PEABODY Y rado Bringing the Law to the Mesquite Mesquite Mes- Mes Mesquite quite published by the Houghton Mifflin company in 1928 Billy writes of The Fearless Fearless Fearless Fear Fear- less Preacher thus His name was Endicott Peabody He was about twenty-four twenty years of age and full of vim and energy He immediately got busy building up upa a membership for his congregation and getting funds together to build a church He was a good mixer and soon got acquainted not only with the very best element of society in Tombstone Tombstone and and there were some educated people there there but but he undertook undertook undertook un un- un- un to get acquainted with everybody ev- ev with the mining magnates and managers the federal county and city officials the professional and business managers the miners and muckers the ore haulers or teamsters and the saloonkeepers and gamblers He soon had a large congregation and had the money donated donated do do- to build his church When it was completed he had the money to pay for it and the church has never been in debt since How the Money Was Raised An incident which relates sheds light on the young preachers preacher's money raising ability One day a group of mining men including E E. E B. B Gage general manager manager manager man man- ager of the Grand Central and Contention Contention Con Con- Contention mines was sitting in a back backroom backroom backroom room of the Prospector hotel enjoying enjoying enjoy enjoy- ing a stiff poker game in which frequently frequently frequently fre fre- fre- fre as much as a thousand dollars dollars dollars dol dol- dol- dol lars was in the pot Gage was an Episcopalian writes Mr Peabody Peabody Peabody Pea- Pea body came back where they were playing and introduced himself and asked them for a donation to help build a church He explained that it was something needed badly and the only way it could be built was to get everybody he possibly could to subscribe toward building it Gage counted out about a hundred and fifty dollars from his pile in front of him and everyone else in v. v y i. i v wV j Episcopal Church in Tombstone Built by Dr Peabody the room followed his example Peabody was dumbfounded for Cor an instant and then told them that it was a much larger contribution than he had expected but it was for a good cause and he knew they would never regret it it Peabody was a fine athlete and was named the official referee in all aJl baseball games and other outdoor sports that were carried on by the young men of Tombstone His decisions were never questioned ashe as ashe ashe he was known as being absolutely square and he had no favorites He loved a good race horse-race and frequently frequently frequently fre fre- fre- fre attended the gymnasium where he kept himself in fine physical physical physical phys phys- ical condition by exercise he never refused an invitation to put on the gloves with anyone and never was bested Bad BadIan Man Ian Backs Down Perhaps that fact had something to do with the down back of one of the bad men who infested Arizona Arizona Arizona Ari Ari- zona in those days when he tried to bluff the fearless preacher tells the story thus In uIn the summer of 1881 the Reverend Reverend Reverend Rev Rev- Mr Peabody was invited down to Charleston to deliver a ser ser- ser ser- mon His subject was the evil of the stealing cattle-stealing rustlers and the drinking and carousing cowboys Billy Claybourn the would-be would bad badman badman badman man who had killed one ne or two in saloon fights in Charleston and who was afterwards killed by Frank Leslie Leslie Leslie Les Les- lie in Tombstone heard of the sermon sermon sermon ser ser- ser ser- mon and sent word to Mr Peabody that if he ever came to Charleston again and preached such a sermon he Claybourn would come to the church and make him dance Peabody Peabody Peabody Pea- Pea body told the man who delivered the message that he expected to return return return re re- re- re turn to Charleston in about two weeks and would preach a sermon sermon sermon ser ser- ser ser- mon that he thought appropriate and if Mr Claybourn would come to the church and listen to it and then ht hI ha t m make kp hi him P to try it Peabody was known to go into the saloons and houses gambling-houses and go up to the tables gambling-tables when they were in operation with witha a crowd around them and say Gentlemen Gentlemen Gentlemen Gen I am going to preach a sermon sermon sermon ser ser- ser ser- mon on the evil of gambling Sunday Sunday Sunday Sun Sun- day night and I would like to have you all come to the church and listen listen listen lis lis- ten to it All AU who could get away went to hear him He had large audiences always Less than two weeks after the death of Dr Peabody the wires carried carried carried car car- ried the news that Albert B Bacon con Fall had died at the age of 83 in El Paso Texas The news of his passing served to recall briefly a great national national national na na- na- na scandal in the recent past past past- how Senator A. A B. B Fall of New Mexico Mexico Mexico Mex Mex- ico was appointed secretary of the interior in President Hardings Harding's cabinet cabinet cabinet cab cab- inet how he was one of the chief figures in the Teapot Dome oil case and how he became the first cabinet cabinet cabinet cabi cabi- net officer in American history to serve a prison sentence for a crime Again few if any of the newspaper newspaper newspaper per accounts gave space to his career as a young lawyer in the Southwest nor told of his association association association tion with some of the notables of the frontier Yet he was the attorney attorney attorney ney for the defense who won freedom freedom freedom free free- dom for the slayers of two famous gunfighters gunfighters both both of whom illustrate the truth of the old age-old saying that he uhe who takes the sword perishes by the sword One of these gunfighters was John Wesley Hardin of Texas possibly the most notorious killer in the annals annals annals an an- nals of the Wild West and popularly popularly popularly credited with 40 notches on his six gun six gun 39 of them before he was 21 years old The notch notch notch-it it was Deputy Sheriff Charles Webb of Brown county coun coun- ty put ty-put put Hardin in the penitentiary for 15 years He employed them usefully studying law and after his release in 1894 he hung out his shingle shingle shin shin- shingle gle in various Texas towns ending up in El EI Paso the following year There he b became ca e involved in a dis dis- dis- dis with the Young Young John a city policeman and Old John a constable who had a record as a killer himself The result was that on the night of August 19 1895 Hardin Hardin Hardin Har Har- din went down before the blazing six-shooters six of Old John Selman Selman- shot from behind so his friends said as he stood drinking at the bar of the Acme saloon Selman when tried for the killing denied that he had shot Hardin in inthe inthe inthe the back He insisted that Hardin was looking him straight in the eye and apparently about to draw his hisgun hisgun hisgun gun when the constable fired A Ayoung Ayoung Ayoung young attorney named Fall FaU who had just come to El Paso agreed to assist in Selman's defense Years later Senator Ex-Senator Fall recalling the case told Eugene Cunningham author author author au au- au- au thor of A Gallery of Gunfighters I couldn't help being impressed by Selman's appearance when he assured me that he had been looking Hardin in the eye I knew Selman well and I felt that he wouldn't lieto lie lieto lieto to me and he had all aU the appearance of a man telling what he firmly be be- It puzzled me so I went down to look over the scene of the killing I stopped at the Acmes Acme's door and looked inside There was wasa a man standing at the bar and he lifted his head Then I had the explanation explanation explanation ex ex- of Selman's statement For Foras as that man stared into the mirror mirror mirror mir mir- I had the illusion for an instant of looking him straight in the eye Apparently Falls Fall's explanation was convincing to the jury for Selman was freed Few of the gunmen of that era lived past the turn of the century says an editorial on the passing of Albert B. B Fall which appeared in inthe inthe inthe the Chicago Daily News recently An exception to that statement is Pat Garrett slayer of Billy the Kid the year old gunman with the 21 notches That killing made Garrett Garretta a national figure Three times he was elected sheriff of Donna Ana county in New Mexico In 1901 President Theodore Roosevelt appointed appointed appointed ap ap- ap- ap pointed him collector of customs in inEl inEl inEl El Paso Texas Then he retired from public life and took up ranching ranching ranching ranch ranch- ing in New Mexico He had a dispute dispute dispute dis dis- dis- dis over some trifling matter with witha a comparatively unknown young nc r U UY Y yea a y L' L rv r ALBERT B B. B FALL FALLman FALLman man named Wayne Brazel and on February 29 1908 a shot from Bezels Bezel's Brazel's Brazel's Bra- Bra zel's six-shooter six ended the career of the great Pat Garrett Brazel was tried for the killing and acquitted His attorney was Albert Albert Albert Al Al- bert Bacon Fall Few of the men who knew these gunmen or who saw them alive remain alive today continues continues continues con con- the Daily News editorial Albert Albert Al bert Fall knew a lot about many of them It was popularly believed in inthe inthe inthe the Southwest that he might if he chose shed light on mysterious circumstances circumstances circumstances cir cir- cir cir- surrounding the sudden demise of a number of them But if he could he And with his death another colorful segment of frontier history grows fainter and recedes farther and farther into the fabulous past |
