Show RANCH TRAGEDY OF EARLY DAYS victim supposed to have been son of rich eastern man HE WAS TOO POPULAR treacherously killed by bullying foreman whose jealousy was aroused bullets removed from his revolver katonga watonga Wa tonga okla one part of north western oklahoma which is rich in the myths of the cowboy days is the land to the north of the eagle chief much of the early lore of romantic nature has been beene lost dost but there are a few old timers who vividly remember the trials of pioneer life and of the romances which like the cattle once covered the valley of this small stream the mecca for the cowmen was the frontier town of caldwell kan one of tho the most famous ranches along the eagle chief was the T 5 every ranch had its history many of them reading like notion fiction more than of the life which these bighearted big hearted men of the plains led of the T 5 this story will deal on a hill overlooking the valley ot of the eagle chief is an almost forgotten grave johnny potts I 1 within the grave lie the remains of johnny potts where he came from it is not known but those who were his friends believed him to be the son of a rich eastern man one den ben franklin was foreman on the T 5 ranch franklin boasted of the many men that had fallen at the point of his gun men who worked under him must obey they had to work for to be obstinate was like playing with powder over a fire about this time johnny potts appeared on the T 5 asking for work potts was unknown to them he displayed signs that he was well educated and had not been raised in the rough cow camps of the west his work on the T 5 was faultless he soon became very popular with the T 5 boys which fact made for him an everlasting enemy in the person of franklin many times the foreman sought a quarrel with potts either with the intention of killing him or to have an excuse of getting J was covering the foreman him discharged the cowboys knowing the dangerous nature of franklin warned potts to be careful A A few weeks later franklin met potts at a place in caldwell franklin frankin started to draw his revolver but before his hand had hardly reached the holster potts had drawn his revolver and was covering the foreman instead of shooting franklin he took the gun extracted the shells handed banded the gun back to its owner and told FY franklin anklin to go back to the ranch and milk the cows although frustrated in his attempt on potts C life his wounded pride demanded revenge victim of treachery about two weeks later a dance was held at the T 5 ranch girls from caldwell came as invited guests while the dance was nas in full progress a visitor at the ranch came to potts asking him tor for the loan of his revolver to shoot a coyote that was about to stampede the horses the revolver was returned to the owner soon afterward potts did not examine the gun to see whether or not the other huells had been exploded later in the evening franklin and potts met the former started a quarrel franklin drew his gun but before he could fire potts revolver snapped twice in the face of the foreman franklin fired and potts fell dead someone had extracted the shells from his gun franklin later escaped from the dance hall and drifted to montana potts body lies today on the hilltop overlooking the silent stream of the eagle chief his grave is unmarked |