CAREER OF A DESPERADO.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVII, Issue 8270, 31 May 1890, Page 2 (Supplement)

CAREER OF A DESPERADO.

HE KILLED FOURTEEN MEN. StrßTo!f Colbert is dead (says a correspondent of the New York Sun, writing Km McAllister, Indian Territory, on 2oth ritimo), and, contrary to all notions ever bold on the subject of his death, ho died peacefully in bed, with a parson praying by his side for the welfare of his soul. If Barton Cohort's soul was whitened by that prayer then is a deal of hope for every man in fcl* wicked piece of land called the Indian Territory. Barton Cobe,rt was born in Oneida County, *.*., near Utica, ooApril 20, 1869, and passed his early days St farm. His father was well-to-do and indulgent, and Burton was the only boy At Fort Smith young Colbert got his first teste of blood. He was employed in Hent_ sell and M'Derrootts livery stable, his chief occupation being the driving of commercial travellers from "Fort Smith to various villages around the country and to the little stores kept by squaw men in the Indian country. One day he reached the little store located about half-way between Fort Gibson and Tahlequah, having with him a St. Louis traveller for a notion house. This store was kept by an Indian, and there happened to be a dozen men about it, the most of whom were of Indian blood. The »h'ht of the traveller's samples excited the spectators so much that as if by a concerted movement, they gathered about the open gripsacks, and began to pick up and pocket some of the most attractive of the truck. It. was done so quickly and on so many sides at once that the traveller wad taken by surprise, and in a flurry tried to close the sample cases. Ho overturned one instead that dropped a lot of little metal-cased mirrors, photograph cases, and other bright things on the floor. The sound of the scramble and the expostulation of the traveller drew the attention of Colbert to the matter for the first time. As he whirled round, he drew his revolver from its holster on his right hip. The next minute two men fell mortally hurt, hit by one bullet. Gather up your duds, said Colbert to the traveller, and he did it with trembling hands. Colbert always said, after his trial by the United States Court was over, that this killing was accidental ; that his thumb slipped as ho was ry-ckinc the weapon. He had learned the knack "of drawing his pistol so that its muwle was pointed at the enemy the moment it had clewed the holster, howover, and no one believed that a man who had learned this trick was going to let the hammer slip. It was from this time that Jtis career as a desperado really began. He was much sought after by lighting men, and it is likely that he began to grow ambitious to achieve further glory within a very short time after his affair on the Tahleqiiah mail route, for within a month he was put on the United States Marshal's force, and sent on the most dangerous missions that fell to their lot. It was early in March, 18S1, that he got into his next fight where blood was shed. Over in the Creek Nation was a family by the name of Crenshaw— father and three sons—who had as villainous a mixture of white, negro, and Creek blood in their veins as was ever known in that particularly tough part of the Indian Territory. They were horse thieves by vocation, and practised highway robbery as an avocation. They had murdered a number of men, but proof of the crimes had been lacking. In March the four men came to Fort Gibson to attend Court, and M'Derraott, the liveryman, recognise.! two of the horses as the property of a farmer living in Cherokee County, Kansas, from a very accurate description which he had received from the farmers. Warrants for the four thieves were issued and delivered to Colbert and five other marshals, who were detailed to make the arrest. By some means not knowu the Crenshaws heard that the warrants were out, and, getting their horses. they rode quietly out of town before the marshals had developed a plan for taking them in. A race for it was all that was left, and a mighty hard race it proved. For thirty miles they ran their horses up the Arkansas Valley, and then they separated. It fell to Colbert to follow the old man alone. The trail led across the prairie for seven miles, and then went into the woods. The old man was safe for the time, for do man could follow a trail into the woods and hope to escape an ambush. Colbert at once turned back to the Arkansas Valley, and followed up the stream, making straight for the Crenshaw cabin on the north fork of Polecat Creek. He had once stopped at Crenshaw's, and knew the family. He reached the cabin at the end of two days near sunset, and remained in the bush until nightfall. It was a moonlight night, and the weather was warm, just to the taste of the otfieer. An examination of the premises showed that only the woman and a grown-up girl, whom Colbert rightly supposed to be Crenshaw's daughter, were at home. While considering what he should do, Colbert saw the girl slip away from the house, and go off up the creek alone. He followed her carefully until she sat down on a mossy bank 200 yards away. He saw that she kept looking up the stream, as if expecting someone. Colbert had not made love to pretty girls back in York State in other days for nothing. He saw that the girl was looking for a lover, and determined to take this lover's place. Carefully slipping round until above the girl on the bank, he toot her in his arms almost before she knew of his presence. Then he carried her up the bank away from the stream, whispering thi while some gentle lie to reassure her. B? was a handsome fellow and of a kindlj disposition. Creek maidens, like white iiaidens, admire a dashing lover, and this grl recognised Colbert the moment she saw him. What became of the lover is not Inown ; some folks think Colbert killed bin. Fortunately, the girl had not heard tha Colbert was a deputy marshal. It was, fierefore, easy to make her believe he had ome all the way from Fort Smith to see kr. She took him to the house inside of wo hours, and when, the next morning, old man Crenshaw and his oldest boy Jack riached the cabin Colbert met them with , revolver in each hand. He had the drtp on them beautifully, but lie had not calculated on the women making trouble. No sooner did the two men hold up their a-ms than the girl, half-wild to think she lad been made a fool of, jumped on the officer from behind. Colbert pulled the trigger*, and both men dropped, and then he deliberately shot the girL, but not to death. Thi old man was killed and Jack so badly hurt.that he could not fight, and Colbert wai once more roaster of the situation. What to do next he was at a loss to know for a. while, but he eventually mounted his horse and rode fcway tor a surgeon to care for tht wounded. Bc*,h Jack and the girl recovered. The three boys were taken to Fort fcraith for trial; two were convicted, and one came clear. Ti*, two got sentences of a little over a year, as was customary at Fort Smith in those days. The adventure had simply added to the number of men who were looking for the blood of Burton Colbert. To tell of all the fights that Colbert engaged in from that time until his death, were the details all known, would make a mighty interesting page. Colbert asked for the most dangerous work on hand, and gob it every time. He is credited with killing from fourteen to nineteen men since 1880, but the exact number is not known. After remaining on the marshal's force until about two years ago, Colbert lost his job. The force was reorganised, beoause so many of the men had become blackmailers, and lived by harassing the peaceable citizens of the territory. Colbert was one of those who had to go. Like a good many others who were then dismissed from the service, he had so long lived a life of excitement that he could not give it up. If he could not be a man hunter he would become one of the hunted. He turned horse-thief himself, and from his long exigence as an officer was able to boy with tie fledgling deputy marshals in a way thu, made them wild. But he was handicaiiped in one way ; the men whom he had formerly hunted were just as eager as ever to take his life. They had not hated the officer, but the individual, and he was betweet two fires. To add to his peril, the love of quor gofc the betfcer o{ hjm V. Hen partly drunk, Colbert was latterly probably the most dangerous man in the territory H e Was nofcOQly easily oended but the liquor made him suspicious. Once bis animosity was aroused the object of his fire had to run .hoot, or die. His death was due tea cold caught while on a spree with a party of men and women that had come up from Denison, ostensibly to see the coal ml , here, but really for a lark. Colbert got fall of whisky the party brought, and waa soaked through oa hia

way home from the dance by a rain that bad come on during the night. He fell down beside the road, and lay there no one knows how long. Pneumonia killed him in 48 hours.