The soldiers heard of the affair in camp, and several came up on a run
and stood guard at the drug store. A rumor soon got around that Oliver
had gone off to gather some of his friends, and they would soon be at
the store to finish the work. Very soon, however, a strange man came
in, much excited, and said, "Lieutenant! Oliver's pals are getting
ready to attack you at the depot as the train comes in," and out he
went. The train was due at two o'clock A. M., and this caused Faye
four hours of anxiety. He learned that the man who shot at him was
"Billy Oliver," a horse thief and desperado of the worst type, and
that he was the leader of a band of horse thieves that was then in
town. To be threatened by men like those was bad enough in itself, but
Faye knew that I would arrive on that train. That was the cause of so
much caution when the train came in. There were several rough-looking
men at the station, but if they had intended mischief, the long
infantry rifles in the hands of drilled soldiers probably persuaded
them to attend to their own affairs. A man told the corporal, however,
that Oliver's friends had decided not to kill Faye at the station, but
had gone out on horseback to meet him on the road. This was certainly
misery prolonged.
The mules were driven through the town at an ordinary gait, but when
we got on the plain they were put at a run, and for miles we came at
that pace.
Pages:
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147