He says that some day he will get out, and then his first act
will be to kill the keeper, and the next to kill Lieutenant Rae. He
also declares that Faye kicked him when he was in the guardhouse at
the post. Of course anyone with a knowledge of military discipline
would know this assertion to be false, for if Faye had done such a
thing as that, he might have been court-martialed.
The sheriff was actually afraid to make the arrest the first time he
went over, because so many of Oliver's friends were in town, and so he
came back without him, although he saw him several times. The second
trip, however, Oliver was taken off guard and was handcuffed and out
of the town before he had a chance to rally his friends to his
assistance. He was brought to Las Animas during the night to avoid any
possibility of a lynching. The residents of the little town are full
of indignation that the man should have attempted to kill an officer
of this garrison. He is a horse thief and desperado, and made his
escape from their jail several months back, so altogether they
consider that the country can very well do without him. I think so,
too, and wish every hour in the day that the sheriff had been less
cautious. Oliver cannot be tried until next May, when the general
court meets, and I am greatly distressed over this fact, for the jail
is old and most insecure, and he may get out at any time.
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