USA > Colorado > Larimer County > History of Larimer County, Colorado > Part 19
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Indian Scare on Upper Boxelder and What Came of It
Shortly after Isaac Adair and family settled on Upper Boxelder in 1875, the few scattered settlers of that district became greatly alarmed over a threat- ened raid by a marauding band of Sioux Indians. The story goes, and it is a true one, that the band of redskins swooped down to capture and run off a bunch of horses owned by a banker in Cheyenne, named Kent, which he had on the range near the set- tlement. They succeeded in running off a large num- ber of horses. Of course, the settlers were afraid the savages would return and made hasty preparations to give them a warm reception.
Adair secured two rifles and two double barreled shot guns with which to repell the anticipated at- tack. A few days later, Mr. Adair and his hired man, Jacob McAffee, went to look after a pit of charcoal he had burning about a mile from the family cabin. They took the two rifles with them, leaving the shotguns with Mrs. Adair, charging her to keep them loaded and be on the lookout for Indians. The men had not been gone from the cabin more than two hours, when Mrs. Adair saw a band of horsemen riding rapidly toward the cabin. They were so far away that she could not make out whether they were Indians or white men, but be- lieving they were Indians she ran into the cabin, barred the doors and windows, hastily loaded the shotguns, siezed a hatchet and was about to knock out some of the chinking between some of the logs to make loop holes through which to shoot, when the horsemen rode up to the cabin. She saw at once they were white men but did not recognize any of them. One of the men, who afterwards proved to be James A. Brown of Fort Collins, seeing that she was terribly excited and about to faint, said to her "What in the name of common sense is the matter with you?" She replied with a stammering tongue, I-I th-th-thought you were Indians." The party proved to be cowboys on the round-up in charge of Mr. Brown and C. B. Mendenhall of Fort Collins.
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When the excitement had somewhat subsided the cowboys examined the shotguns and found about one foot of powder and buckshot jammed into each barrel, which Mrs. Adair, in her fear and haste, thought was the proper charge for Indians. The charges were removed by fastening the butts of the guns against the axle of a wagon, cocking the guns and tying strings to the triggers of sufficient length to enable one to get out of the danger zone, and then by pulling the strings, the guns were discharged without doing much damage. The settlers were never troubled by Indians after that.
Early Day Echoes
If Harmon Mann's memory serves him right, it was about 1866 that the troops were withdrawn from the garrison at Fort Collins. Prior to that time they were maintained there to guard against any outbreak of the Indians of whom there were not a great many abiding in the country. As a rule, they were never contented to remain in one section, generally keeping on the move from one part of the country to another and it was never known when a whole tribe would swoop down upon the settlement from nobody knows where.
After many annoyances from these Indians who did remain in these parts, the aid of the Government was invoked to put a stop to their depredations. Accordingly the Indians were ordered to stay at all times in sight of the garrison at Camp Collins if they chose to remain in the country at all. An open season was declared upon any Indian straying beyond a distance of four miles from the camp, and the whites were allowed to shoot any found out- side of that pale on sight, providing the Indian didn't see the white man and pull the trigger first.
Mr. Mann recalls the thrilling experience of a lieutenant who went out one day hunting while this order was in effect. Seeing an Indian out on the bluffs hunting he decided to capture and march him into camp. Approaching the Indian he shoved a pistol in his face and ordered him to surrender. But the Indian was very athletic and quick with a gun. Before the lieutenant realized it, his gun was taken from him and the Indian was marching him to his wigwam. He was not harmed, but for a long time he had to bear the blunt of the joke that was turned so unexpectedly upon him. This same Indian afterwards proved himself a better man physically in many respects than some of the boast- ful soldiers. An officer who sneeringly remarked that he could outrun any Indian was laughed to
scorn by this fleet redskin, who ran the officer a race and performed the feat with a blanket wrapped about him .- Windsor Poudre Valley, February, 1909.
How Abner Loomis Lost a Mule
The following interesting sketch of an early day incident appeared in the Loveland Reporter in January, 1887. I do not vouch for the truth of the story, but tell it as it was told in the Reporter, adding however that it bears the ear marks of truth. The man Musgrove was widely known in the early days as the head of a gang of horse thieves who in- fested the country along in the 60's, and who was hung in Denver in 1868 by a mob, for his misdeeds. As is told elsewhere in this book, Mr. Loomis had much to do with Musgrove's capture and final sur- render to the Denver authorities :
"Few people knowing Ab. Loomis of Fort Col- lins," said the Reporter, "today would at all suspect that in the early days of Colorado, he was noted as a man of great courage and nerve, but such is the fact. Any of the old-timers hereabout remember the time when he was esteemed a bad man to fool with. He was never quarrelsome, nor would he in any way incite a row, but when a tough wanted to bully anybody he invariably passed Ab. Loomis as a man too dangerous for his business. Loomis was taken at a disadvantage at one time however. Everybody had heard of Musgrove, who had a gang of horse-thieves with headquarters in Poudre canon part of the time, and part of the time near St. Cloud. The story of how Musgrove become a horse thief and outlaw as told by his followers is to the effect that he wished to retaliate and get revenge for the way the United States government had used him. He used to own a train of freighting teams and at one time ventured among the Indians on the Laramie Plains. Government officials searched his wagons, and finding whiskey, confis- cated the whole train and threw Musgrove into the guardhouse. There he was compelled to per- form menial duties, such as cleaning the office quarters, emptying the spittoons and other dirty work. When he escaped from confinement he went into the business of stealing government property, particularly horses and mules, at every opportunity. He and his gang always claimed that they never took anything from private citizens, but the record is not exactly clear on this point. At any rate the gang was looked upon with suspicion by not only government officials but by the settlers as well. To arrest Musgrove and break up his gang if pos-
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sible, a Deputy United States Marshal came from Denver, and while in search of evidence visited Mr. Loomis' ranch in Pleasant valley, going thence to Laporte where he went into the saloon and billiard hall kept by Ben. Claymore and John B. Provost, and called for a drink. The building that housed the saloon is now owned and occupied by Rowland Herring and family as a residence.
Musgrove's gang were all in the saloon at the time playing billiards, and the walls were lined with shot guns and the chairs covered with pistols, belts, cartridges and other paraphernalia. The appearance of the saloon, its occupants and its equipments satisfied the deputy marshal that his company could be spared, so he quietly withdrew without waiting for his order for a drink to be filled. Mounting his horse the officer rode away towards Denver at top speed.
Musgrove, hearing that the deputy marshal had visited Loomis, resolved that he, too, wanted to see Mr. Loomis. One morning, just after Mr. Loomis had hitched a fine mule that had cost him $250, to his gate post and was going into the house for breakfast, Musgrove rode up with his shotgun on the pommel of his saddle. Loomis invited him into breakfast, and the visitor raised in his saddle as if to dismount when the gun went off and shot the mule. Musgrove apologized, saying it was an acci- dent and that he would replace the animal with a government mule "that you can sell as easily as this one." At this, he rode off at full speed. Mr. Loomis' first impulse was to shoot the scoundrel, but he stopped to examine his mule and when he looked up Musgrove was out of sight. The fol- lowing year Mr. Loomis got even by laying a trap for Musgrove which resulted in his capture in 1868 and subsequent hanging from Cherry Creek bridge in Denver.
Demolishing a Frontier Relic
The Fort Collins Courier of December 30, 1886, contained the following reminder of the days when the soldiers were stationed at Camp Collins, more than forty-five years ago:
"The work of demolishing the only remaining relic of the days when the soldiers under Col. W. O. Collins were the only inhabitants of this city, was begun this morning. The old log building standing on the alley back of the Tedmon house, the last one left of the half dozen or more erected by the soldiers of 1864 for winter quarters, is about to disappear. And with it disappears every vestige
and sign of what was known as Camp Collins, ex- cept a lingering memory existing with a few old- timers. In August, 1864, Col. Collins of the 11th Ohio volunteer cavalry, Commander of the Dis- trict of the Platte, with headquarters at Fort Laramie, came to the Caché la Poudre valley in search of a location for a military post, and being pleased with the situation, established here a post thenceforward known from his name as Fort Col- lins. From that time until its abandonment for this use, from two to six companies of infantry and cav- alry were stationed here to curb the Indians and protect the Overland stages, the scanty settlements and the emigrants continually passing this way.
"A military reservation, upon which Fort Collins now stands, was surveyed and set apart by the gov- ernment in 1864. Necessary buildings were put up for the accommodation of the officers and soldiers, and the nucleus of a settlement was thus formed. The building that Mr. James A. Brown is tearing down was one of these, and was occupied as officers' quarters. It is a one-story log building and stands facing Long's Peak. On the north end, close up under the gable, a rude balcony was constructed, containing just about space enough for one person. This used to be Col. Collins' favorite seat. It commanded a good view of the river, the valley and the bluffs beyond. On the departure of the soldiers in June, 1866, W. D. Hayes, now of Hastings, Mich., became the owner of the house and lot on which it stands. Mr. Hayes is well and kindly remembered by all the old-timers, all of whom were his warm friends. Mrs. Hayes is a sister of Mrs. A. J. Ames, with whom she spent several weeks in 1885. Mr. Hayes sold the property in 1868 to James A. Brown, who still owns it. In this old house Mr. and Mrs. Brown first set up housekeep- ing, and here is where their first child was born. At that time Mr. Brown was interested with his brother, John R. Brown, in a blacksmith shop, which stood on the corner of Jefferson and Pine streets, across the street east of the old Grout livery stable."
It was in this house that Agnes Mason (now Mrs. E. C. Gildings), the first white child born in Fort Collins, first saw the light of day, on the 31st of October, 1867; and in this house, on the 30th of December, 1866, was solemnized the mar- riage of Mr. Harris Stratton and Mrs. Elizazeth Keays, their's being the first wedding celebrated in Fort Collins. A good many tender memories cling to that old house of days that are gone never to re- turn, and of joys that are passed."
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Lynching of Musgrove
In the early days the crime of horse stealing was considered almost, if not quite equal, in enormity to that of murder, and it is stated as a fact that more men suffered death for horse stealing than were executed for taking human life. A short shrift was given the horse thief when apprehended and the evidence of his guilt were deemed sufficient by Judge Lynch to justify death by hanging. Pos- session of stolen horses or mules was usually con- sidered good enough grounds for inflicting the death penalty and the execution promptly followed. Judge Lynch was inflexible in his rulings and there was no appeal when he pronounced sentence. While it is true that a number of men were put to death in the early days for this offense, it is not re- corded and not believed that any innocent persons suffered the death penalty at the hands of an out- raged, law-abiding community. In most cases the accused was given a hearing before a self- con- stituted tribunal of citizens and an opportunity to clear himself of the charge, but it oftentimes hap- pened that the horse thief was caught red-handed and launched before his Maker from the limb of the nearest cottonwood tree or the cross-bar of a telegraph pole. While lynch law in a civilized community cannot be justified by any rule of right or reason, there seems to be no other satisfactory way for an unorganized community, without courts or officers of the law, to protect itself against the depredations of outlaws, brigands and desperadoes. It may, therefore, be said, with a semblance of justice, that the early settlers of Colorado were morally, at least, justified in resorting to extreme measures in defending themselves and their property from molestations by marauders and in appealing to lynch law as a means of ridding the country of un- desirable characters. Provisions and supplies for the early settlers had to be carried in wagons a dis- tance of six hundred miles, and if their teams were stolen en route or driven from ranches by thieves, they were placed at great disadvantage and often made to suffer the pangs of hunger or death from starvation. Hence a horse thief was looked upon as being but little if any better than a murderer.
In the summer of 1868 a gang of robbers and horse thieves established a camp at Bonnar Springs, an almost inaccessible natural rock fortress, situated in the hills a short distance west of Owl canon on the road to Livermore. From their headquarters at this point the gang operated in Southern Wyom- ing and Northern Colorado, stealing and running
off horses and cattle. Government property suf- fering the most from their depredations. There was great temptation in those days to steal govern- ment horses and mules as these animals could be readily sold at remunerative prices. A pair of mules brought from $350 to $700 and no questions asked. Musgrove and his gang gave the army officers much annoyance and finally a reward was offered for his apprehension. Much of the stealing and running off of stock that was laid to the Indians that year was really done by Musgrove and his gang of out- laws. During the month of September, 1864, the beef herd at Fort Fred Steele, numbering fifty head, was run off in the night and while an effort was made to recapture them, not a hoof was dis- covered. During the month of October all the cavalry horses belonging to the cavalry company at the fort were supposed to have been taken by Musgrove's gang. It was strongly suspected at the time that the soldiers on guard were connected with the affair, as they had disappeared with the horses and there was no evidence that they had been killed. As soon as the loss was discovered, mounted men were sent in pursuit of the thieves, but they came back empty handed. A number of other raids were made soon after and in each case small bunches of horses and mules were taken. The quarter- masters' office at the fort was in a tent and was supplied with a safe. Thieves cut open the tent one night with a knife and removed the safe, carry- ing it to a gulch some distance away where it was blown open and the money it contained, $1,800, secured by the thieves. The stealing of the safe could not, of course, be charged to the Indians and an effort was then made to break up the organized gang of outlaws that infested the country. Mus- grove, who was believed to be the leader of the brigands, came in for a full share of attention. At last, through the efforts of the late Abner Loomis of Fort Collins, Musgrove was apprehended. Mr. Loomis had known Musgrove several years and had sold him vegetables from his farm in Pleasant val- ley and had told the outlaw that if he ever stole a horse or mule belonging to a settler in the Caché la Poudre valley the ranchmen would organize, hunt him down and hang him. This admonition had the desired effect, for, so far as is known, not a ranch- man in the valley ever had an animal stolen by. the gang. Knowing that a price had been set on Mus- grove's head and that the whole country was an- xious to get rid of him, Mr. Loomis decided to ef- fect his capture, which he did by resorting to strat- agem. In the latter part of October, 1868, he
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started for Musgrove's rendezvous on horseback, unarmed and unattended. On approaching the the camp, Musgrove, gun in hand, halted him and asked if he was armed. Mr. Loomis replied he was not, but had come on a peaceful mission. Being assured that his visitor was unarmed, Musgrove al- lowed him to enter the camp. Mr. Loomis then told Musgrove where he could find a valuable horse, which had strayed from the outlaw's band a few days before. The animal, he said, was in a neigh- bor's field and that Musgrove could get the horse by going after him. Being lulled into security by the belief that a man who would take so much pains to do him a favor must be a friend, Musgrove accompanied Mr. Loomis to the valley to get his horse. They stopped at Mr. Loomis' house for sup- per, and while they were eating, Officer Haskell from Denver, entered the house with gun in hand and ordered the brigand to throw up his hands, which order was promptly obeyed. Haskell had been told to conceal himself near the house and be ready to make the capture while supper was being served. He ironed his prisoner, took him to Den- ver and lodged him in the Larimer street prison. Musgrove arrived in Denver at rather an unfort- unate time for himself, as the people of that city had lately been devoting their attention to the clean- ing out of outlaw gangs. Sam Dungan, another outlaw, who had been driven out of Cheyenne and Laramie City by threats of lynching, had just held up and robbed an old man named Orson Brooks of about $125, and had been hanged by the citizens. The day after the execution of Dungan, a vigilance committee formed on Blake street in the afternoon and in an orderly procession marched to the prison and demanded the person of Musgrove. When the door opened to admit the leader, the prisoner sus- pecting their purpose seized a billet of wood and stood at bay, defying them to take him. Revolvers were drawn and several shots fired at him, but owing to the excitement, none took effect. After a short but sharp struggle, Musgrove was over- powered and taken to the Larimer street bridge over Cherry creek, where preparations had been made for the lynching. Realizing his doom, he resolved to meet it bravely. His request to be permitted to write a hasty note to a friend was granted. The message, written with a pencil on the railing, was soon finished, when he was put into a wagon and driven into the bed of the creek under the bridge, from one of the floor timbers of which dangled a rope. Here he was bound, hands and feet and the noose adjusted about his neck, when the order was
given to drive the wagon from under him. To make death certain and immediate, Musgrove sprang into the air and when he fell his neck was broken, his death being comparatively painless.
Speaking of the lynching of Musgrove, the Rocky Mountain News commented at the time as follows :
"Musgrove was an outlaw who had made society his prey for several years, successively defying by boldness, when he could not outwit by cunning, the officers of justice. He was driven as a bandit from California, Nevada and Utah and first appeared in Colorado in the role of a murderer at Fort Halleck in 1863. For this he was arrested and sent to Denver, where he was discharged by the United States Commissioner for want of jurisdiction. Tak- ing up his residence on Clear Creek at Baker's bridge, he soon became the recognized chief of a band of land pirates, who lived by running off gov- ernment stock, effacing the brand and then dis- posing of it.
"The charge which exasperated the people was that of his having been the leader of one of the bands of Indians which ravaged our settlement last fall. As he was taken from the jail he said, 'I sup- pose you are going to hang me because I've been an Indian chief'. Deprecate the course as we will the fact remains, that the people resorted to violence because the criminal laws did not afford the protec- tion which the people had a right to demand of them."
Hall's history of Colorado, closed an extended comment on the violent death of Musgrove in the following terms: "In the early times as they are called, the people endured many atrocities with rea- sonable patience, but when some especially heinous assault was made upon their rights, their wrath ex- ceeded all bounds and instantly rendered a judg- ment from which there was neither escape nor appeal."
I am indebted for some of the facts stated in Mus- grove's career to Halls' History of Colorado and to Coutant's History of Wyoming. The account of the manner of Musgrove's arrest was given me by Mr. Loomis a good many years ago.
Stories of Early Days
Robert J. Spotswood, who died at his home in Littleton, Colorado, in June, 1910, was express messenger and later Division Superintendent on the Old Overland Stage line, and personally knew many of the famous characters who added the spice
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of romance to the old frontier. Said the Rocky Mountain News at the time of Mr. Spotswood's death :
"Mr. Spotswood succeeded the notorious Joseph A. Slade, the man-killer who was described so pict- uresquely by Mark Twain, as superintendent of the Julesburg division of the Overland stage line. It was on this division that Slade made his reputation as a man-killer. He was put in charge of the divi- sion at a time when the depredations of Indians and outlaws along the division made travel a matter of peril. The company realized that somebody would have to be put in charge who could take hold with a firm hand, and Slade proved to be the man for the post. He killed right and left, and soon the Indians and outlaws learned to give his division a wide berth.
"In justice to Slade it should be said that he was a perfect gentleman except when under the control of liquor," said Mr. Spotswood a short time ago. "He was a quiet-spoken and most agreeable man when sober, but was a fiend incarnate when drunk. He worked faithfully and well for the company and he soon had the reputation of bringing his stages through on time. Eventually, however, liquor be- gan getting the upper hand of him, and the officials of the company realized that they would have to let him out, as his outbreaks were beginning to create a good deal of complaint.
"When I received the appointment as superin- tendent of the division to succeed Slade, my friends in Denver bade me good-bye almost tearfully. It was predicted that I would never return to Denver alive. 'Slade will kill you rather than yield his post,' I was told, but I answered that the killing would have to take place as there was nothing for me to do but go ahead and obey the company's orders.
"The division headquarters at that time was Virginia Dale, about 100 miles northwest of Den- ver. Slade made that place his headquarters when the Overland route was moved south to include Denver. It was a beautiful and romantic spot on Dale creek, and Slade had named it for his wife, a handsome and charming woman. When I arrived at Virginia Dale and told my mission, there was no wild outbreak on Slade's part. He bowed to the will of the company without a word, and he and his wife did everything in their power to make my stay agreeable during the next two or three days. Slade made an accounting and turned over every- thing in good shape. His own stock he separated from that belonging to the company. He had many
horses and mules and wagons, and took them to Montana, as the Virginia City boom was on, and he told me he intended to return to his old business as a freighter.
"It so happened that a year later I was trans- ferred to Virginia City, where Slade had been freighting. He had made a great deal of money and had a fine ranch near Virginia City, but his old habits were too strong for him. He had killed several persons during his wild outbreaks, and, after several warnings had proved unavailing, the vigilantes took him out and hanged him in 1864."
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