Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 20, 1928)
PAGE SIX HEPPNER GAZETTE TIMES, HEPPNER, OREGON, THURSDAY, DEC. 20, 1928. live: rn Illustrated hyVerne C.Christy WHAT HAPPENED BEFORE Buck Duane. quick on the draw, kills Cal Bain in self-defense and finds him self an outlaw. Flying from pursuit, he meets Luke Stevens, another outlaw, and the two become pals. Luke nar rowly escapes capture and Duane is shocked to find his brother outlaw se verely wounded. Duane buries Stevens. Then he goes on to Bland's camp, where he gets Into a fight with a man called Bosomer and wounds the latter. He makes a friend of an outlaw at Bland's called Euchre, who tells him of lira. Bland and the girl Jennie. Duane meets. Jennie and promises to try his utmost to get her away from Bland's camp. To avert suspicion, it is planned that he pretend to care for Mrs. Bland. Euchre introduces him to the latter and he engages in conversation with her. Buck plays the game, making Mrs. Bland think he loves her. To avert sus picion, Mrs. Bland pretends to her hus band that Buck has come to visit Jen nie. Bland urges Buck to become a reg ular member of his outlaw gang. A quarrel later develops in which Du ane kills Bland and rushes off with Jennie after a terrific struggle with Mrs. Bland. He plans to leave Jennie in good hands until a relative or friend is located, and then go on alone on the trail. He keeps careful guard over her. Despite his care Jennie is lost. Then for three years Buck is on the trail and legends about him spread, and finally he takes the risk of calling on Captain MacNelly of the Rangers, who he has heard wants to see him. MacNelly greets him rather warmly. NOW GO ON WITH THE STORY He took a long, earnest gaze at Duane, and his nervous spontaniety, promising volubility, changed to one of grave thoughtfulness "I've lots to say but where to be gin?" he mused. "Duane, you've had a hard life since you went on the dodge. I never met you before, don't know what you looked like as a boy; but I can see what Well, even ranger life isn't all roses." He rolled his cigar between his lips and puffed clouds of smoke. "Ever hear from home since you left Wellston?" he asked abruptly. "No." "Never a word?" "Not one," replied Duane sadly. "That's tough. I'm glad to be able to tell you that up to just lately your mother, sister, uncle, all your folks, I believe, were well. I've kept posted. But haven't heard lately." Duane averted his face a moment, hesitated till the swelling left his throat, and then said: "It's worth what I went through today to hear that." "I can imagine how you feel about it When I was in the war But, let's get down to the business of this meeting." He pulled his chair close to that of Duane. "You've had word more than once in the last two years that I wanted to see you?" "Three times, I remember," re plied Duane. "Why didn't you hunt me up?" "I supposed you imagined me one of those gun-flghters who couldn't take a dare and expected me to ride up to your camp and be arrested." "That was natural, I suppose," went on MacNelly. "You didn't know me, otherwise you would have come. I've been a long time getting to you. But the nature of my job, as far as you're concerned, made me cautious. Duane' you're aware of the hard name you bear all over the Southwest?" "Once in a while I'm jarred into realizing," replied Duane. "It's the hardest, barring Murrell and Cheseldine, on the Texas bor der. But there's this difference. Murrell in his day was known to deserve his infamous name. Ches eldine in his day also. "But I've found hundreds of men in Southwest Texas who re your friends, who swear you never conv mitted a crime. The farther south I get the clearer this becomes What I want to know is the truth "Have you ever done anything criminal? Tell he the truth, Du ane. It won't make any difference In my plan. And when I say crime I mean what I would call crime on any reasonable Texan." "That way my hands are clean," replied Duane. "You never held up a man, robbed a store for grub, stole a horse when you needed him bad never any thing like that?" "Somehow I always kept out of that just when pressed the hard est" "Duane, I'm glad!" MacNelly ex claimed, gripping Duane's hand. "Glad for your mother's sake! Glad for the the person who has been Instrumental in interesting me in your case. But all the same, In spite of this, you're a Texas out law, accountable to the State. You 're perfectly aware that under ex isting circumstances, If you fell into the hands of the law, you'd probably hang at least go to jail for a long term." "That's what kept me on the dodge all these years," replied Du ane. "Certainly." MacNelly removed hsl cigar. His eyes narrowed and glittered. The muscles along his brown cheeks set hard and tense. He leaned closer to Duane, laid sinewy pressing fingers upon Duane's knee. "Listen to this," he whispered hoarsely. "If I place a pardon In your hand make you a free, hon est citizen once more clear your name of infamy, make your mother, your sister proud of you will you awear yourself to a service, any ser vice I demand? Duane sat stock-still, stunned. Slowly, more persuasively, with show of earnest agitation, Captain MacNelly reiterated his startling query. "My God!" burst from Duane. "What's this? MacNelly, you can't be In earnest?" "Never more so In my life. I've a deep game. I'm playing it square. What do you say?" He rose to his feet Duane, as it impelled, rose with him. Ranger and outlaw then locked eyes that searched each other's souls. In MacNelly 's Duane read truth, strong fiery purpose, hope, even gladness, and a fugitive, mounting assurance of victory. Twice Duane endeavored to speak, failed of all save a hoarse, incoher ent sound, until, forcing back a flood of speech, he found a voice: "Any service? Every service! MacNelly, I give my word," said Duane. Right there ends the career of Buck Duane, outlaw and gun-flght-er," said MacNelly, and seating him self, he took the pen from Duane's fingers and wrote several lines in several places upon the paper. Then with a smile, he handed it to Duane. That makes you a member of Company A, Texas Rangers." So that's it! burst out Duane, a light breaking In upon his bewilder ment You want me lor ranger service ?" Sure. That's it," replied the cap tain dryly. "Now then hear what that service is to be. I ve been a busy man since I took this job and as you may have heard, I've done a few things I don't mind telling you that political influence put me in here, and that, up Austin way, there's a good deal of friction in the Department of State in regard to whether or not the ranger serv ice is any good, whether it should be discontinued or not "I'm on the party's side who's de fending ranger service. I contend that it's made Texas habitable. Well, it's been up to me to produce results. So far I have been suc cessful. My great ambition is to break up the outlaw gangs along the river. I have never ventured in there yet, because I've been wait ing to get the lieutenant I needed You, of course, are the man I had in mind. "It's my idea to start way up the Rio Grande and begin with Chesel dine. He's the strongest the worst outlaw of the times. He's more I than a rustler. It's Cheseldine and his gang who are operating on the banks. They're doing bank robbing. That's my private opinion; but it's not backed up by any evidence. "Cheseldine doesn't leave evi dences. He's intelligent cunning. I assume, of course, that you are a stranger to him and to the country he dominates. It's five hundred miles west of your ground, big as that is. 'Well, I want you to drfit over into Cheseldine's country. What ever way you decide is best you will proceed to act upon. You are your own boss. You know such men and how they can be approached. You will take all the time needed, if it's months. It will be necessary for you to communicate with me, and that will be a difficult matter. For Chesel dine dominates several whole coun ties. You must find some way to let me know when I and my rangers are needed. The plan is to break up Cheseldine's gang.. It's the toughest job on the border. "Arresting him alone isn't to be heard of. He couldn't be brought out Killing him isn't much better, for his select men, the ones he op erates with, are as dangerous to the community as he is. "We want to kill or jail this choice selection of robbers and break up the rest of the gang. To find them, to get among them somehow, to learn their movements, to lay your trap for us rangers to spring that, Duane, Is your service to me; and God knows, it's a great one!" I have accepted it, replied Du ane. Your work will be secret You are now a ranger, in my service; but no one except the few I choose to tell will know of it till we pull off the job. You will simply be Buck Duane, the Lone Wolf, till it suits our purpose to acquaint Texas with the fact that you are a ranger. You'll see there's no date on that pardon. No one will ever know just when you entered the service. Per haps we can make it appear that all or most of your outlawry has really been good service to the State. At that, I'll believe it'll turn out so." Captain MacNelly, I'd like to know how this came about I can't realize it yet Some things are strange to me. Who interested you in my case. Won't you explain?" Sure I will," replied Captain Mac Nelly as he reached for another ci gar. "It must have been three years ago when I first began to hear your name mentioned at Austin, in the adjutant-general's office and else where. Just casually, you under stand, and I took no particular no tice. "Then I heard that women of your family were working to get influ ence for you. This was before you became famous as an outlaw. Of course, a little later, after the Bland affair, your name grew to be a household word in Texas. From then on your reputation grew. "About this time, which was about the time I became exceedingly busy with my rangers, I got an anony mous letter. It was from a woman, and it entreated me not to go on your trail. It was a remarkable letter. I have it somewhere, and shall find it for you. "I was visited by a young woman who claimed to be a member of your household at Wellston. I took her for your sister or near relative in fact, called her Miss Duane, which at the time she did not cor rect She had been to see the Govern and, of course, he had turned her down. The Governor is against outlaws, the same as he is against rangers. This girl wanted an au dience with the adjutant-general, and in his absence she ran across me. "I want to say here that she elec trified me. Before she left my of fice I was ready to fight for her. I promised to speak to the adjutant general and to use what influence I had in her behalf. She wanted a parole for you, if not a pardon. "I was absent from Austin when she came the next time. She won the Interest of Adjutant-General Reed, and he even went to the Gov ernor with her. Sure, they only got turned down. I learned from Reed's secretary that this girl was a Miss Lee instead of Miss Duane. Evi dently she was wealthy. "It was a fact, however, that she lived at your mother's home in Well ston. If money could have helped your case at the capital it sure would have been forthcoming. "All this interested me. I wrote to Miss Lee, and told her that my duties would soon take me to the Nueces country again, and that I would find out all I could about you. She replied a grateful, sweet womanly letter. I wrote her from several towns on the border, and heard from her. It was in this way that I kind of kept in touch with your family. And it was on this trip that I hatch ed out my plan to make a ranger of you. "When I got back to Austin I laid my plan before Adjutant-General Reed. He hailed it with enthusiasm. I tell you your cousin, Miss Lee I presumed she was your cousin certainly had won over Reed. We went to call upon the Governor. "I'm not likely to forget that in terview in a hurry. We called on him to give us a pardon for you. We promised we would make you render the State a service as rang er. We found ourselves precipitat ed Into a fierce debate upon the old question of the ranger service." (Continued Next Week) LAW REQUIRES MIRRORS. Mirrors are required on all motor vehicles in the following states, ac cording to information furnished by the Oregon State Motor association: Arizona, California, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Mary land, Massachusetts, Michigan, Min nesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylva nia, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming. The use of mirrors is in the In terest of safety and through the medium of a mirror, the driver is enabled to watch the car approach ing from the rear without turning his head. Fatigue is a major accident haz ard and a study of city traffic shows that danger increases as the day continues, according to the Oregon State Motor association. More than 43 per cent of the farms of the country are located on unimproved dirt roads, according to the Oregon State Motor associa tion. 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