Then Faye Told Me Of What Had Occurred To Make Necessary All These
Precautions.
He had come over from Fort Lyon the day before, and had
been with Major Carroll, the depot quartermaster, during the afternoon
and evening.
The men had established a little camp just at the edge of
the miserable town where the mules could be guarded and cared for.
About nine o'clock Faye and Mr. Davis started out for a walk, but
before they had gone far Faye remembered that he had left his pistols
and cartridge belt on a desk in the quartermaster's office, and
fearing they might be stolen they went back for them. He put the
pistols on underneath his heavy overcoat, as the belt was quite too
short to fasten outside.
Well, he and Mr. Davis walked along slowly in the bright moonlight
past the many saloons and gambling places, never once thinking of
danger, when suddenly from a dark passageway a voice said, "You are
the man I want," and bang! went a pistol shot close to Faye's head - so
close, in fact, that as he ducked his head down, when he saw the
pistol pointed at him, the rammer slot struck his temple and cut a
deep hole that at once bled profusely. Before Faye could get out one
of his own pistols from underneath the long overcoat, another shot was
fired, and then away skipped Mr. Davis, leaving Faye standing alone in
the brilliant moonlight. As soon as Faye commenced to shoot, his
would-be assassin came out from the dark doorway and went slowly along
the walk, taking good care, however, to keep himself well in the
shadow of the buildings.
They went on down the street shooting back and forth at each other,
Faye wondering all the time why he could not hit the man. Once he got
him in front of a restaurant window where there was a bright light
back of him, and, taking careful aim, he thought the affair could be
ended right there, but the ball whizzed past the man and went crashing
through the window and along the tables, sending broken china right
and left. Finally their pistols were empty, and Faye drew out a
second, at the sight of which the man started to run and disappeared
in the shadows.
As soon as the shooting ceased men came out from all sorts of places,
and there was soon a little crowd around Faye, asking many questions,
but he and Major Carroll went to a drug store, where his wounds could
be dressed. For some time it was thought there must be a ball in the
deep hole in his temple. When Faye had time to think he understood why
he had done such poor shooting. He is an almost sure shot, but always
holds his pistol in his left hand, and of course aims with his left
eye. But that night his left eye was filled with blood the very first
thing from the wound in his left temple, which forced him
unconsciously to aim with his right eye, which accounts for the wild
shots.
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. The little black shaved-tails pulled the ambulance, and I
think that for once they had enough run. The moonlight was wonderfully
bright, and for a long distance objects could be seen, and bunches of
sage bush and Spanish bayonet took the forms of horsemen, and
naturally I saw danger in every little thing we passed.
One thing occurred that night that deserves mentioning. Some one told
the soldiers that Oliver was hidden in a certain house, and one of
them, a private, started off without leave, and all alone for that
house. When he got there the entire building was dark, not a light in
it, except that of the moon which streamed in through two small
windows. But the gritty soldier went boldly in and searched every
little room and every little corner, even the cellar, but not a living
thing was found. It may have been brave, but it was a dreadful thing
for the trooper to do, for he so easily could have been murdered in
the darkness, and Faye and the soldiers never have known what had
become of him. Colonel Bissell declares that the man shall be made a
corporal upon the first vacancy.
The man Oliver was in the jail at Las Animas last summer for stealing
horses.
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