LET 'ER BUCK 



dried codfish had been carried away. In a muddy spot 

 at the spring nearby a tell-tale footprint was identified 

 by one of the posse as corresponding to that of a shoe 

 worn by Owens. Thus the first clue was obtained and 

 bloodhounds were placed on the scent. 



The heavy brush in the deep canyons and the ex- 

 treme dryness of the rocky hills greatly hampered the 

 hounds. When the trail was hottest, a hurry call came 

 from a town about thirty miles away to the west of 

 Pendleton, requesting all available posse men to help 

 close in on the fugitives who had been surrounded. 

 There was no time to debate the matter, and much 

 against the will of the officer in charge of the dogs, 

 the whole party of man-hunters was streaking down 

 mountain toward Pendleton. The report proved false 

 and the chase was again up in the air. 



The courthouse in Pendleton now saw the hunters 

 gathered in and new plans were systematically laid, 

 maps of creeks, canyons, springs, cabins and every 

 possible point where the desperadoes might go were 

 made; stations were established at all points and tele- 

 phones taken to many of them from which reports 

 were phoned hourly. W. R. Taylor, "Jinks" Taylor 

 to those who know him, brother of the murdered 

 sheriff, a prominent rancher of the county, was ap- 

 pointed by the court to fill the unexpired term of his 

 brother, while posters announced a total reward of six 

 thousand dollars for the capture of the fugitives, dead 

 or alive. Invaluable assistance in the planning and or- 

 ganizing was rendered by two additional Oregon ex- 

 perts in this line of work — "Ace" (A. B.) Thompson 

 of Echo and E. B. Wood of Portland. 



The search was now re-planned in a scientific man- 

 ner. All traffic was stopped through the county ; busi- 



50 



