(Jan. 8, 189S. 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
23 
HEAD OF MOUNTAIN SHEEP. 
Killed by Mr. George Grould in the Peninsula of Lower California. Probably Nelson's Mountain Sheep. 
he had heard what a good shot he was, but during the 
dinner that followed adroitly remarked that he supposed 
that the Indians whom Cherry had had in charge had 
escaped. Up to this time Cherry, who had all the time 
been eager to give a full account of the entire transac- 
tion, had managed to restrain himself, but this slur on 
his ability as a marksman was too much, and, in spite 
of all our winks and nudges, he came out with an em- 
phatic "No, sir; not much, they didn't; not by a d d 
sight." Anything could be questioned but the accuracy 
of his faithful rifle. I do not know what the agent 
reported, but am certain he could have had the entire 
band of Indians satisfactorily accounted for if he had 
remained long enough in Cherry's societi^ We took 
care, however, that he did not. 
It was the year that young Robert Ray Hamilton was 
■ lost that Cherry's pride received its quickest fall. The 
horse that Hamilton had ridden was found on the bank 
of the river not far from our camp, with the saddle 
overturned, an antelope strapped on behind the cantel, 
and some river grass clinging to the stirrups. In the 
hope of finding his bodj^ we built a log canoe for the 
• purpose of searching the river. Men accustomed to 
handling a boat were requested to step out from the 
motle}^ crowd gathered on the bank, and among the 
first of the volunteers came Cherry, with the remark 
that "he was born ana bred in a boat." We shoved out 
from the shore, and began poling along the shallow 
stream. All went well until we struck a deep and stag- 
nant pool, when Cherry suddenly dropped his pole, and, 
peering over the side, gasped out: "Boys, we have got 
to turn back; I can't see no bottom here." Nor could 
he be induced to get into an upright position again and 
go to work until the bottom was once more in plain 
sight. 
One of my most amusing experiences with Cherry 
happened that same year. Reports of remarkably good 
shooting had come to us from the other side of the 
range, and, hoping to participate in it, We (iecided to 
cross, although it involved a trip of some 300 miles in 
the dead of winter. We had almost succeeded in reaching 
the foothills, when a blizzard from the north struck 
us with such severity that for four days it drove us before 
it southward. The country back of us was in such condi- 
tion, and the cold so intense, that we then decided to 
strike out for a town about ninety miles distant, to rest 
up and supply our larder before again venturing into 
the mountains. 
After two days of forced traveling we reached the 
town, and gave an eager welcome to the first place of 
entertainment we could find, leaving our horses outside. 
The latter did hot relish this arrangement, and soon be- 
came restless, so that Cherry finally decided to take 
them to the' outskirts of town and make camp, where 
we were to follow him later. We were just beginning 
to luxuriate in the comfort and warmth of the hotel, 
when we were startled by a series of piercing yells and 
curses almost outside the door, and, recognizing Cherry's 
voice, we rushed out, vaulted into our saddles, and drove 
our horses pell-mell around the corner. The sight that 
met our eyes was sufficiently exciting to cause all of 
us to hurry to the rescue. Our pack horses were bucking 
about in everj' direction; some running away; some 
tangled up in the wire fences, and in danger of serious 
injur}'; and some on the groimd, thrown by their loos- 
ened lash ropes. Cherry was afoot, the bridle of his horse 
in one hand and his six-shooter in the other. The cause 
of all this commotion was a trolley car, which had sud- 
denljr burst around the corner with the usual clanging 
of the bell and pyrotechnic emission of sparks. When 
we arrived on the scene, Cherry had the motorman cov- 
ered with his revolver, and was bawling to him at the 
top of his voice to "take his wagon into another street." 
This order not being obeyed with suificlent alacrity, he 
fired a couple of shots across his bows as a warning, 
which confirmed the motorman and his fares in the im- 
pression that a hold-up was in progress, and the last 
we saw of them they were scuttling across lots to a 
place of safety. We hastily got our outfit together, and 
started at once in the direction of the old ranch, con- 
cluding that, after all, there was no place like home. 
Cherry listened "patiently to our remonstrances as we 
rode away, but was evidently not placated, and declared 
defiantly, as the town disappeared behind the hills, that 
"No Christian soldiers, with their church-bells ringing, 
could travel up the same canyon with his pack horses. 
Not if he saw 'em first." 
It must not for a moment be assumed from these 
stories that Cherry was at all deficient in courage, and 
nerve, and daring. Far from it. And while he was not 
what is known as a "bad man," and had no private 
graveyard, yet many a Western bully has found to his 
cost that, underlying that childlike and amiable sim- 
plicity of character, there was a stratum as hard as flint, 
and which struck fire as readily when dealt a blow. Un- 
less the traditions of the frontier are at variance with the 
facts, there are several people registered in the next 
world on Cherry's introduction. According to one of 
these stories, Cherry and a number of trappers and 
cattlemen were gathered at a ranch one winter evening 
exchanging yarns, as was their wont, and everything was 
peaceful and amicable enough until the advent of a 
tough citizen from the foothills, who came in just as 
Cherry was relating some of his experiences, to which 
the newcomer took most decided objections. Cherry 
stood his abuse and ridicule as long as possible, and, 
finally, when it became unbearable, resolved, rather than 
have trouble, to leave, and was in the act of mounting 
his horse when this bull}', who was of enormous size 
and strength, dealt him a terrific blow on the head, 
which nearlj' rendered him insensible. He then followed 
up this cowardly advantage with several more of the 
same kind, after which he dragged Cherrj' back to the 
house and threw him on the floor, as an example ot 
what others might expect who incurred his displeasure. 
He had made a very grave mistake, however, in giving 
Cherry this brief breathing spell, for it enabled him to 
pull himself together and collect his faculties. One of 
his eyes had been rendered useless by a blow it had 
received, and the other was nearly blinded by the blood 
which flowed from a cut on his forehead: but as soon 
as he was able to distinguish his antagonist he made for 
him with a rush. Seeing him coming, the bully drew 
his revolver, but before he could pull the trigger Cherry 
was upon him, and before the others could interfree, 
had they been so disposed, had killed him with his own 
weapon. 
I happened to be present at a little tragedy in which 
Cherry took part, which caused the death of a famous 
horsethief and his partner, and which well illustrated 
Cherry's coolness and nerve. He had known years be- 
fore in Montana a man by the name of Murphy, who 
at that time was acting as foreman for a large cattle 
companj', and afterward got mixed up in some one of 
the numerous border frays which were continually aris- 
ing, and the other side getting the upper hand, he was 
forced to leave. While en route south he fell in with a 
man by the name of Spalding, who had some 200 head 
of horses with him, which, he assured Murphy, were all 
"good" stock, and offered to give him an interest in them 
if he would help to get them to market, and this proposi- 
tion Murphy accepted. Shortly after this they fell in 
with Cherry, who was returning from a huntirig trip, 
and Spalding made the same proposition to him, which 
was also accepted. The very next night a band of horse- 
thieves, or sheriff's deputies — they never knew which — 
stampeded their outfit, and made off south. They suc- 
ceeded in recovering the greater part of the stock, but, 
fearing further depredations, and being near Cherry's 
ranch, decided to winter the stock there. 
During the winter a trapper from the north, who 
stopped over at the ranch for the night, told Cherry that 
the horses had been stolen, and that Spalding was the 
man who had done it. Cherry questioned Spalding on ■ 
the subject, and, much to his and Murphy's surprise, 
learned that the charge was true. Cherry was for 
washing his hands of the whole outfit, but Murphy de- 
cided to see it out, and, chiefly on his account, our old 
guide concluded not to interfere, but to allow the stock 
to winter on the ranch and let matters take their course. 
The winter was almost gone before anything further was 
heard of the stock; but the latter part of March word 
came to Cherry that a strong Montana posse was headed 
for the ranch. Even then he and Murphy took no meas- 
ures to disassociate themselves from their suspicious 
company, but decided to stick together and take chances. 
Our party was camped on the river, al)out two miles 
below the ranch, and one morning in x\pril we heard ' 
the posse go by on the gravel bank below, and by the 
time our horses were caught and saddled we heard the 
shooting in the distance. We found out afterward that 
Spalding had gone to the cow barn about the time the 
posse arrived, and the leader met him at the door as 
he came out. He was at once covered with revolvers 
and ordered to surrender, but instead he jumped back 
into the barn and opened fire with both his guns. The 
odds against him, however, were too heavy, and he was 
shot down where he stood, but not imtil more than one ' 
poor fellow had been sent to his long account. Spalding 
was riddled with buckshot, and a fusillade of Winchesters ' 
was kept up long after he was dead, so that we had to 
bury him in a blanket. 
: Murphy, hearing the shooting, grasped his rifle and 
started for the barn, but just as he opened the door of 
the ranch a bullet imbedded itself in the wood near his 
head, and sent the splinters flying into his ej^es. Dazed 
and Iblinded for the moment, he put his hand to his eyes, 
and half stepped, half fell back into the doorway, and 
the man who had fired the shot, thinking he had killed 
him, raised himself from behind the mound where he 
was hidden. Quick as a flash. Murphy killed him with 
his gun at his left shoulder, and almost in the same in- 
stant shot through the heart another of the deputies, who 
incautiously showed himself in another direction. Then 
he stepped into the open, and called out that he would 
fight them one at a time, or surrender, but even while 
he spoke a bullet struck him in the back. He turned 
to face this new foe, but was struck again and again 
until he reeled and fell; but even then, though shot 
through in a dozen different places, he continued 
to use his rifle, and when thej' got to him the mag- 
azine was empty. The posse had surrounded the 
ranch when we rode up, and commanded the occupants 
to step forth. Cherry was the onl}' one. As he came 
out of the door he was ordered to throw up his hands, 
while forty deputies covered him. He had his hands 
in his pockets; started to obey the order; drew them 
half way out; hesitated; shoved them back, and finally 
crossed his arms on his chest. The order was repeated, 
btit Cherry, looking about him, first at the posse con- 
fronting him with leveled rifles still smoking from their 
recent execution, and then from the bodv of Spalding 
to the body of his friend Murphy, both riddled with bul- 
lets, he deliberately put his hands back in his pockets, 
and, turning to the sheriff, said: 'These hands will go 
up for men, not for murderers." 
Cherry will be sixty his next birthday. 
Lewis S. Thompson. 
An Amphibious Alligator. 
A Boston lady stood on the deck of the Ocklawaha 
steamer in Florida, notebook and lorgnette in hand, 
asking ponderous questions of a darky roustabout. 
"Is the alligator amphibious?" was one of her ques- 
tions. 
The dark}' scratched his head; he was a bit puzzled, 
as there had been more corn-pone than dictionary in his 
bringing up, but his quick wit and natural logic did not 
desert him as he replied: 
"I reckon he am, mis'; he done bite yo' shuah ef yo' 
monkey wid him." — Youth's Companion. 
She had just returned from a visit to Boston. "Is it 
true," asked an acquaintance, "that there is an air of 
culture and educational refinement plamly noticeable in 
the speech of Boston residents?" "My dear," she replied, 
impressively, "even the owls around Boston hoot 'To 
whom!' instead of 'To who!' as they do in the West.."-=' 
Exchange, 
