1871 dawned on new aspirations for settlement along the great Chisholm cattle trail.

Wichita businessmen noted that Caldwell had been established just this side of the state line with an excellent potential for trade with the Texas drovers as they marched their wild Longhorn cattle northward to Abilene. It only took four months for the first murder to occur.

Deputy U. S. Marshal Jack Bridges was tracking horse thieves across the Kansas frontier. Government troops beat him to Pony Donovan, but Bridges and others gunned down Jack Ledford in a wild Wichita outhouse shootout.

At Hays City troops from Fort Hays were called out to quell a riot against the black population of the town. Black residents fled to the safety of the fort before the riot subsided with dawning of the morning sun.

Since 1867, Abilene had been the end-of -trail for Texas trail herds. Marshal Tom Smith had tamed the lawless town in 1870. Unfortunately, he was killed in November. Not just any man could fill the job. The city felt fortunate when Wild Bill Hickok agreed to fill Tom Smith’s boots.

Sixty miles south of Abilene, the new town of Newton vied for the Texas cattle trade on the line of the Santa Fe railroad.

Sixty miles west of Abilene, Ellsworth was also making a bid for the cattle. A new trail was laid out west of Wichita in an attempt to divert the trail herds away from the Chisholm Trail.

It was wild and woolly all across the Kansas frontier, and that was just the first six months of 1871.

By mid-summer the Abilene Chronicle had plenty of rough and ready news to report for the July 13, 1871, issue. Trail herds usually established a cow camp on the prairie, fattening cattle on grass before selling them. At a cow camp 40 miles south of Abilene the paper reported the, “COLD BLOODED MURDER” of Billy Cohan, a trail boss for a herd owned by O. W. Wheeler. On July 5 a Mexican herder later identified as Bideno shot the young trail boss in the back.

Mounting “a fleet pony” Bideno rode for Texas pursued by cowboys who overtook him eating dinner 250 miles south of Abilene. In another paper the town was identified as Sumner City, south of Wichita.

The Chronicle reported, “As he had shown no mercy, so his was a death without mercy.”

Famed killer John Wesley Hardin was the leader of the “posse”. Billy Cohan’s funeral was the largest funeral to take place up to that time in Abilene. Twenty-four carriages and 38 horsemen followed a new hearse to the cemetery.

Abilene’s “sporting” district of brothels and dance houses was known as McCoy’s addition. Below the Billy Cohan story was the report of a drowning.

“On Saturday afternoon ( July 8) some of the ‘characters’ from McCoy’s addition, in company with some men, went to the Smoky Hill River for the purpose of bathing.” Some of the women drifted into a “deep wash” and several of the men followed to rescue them, “and in endeavoring to do so, a young man name Frank Drum, whose father resides in St. Louis, was drowned.”

In another item the Buckeye Colony held a “Pic-Nic.” The pic-nic was attended by about 70 people.

“A good time was enjoyed in social conversation, at the dinner table, and in listening to short addresses.” It was decided to hold a reunion pic-nic at the same place next year. The editor concluded, “We hope that we may all live to be present.”

On Tuesday, July 11, a visitor to Abilene was arrested for gambling, which seemed odd for Abilene. From appearances it seems that Policeman McDonald arrested him for his own good as he had lost over $1,000 to a professional gambler by the name of “Smith.”

Under the subject “BLODDY AFFRAY,” citizens learned that Policeman James Gainsford, serving as deputy U. S. marshal, had just returned from Fort Dodge. He had been called there in late June by Capt. Wemple, a cattleman who lived west of Abilene. Wemple had tracked cattle stolen from his place to Fort Dodge to discover the villain was Curly Walker, a former scout turned horse and cattle thief.

Before Gainsford could arrive, Walker appeared to be preparing to leave. Wemple confronted him from horseback, asking where he had obtained the cattle. When Walker replied that it was none of Wemple’s business, Wemple ordered the outlaw to “throw up his hands, that he wanted him.” Walker immediately went for his gun, firing five shots. Wemple responded. As his horse went down Wemple’s fifth shot passed through Walker’s heart.

The editor noted, “His loss is our gain. Let the work continue ...” There would be more excitement in 1871 and many more stories to tell on The Way West.