Deputies Muse and Baca discovered them…

chunk 937 · paragraph 1214

Monday morning. Sheriff Lockhart, becoming aware of the probability of a killing if Herring ran across the pair, had sent deputies in every direction to arrest them with the double purpose of pre- serving the peace and holding the criminals to account before a legal tribunal. Deputies Muse and Baca discovered them emerging from the Exchange saloon where they had been keeping out of sight in the back room. The deputies started with the prisoners for the county jail ; they had gone but a short distantce and when opposite the Broadway hotel Herring came out of the Broadway restaurant and pull- ing a pistol from inside his vest would have killed them both had not the officers stood be- tween. The cowardly ruffians jumped behind the officers and begged in terrified tones for protection. Staples crying out, “O don’t let him shoot me, don’t let him shoot me.” Muse and Baca covered Herring with their revolvers and told him they could not stand to have prisoners in their charge shot down. He begged them to move just six inches each and he would get them both.