Committee, as many of our "guests" had been, or was escaping legitimate
justice, was not in question; the imperative cravings of the stomach
admit of very scant ceremony; so I took John Ward in to dinner, and
provided him with all the comforts of home.

At bed-time he asked me if he might sleep in the front room by the
fire; to which I reluctantly consented, taking good care to lock and bar
the door between us.

The next morning after breakfast I gave John Ward some grub, and advised
him to push on to Fort Buchanan, on the Sonoita, where he could probably
get some employment.

He went on to the Sonoita and took up a ranch, forming a temporary
partnership with a Mexican woman, according to the customs of the
country at that time.

She had a little boy who also appeared to be partly of Celtic descent,
as he had a red head, and was nicknamed "Micky Free." This probably
formed the only matrimonial tie between John Ward and the Mexican woman.
In the course of time John Ward got a hay contract, a wagon, and a few
yoke of oxen, and appeared to be thriving at Uncle Sam's expense. Fort
Buchanan was garrisoned by a portion of the First Regiment of dragoons.
The most of the men were Germans, and could not mount a horse without a
step-ladder.

In the early part of 1858 John Ward got drunk, and beat his step-son
Micky Free until he ran away to Sonora. Ward became so blind drunk that
he could not find his oxen; so he went to the Fort and complained to
Major Stein, the commanding officer, that the Apaches had stolen his