The Life and Adventures of Ben Hogan, the Wickedest Man in the WorldHogan, Ben (Benedict)
History
The Life and Adventures of Ben Hogan, the Wickedest Man in the World
Hogan, Ben (Benedict)
Hogan, Ben (Benedict), 1841?-
Upon these reports a detective arrested Hogan, and he was locked up in the
Balston jail. Subsequently he was taken out on a writ of _habeas corpus_,
and a telegram was sent to the oil regions to ascertain whether the Hoick
brothers' story was true. The reply to this message, sent by the justice
before whom Ben had appeared, was to the effect that there was no
indictment for murder against Hogan, and added that if he had killed those
who had figured in the affair, he would have done the community a service.
Of course, upon the receipt of this message, he was discharged from
custody.
His fast career in Saratoga was now drawing to a close. He had spent his
money with reckless extravagance, and, as already explained, the steady
drain had reduced the pile until little or nothing remained. During this
time, French Kate had become so jealous that it was next to impossible for
Ben to live with her. They had had one or two open quarrels, and shortly
before leaving her, Ben excited her anger to such a pitch that she shot at
him, with the intention of killing him.
When, at last, his money was entirely gone, Ben borrowed fifteen dollars
and left the Springs, leaving also French Kate behind him.
He made his way back to the oil regions for the purpose of securing the
furniture, clothing, and other personal property which he had left in
Tidioute. This property was in the hands of the landlord from whom Ben had
rented his house. He claimed that the house had been damaged by Hogan's
occupancy of it, and openly boasted that he should hold on to the
furniture and other things to indemnify himself.
Ben, upon reaching the town, made his way at once to the landlord's house.
He went with the determination of getting what rightfully belonged to
him--and he got it. He did not trouble any lawyer about the matter, and
the only friends that he took with him were a couple of good revolvers.
These he knew he could rely upon, and when they spoke, their remarks
would be sure to have weight.
Entering the house with a pistol in each hand, he said:
"I have come to get what honestly belongs to me. You have seized upon my
furniture, bedding and other articles, and now I want you to fork over the
price of the same. If you make any disturbance I may be obliged to call
upon these friends for assistance!"
Here Ben swung the revolvers around in an exceedingly free-and-easy
manner. There was a good deal of bluster and blow on the part of the
landlord, but he finally concluded that the best thing he could do would
be to compromise the matter. So he paid Ben four hundred dollars, which
was all the money there was in the establishment, and our hero thereupon
withdrew.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account