feralmerril
Absent Comrade
I have a fife story that "fits" barney fife but wasnt the same fife. Fife is a family name around my area. There is a old man here in town told me a story of a uncle he had that was sheriff of iron county utah where I live. I assume the time period would have been in the 1930s or so. He told me his name and I forgot it but the last name was fife. Anyway he was checking out a complaint of some sheepmen straight west of cedar city near the utah/nevada state line. Supposedly someone had stold a lot of wool after they sheared their sheep.
Somehow while he was out there a criminal couple (man and woman) on the run from back east got the drop on him. At first they talked about killing him but decided instead to tie him around a junipter tree some little distance off the road. That is barren unpopulated country! After a short while it dawned on him he probley wouldnt be found in time and knew he must get loose or probley die there. He was handcuffed around the tree with his own cuffs! He was able to find a sharp stone at the base of the tree and kept grinding the limb with it. That worked and he kept the same thing up working his way up the tree untill he was able to finaly get near the top and drop out of the tree. It took him about two days his nephew told me! He said his uncle`s story was featured in old detective magazines of the day. Thinking about it, I belive he said his uncles name was earl fife.
He said the couple was captured later on the arizona strip. That area is a remote area south of st. george in arizona and north of the grand canyon.
Somehow while he was out there a criminal couple (man and woman) on the run from back east got the drop on him. At first they talked about killing him but decided instead to tie him around a junipter tree some little distance off the road. That is barren unpopulated country! After a short while it dawned on him he probley wouldnt be found in time and knew he must get loose or probley die there. He was handcuffed around the tree with his own cuffs! He was able to find a sharp stone at the base of the tree and kept grinding the limb with it. That worked and he kept the same thing up working his way up the tree untill he was able to finaly get near the top and drop out of the tree. It took him about two days his nephew told me! He said his uncle`s story was featured in old detective magazines of the day. Thinking about it, I belive he said his uncles name was earl fife.
He said the couple was captured later on the arizona strip. That area is a remote area south of st. george in arizona and north of the grand canyon.
