For a small town in the far northeast corner of Colorado, just south of the Wyoming border, Julesburg has quite a history.

The small settlement was attacked by Indians not once, but twice, burned to the ground, and relocated an unprecedented three times. It was also a major stop for the North Fork of the Oregon Trail, and later, the famous Pony Express Trail, run by the Russell, Majors and Waddell company.

Julesburg is also the town that was home to one of the most famous villains in legend and history, Joseph Alfred Slade, better known as “Jack.”

He arrived in Julesburg in 1860. It took less than two years for Slade to become part of Julesburg history and, with his incredible dastardly deeds, an outlaw legend.

Slade was born into an influential family in Illinois in 1829. At the age of 13, his uncontrollable character showed when he killed a man by hitting him in the head with a rock.

The younger Slade said the man “annoyed” him. To avoid prosecution, not to mention save his own skin, Slade left Carlyle, Illinois. Some say he was fired; others say he ran away. Five years later, he returned to his hometown.

He enlisted in the army in 1847 and participated in the Mexican War. After the war, Slade chose to stay in the West, finding work as a freight wagon driver on the Oregon Trail and as a stagecoach watchman.

On one trip, Slade killed three Indians as they attempted to attack the stagecoach. He then took the fourth Indian prisoner, only to cut off his ears after killing him. It was a sign of things to come.

When gold was discovered in the Rocky Mountains, the Pikes Peak Gold Rush of 1859 brought a sea of ​​prairie schooners across the plains.

The small settlement of Julesburg on the eastern prairies became home to the Overland Stage Company.

The Russell, Majors and Waddell operating company took over a trading post operated by a French trapper and trader, Jules Beni, an established merchant in the colony who was so respected that Julesburg was named in his honor.

The company kept Beni employed and he began serving as local supervisor of the Overland Sweetwater division.

Ben Ficklin, the general superintendent of the 365-mile-long Overland line, investigated the Julesburg station and, after a few visits, discovered a corrupt operation.

Jules Beni had a vile streak evidenced in his character and ethics and Julesburg was an area that attracted lawless people, with Beni as the main instigator. Ficklin found evidence of horse theft, financial fraud and stolen property by the company. All of this could be attributed to Beni.

In the spring of 1860, just months before the all-important launch of the Pony Express, of which Julesburg would be the only station based in Colorado, Ficklin hired Jack Slade as division manager of the important Julesburg station.

Slade’s first tasks were to fire Jules Beni and recover the company’s missing assets.

This should have been an easy task for the seasoned overland trail operator, but even the hot-tempered Jack Slade could not have predicted the actions of a vindictive Jules Beni.

Three days of violence, accusations and threats resulted in bloodshed and deep resentment.

Obviously the final straw for Beni came when Slade went to Beni’s ranch to retrieve some stolen hay and found horses that clearly belonged to the Overland Stage. As Slade confiscated the animals, the two men had strong words.

Jules Beni swore revenge. Two days later, Beni saw his chance when an unarmed Slade walked through the streets of Julesburg.

Beni approached Slade, pulled out his pistol and fired all six bullets at Slade. Unsatisfied, although Slade lay in the dirt with six bullets, Beni grabbed a shotgun and fired both barrels at the fallen victim. Bystanders rushed to Slade and carefully carried his seemingly lifeless body to the crossing station.

Surprisingly, Beni followed the men to the station. No one believed Slade would survive, and even Beni made a snide remark regarding Slade’s corpse.

It is said that at that moment, Slade stood up, looked at Beni and swore that he would live long enough to wear Beni’s ears as a watch holder. The angry men grabbed Beni, eager to tie him up, when Ficklin intervened.

Beni was arrested, tried and convicted of attempted murder, all in a short period of time. A scaffold was quickly assembled for immediate execution.

The hanging was a horrible sight. After three attempts, Beni, although suspended, was still alive.

He was eventually ordered to leave the territory, which he did immediately. Meanwhile, Slade was slowly but fully recovering.

He had sworn revenge on Beni, but in the meantime he continued his work with the Overland Stage, which had now expanded to include the Pony Express.

Slade’s supervision of nearly 200 relay stations stretched from the Julesburg station to Fort Bridger, Wyoming. Among the many workers and horsemen he hired was a young William F. Cody, later known as Buffalo Bill.

As division supervisor, Slade was also responsible for ensuring the safe passage of passengers, freight and mail along the Overland Highway. In this effort he enjoyed great success, but not without criticism.

“Slade…in fights and scuffles had killed twenty-six human beings,” wrote Mark Twain in The hard way in 1872.

Twain, not without exaggeration, met Slade on a trip west at Julesburg Station.

In the same book, he describes Slade as “a pleasant, friendly, soft-spoken person.” The Pony Express was short-lived, and Slade’s duties soon took him north along the Overland Trail, where he opened his own way station, called Virginia Dale, in honor of his wife.

Before making his move, Slade once again focused on revenge against Jules Beni. Friends along the trail kept Slade informed of Beni’s wanderings and quickly informed him of Beni’s return to finish off Slade for good.

Slade constantly monitored the situation, and sure enough, one day Beni was waiting for Slade as he walked home near the Cold Springs train station. Beni found cover and opened fire on Slade but he missed.

Slade and two of his hands easily captured Beni. He was tied to a fence post and Slade fired two shots, killing him. True to his word, Slade then took out his knife and cut off his enemy’s ears, which he actually wore as a watch holder for years.

The next day, Slade went to the authorities, where things got a bit heated given Slade’s character and his plea of ​​self-defense. He even pulled out his gun at one point, but he said it was to make his point.

Ultimately, authorities dropped all charges and Slade continued to wear “Old Jules” ears as a watch holder.

Eventually, alcohol and rage became a habit for Slade and he was released from duty along the Overland Trail in 1862.

He left the Colorado Territory for Montana, but things only got worse. Arrested several times for stealing cattle and horses, he was finally hanged by a group of Montana vigilantes two years later.

Linda Wommack can be contacted at [email protected]