He would ride down to a station, get into a quarrel, turn the house out of windows, and maltreat the occupants most cruelly.

The unfortunates had no means of redress, and were compelled to recuperate as best they could." On one of these occasions, it is said he killed the father of the fine little half-breed boy Jemmy, whom he adopted, and who lived with his widow after his execution.

Stories of Slade's hanging men, and of innumerable assaults, shootings, stabbings and beatings, in which he was a principal actor, form part of the legends of the stage line.

As for minor quarrels and shootings, it is absolutely certain that a minute history of Slade's life would be one long record of such practices.
Slade was a matchless marksman with a navy revolver.

The legends say that one morning at Rocky Ridge, when he was feeling comfortable, he saw a man approaching who had offended him some days before--observe the fine memory he had for matters like that--and, "Gentlemen," said Slade, drawing, "it is a good twenty-yard shot--I'll clip the third button on his coat!" Which he did.