Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1859-10-08
Ma S0gLL LLANW.
sHARP1NG a SHARPER.
4 scENN on rHE MIssouRI
my A WESTERN noY.

u ny A WESTERN noY.
ln.tho spring Of 1854 / WIS travelling
Kansas correspondent for Cincinnati pa
per- as wcllas an occasional 'eiottcr" for
the st Louis Journals. In my pernmbu-
litious tom one place to anOther-wlerc-
ever there WAS an eXcitement-and every.
body will remember that it was exciting
times became pretty we'll acquainted
with all the desperate characters, thieves
aud gamblers-whose name was LEGION
that traverscd the forests, or haunted tho
settlements. .,.s...
as everybody in that unhappy territory
IN those times was of migratory charnc
ter-drivcn from one place to another by
the political antagOnsm of the locality
these rough and dangerous characters were
ruled by tho same master--public opinion.
and usually travelled with the tile. a.
One of tlieln soon made himself conspie
uouS as leader of a desperate band of
rnarauders, who pillagcd every poor omi-.
grant party that ;scll into their hands, and
evadlng all retribution 10y attributing their
villnInous deed to the opposite party to that
which their victims belonged This mans
name WIS Jack Watson but he was called
the " tho shooter,"- rumor said-nnd
fear with truth-that he had left many
good man and true to bleach upon the
plains OF Kansas. lie hnd, also, a great
reputation as a" shaver" or counterfcit
pusscr. and the constant flow of omgrants
to that quarter offered him rich harvest
OF profit in his favorte profession.
Watson had received his u wa}l,inn no-
pcrs" several: times Mt Fort Lcavenworth.
which he always implicitly obeyod for the
i'ohcc, but soon managed to return when
ever amy public excitement WIS likely to
Standardization from his presence.
1T was on one of these occasions of par!
ty strife that aman was mysteriously shot
down just at dusk, and no one could tell
the author of the decd 1t iyas soon re.
ported, however, thHt "Shooter' WAS In
towa, and the excited pop,ilacc at once
commenced q search for him II was co,n.
PEELED to- leave that evening for st. Louis
on business, and left the town I'm the midst,
of the excitement. The Bell Brittonn
had been about an hour on her Journey
and had satisfied my curiosity among the
passengers on deck, when stepped into
the cabin; several tables were, as usual,
surrounded by ard-players, presenting
that invariable, but yer.to.be.understood
anomaly, Of green-horns and country cham
plons trying their strength against willy
nnd' unprineiplcd j" sharpers." But the
firstperson who arrested my attention was
i,oRo- ether than lhe redonbtuble Jack Wat.
son, alias "the Shooter, ,s,,, f'.s 7a.l p.
ltis ueenlcss for INC to. inform any one
who travcied the river in those times TINT
1t twouid hayo been folly forlho to have at
tempted ais arrest, Or even 10 hint that /
knew.onyshipg OF his ehasacter. j. It would
have bceh certain death besides; as l.
haVe oISays had h queer way of mindinc
my owri bnsihess, / followed my usual pol,
10y on this OCCASION. ~
Drawing noar tho table whore nc wna
playing. giapco asthalpile of notes which.
Jay beside him lnfoaaedq,ne thew were ho.
gus bills on tho Springfield, Iil. Bank =
but upon lOohihg at tho funds Of his ON.
pdnont~Asa small,' compact mar. with iron,
features, and acnlm black eye--ai was, also.
strack with their appearance. They wore
allnew, and of q pcouliar stg,np, whicl. I,
recognized as that of the "Bank of 81
Anthany," Minnesota. ~
The game proceeded briskly Bets run
high, and, as the enthusiasm increased.
quite crowd gathered around tho table to
witness the result, Watson waa ia ecsta6y,