The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1870-05-16
BLACK DUNCAN :"
Or, a Night with Desperadoes.
C6nchsi0H.

Dick Mat!oCk, to take Black Duncan S
hand amt aieared to give ii to you. He
held ont his hand in the direction OF
Matlock as he spoke. He uttered these
words under one OF those strange i'm
pulses which frequently actuate men OF
his peculiar character, and which
prompts them to the expression Of am
icable sentiments for his antagonist.
| naturally thought that this friendly
speech would be followed by the accept
ance OF his hand by Matlock. But,
instead Of that, | heard the men wills
pering together. Don't take it, said
one. We'll stand by youT-a senti-
ment in which they all seemed to con-
cur.
After moments pause, III which
Matlock had given evidence of having
heard Duncans invitation, the latter
said:
Yes. There blood on your hand,
Duncan, and won't take it.
shall never forget the look that came
over the despcrado'S face as Matlock
uttered this speech 4 trown black as
midnight gathered there, and ii savage
expression came into Iii, eye. The echo
Of Matiocks words had scarcely died
away before Duncan, changing Ill his
exter or form GOODNESS to rage sprang IN
to the ccnue Of the floor, his drawn re-
volyrr in his hand.
Clear the rancho! he exclaimed,
"aIl OF YOU! This is put up job on
ms; but you'll find Black Duncan
ISN'T to be cowed Clear the rancho, /
say
simultaneously with these worJ-, the
others Matlock at their head, rose to
their feet, each man OF the party flour
shing either pistol or howle-kniie,
and in the same moment, a chair,
thrown bv one Of them, whirlcd past
Duncan head, narrowly missing him.
Striking the bar, hOweN er, ii overturned
and cxtinguished the candle-the only
source OF light in the room-amd left
the apartment III darkness.
Instantly, with the extinguishing OF
light, a flash for Il moment, and an lnvoI-
untary cry of pain came from one of the
opposite party.
Conscious that in the terrible melee
which was now in progrcsS-Duncan :
attack having been replied to 10y the
rapid discharge Of the others pistols
my safety from the iury Of the combat
ants, ! opcnd the door of closet which
was Immediately behind my chair, en-
tered the recess and closed the door be-
hind me.
The confusion in the room was now
at its height The dreadful curses,
mingled with groans and EXPLANATIONS
of rage, rose on the air, accompanied by
the noise and tumult of the struggle Of
the men in deadly conflict as they rolled
over the chair and floor. At intervals,
could hear the voice of Black Dun
can" above them, as he shouted, Take
THAR and shuddered to think of the
terrible meaning of the words, as | saw in
imagination the upliftcd bowie-kniic de
sccnding upon the persons Of his antas-
onists.
In hclarkness that prevailed itmust
have been impossible for the enemies OF
Duncan to distinguish him from mem
bers of their own party, and hence l
felt certain that more than one victim
would testify in the end to the savage
ness with which the fight was carried
on. The sound of pistol shots had
ceased, and the work of death was 20
ing on with the knife Evcnin the hor-
ror of the moment, | could not but adj
mire the courage of the desperate man
who had dctied the whole OF his assail-
ants. and hoped that, whoever was
killed, he might not he among the num-
her.
A fight of so bloody character could
not last long-espccially conducted a.
it was in the darkness, and with each
man i'll ignorance Of his immediate
ncighbor. After an interval OF about
four minutes from the time when the
combatants, at the going out of the
candle, had come to close quarters, the
uproar slackened perceptilly. The
sound OF shutting feet at the farther
end of the room satisfied me that the
survivors were making for the door. In
another instant-and so suddenly As al
most to induce me to feel that | had
been laboring for the last few minutes
under horrible dream-the noise OF
the struggles ceased and | heard nothing
in the room but the groaning of the
wounded and dying men | opened the
door of the closet a few inches and
looked out. The door leading to the
outside of the house was open, and 10y
the dim light that was admitted from
without could see some of the results
OF the ARRAY. The chairs and tables
were scattered about the floor, and what
was more dreadful, | could plainly note
the stretched out forms of the men who
had fallen in the dreadful encounter.
counted four OF these tigureS--one Of
them, from its size, | felt certain, was
that of BLACK Duncan.
Deeming this an suspicious moment
to make my escape from the scene Of
blood, | crept from the closet and walked
softly to the door On the outside
found the surviving participants Of the
fight, short distance of, and approach
ed them. They were gathered around
one of their number, who was gasping
for breath. Upon the others were the
traces of blood, which was flowing from
the wounds which they had received
Not a single man was unframed but
whether the wounds had been received
from Duncan or their own party, none
of them knew.
On learning from me that four mer
were living motionless upon the floor o
the bar-room, the party went to th'
house. >, :.
Three Of our men are missing, salC
one of them, land the other must b
Duncan" b.,
When, by looking into the room, tn