Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1871-08-22
"He had better not !" said q stern
vo;oo olosa 10 bar aor

voice, close to her ear.
1t was her brother who spoke.
"Oh Jesse-you surely would not
Interfere with our love?" she said be-
seechingly.
II have already interfered, Mary.
His course, old father said you was
beggar, and / told him and his son
you would not beg your way into their
family And more than that. / told
Tom Williams not to come here, or he
would find something to oppose him"
"Oh, Jesse-how could you but
see, he is coming. Now, dear brother,
do 60 away. l want to see Tom, and
to see him alone p
"You shall not, Mary! That is as
good as sworn to-"
"Oh, Jesse---you loved your poor
sister once" And Mary's hot tears
fell fast.
He made no reply, but watched
Thomas Williams, as the young man
hurried forward to meet her who was
all in all to him.
'Stop where you are ! / told you
if you came you would find some oppo.
sition," cried Jesse Prescott, when
Williams was within ten or twelve pa
ces.
Ard he drew a dcrringor pistol
cooked and raised it.
"There is but one will on earth for
me to obey !" said Williams, still NOV
ing forward. ss
"Then I'll be the will to stop you!"
cried Prescott, his eyes sighting the
barrel which now laid level with the
heart of Williams.
Brother, brother y screamed Mary
Prescott, as she sprang directly in
front of him.
A report-a low scream gasping
moan, and poor Mary's love and life
were iced in death. '
Thomas Williams for a instant stood
as if he bad been struck with sudden
paralysis. Then with howl of agony,
he sprang forward and buried knife
hilt deep in the heart of Jesse Pres
cett.
From that hour he was never seen
by father or friends in Mississippi
But first in Texas, then in New Mexi-
co, and at last in 1S49 and 1850, in
California, strange, desperate man,
who called himself Tom Williams,
made himself dreaded and feared by
his reckless ferocity, almost inhumari
thirst for blood, a carelcssncss of peril
which amounted to utter madness.
Everywhere this mans track was
marked with blood; A dead shot, he
avoided no quarreis, but continually
sought them, and he never failed to
bring down his victim when his hand
was raised against him.
Men feared and avoided him, until
with smear he made it common re-
mark that all the brave men were
dead-to use his phrase = "wipcd
out y
Ono night--after two or three years
of wild life, he entered mining camp
on or near the Yuba, known then az
Natchcz. He was, as usual, morosc
and ugly, ready to quarrel with every
one, and fixing his eyes on 4 young
man named Jack Moore, he used
grossly insulting epithet
The young man turned pale, but it
was not the pal6r Of coward.
"Tom Williams, seek no quarrel.
| do not wish to be what you are, a
blood stained murderer, but unsay
those words OF you'll repent having
spoken them !"
f"Bah, you arc coward like the
rest !" cried Williams f"e N9
The next instant, his face covered in
blood, he fell to the floor. Moor had
taken up a two pound weight and
hurled it with uncrring aim at his
head. a
"Lcavc, Jack, leave He will kill
you when he comes too" cried the
alarmed inmates of the store.
~ will not leave I did not seek
the quarrel; / win not Ay from it or
him ~ t-
Williams dashed the binding blood
from his eyes, and said: II take
back one thing-you are no coward.
But look here, Jack Moore, arm your
self The world Is not big enough for
both of us Either you or must go
under in the morning. Look out for
me, then ~ ilifgH is t7@AF al
aAll right" said Moore, quietly, as as
the dreaded desperate staggered away.
In vain friends tried to persuade
Moore to avoid the encounter which
they believed would be fatal to hint