The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1872-11-05
. MY DUEL IN TEXAS.
/ BY CHARLES DAILY DOUGLAS.

,ctarallOn or IeXan lnQepen QenCe--lI
fact before the first gun had been free
in the America Mexican war--mv row
ing disposition and unquenehable thirs
for adventure led me to take horse
back journey through the new Republic
of the Southwest was then in the
fush of manhood, tall, stout aud hardy,
and with courageous spirit that had
patty inherited, and partly by roughine
it more or less since boyhood, among all
sorts of peoples and in all kinds OF stu
atoms, in. my own and in other lands.
.sdMS trip te Texas at this time had no
other object than 10 satisfy my curiosity
sas,to the country aud its people, concern
,ing which the North was full of exciting
rumors, ! travelled on horseback that
might the more fully satisfy this ourios
ity and instead Of taking a vessel at
New Orleans for Galveston, ] preferred
to reach the latter place by an overland
Journey across Western Louisiana.
was. well armed, carrying pair of long
barreled pistols (revolvers being then
unknpwn and a hunting knife, and a
rifle at my back which would not e1
change for any two l had ever seem
Long practice had made me perfectly
familiar with these weapons, and on oc
casions could use them as swiftly and
as. surely as necessary.
Ihsd been at least three days across
the Texan line, and was well on my way
to Galveston. No adventure Of any
consequence had as yet occurred to me,
and was not anticipating the trouble
that encountered on the well remem-
bsred day. ,T
= It was near the middle of the after
noon when / came to the end of a con-
siderable plain, and rode into small,
rude settlement. Cantering up to one of
the cabins where / saw three or four
men idling about, l asked if it was a
tavern, and if could get bed for my
self and my horse there. ~
One of the men, rude, hairy savage,
in flannel shirt, with his belt stuck all
around with pistols, .indolently looked
up from his pipe and replied:
"Oh, / reckon, such as it is. keep
this yere crib, stranger. You can hev-
but thunder an blazesi where'd you git
that boss p
His attention was entirely, taken by
the animal | rode, which, by the way,
was q very superior one, of Northern
breed, and quite rare in. the Southwest
at that day. He walked entirely around
the horse, surveying it from every side,
and then felt of his legs, examined his
teeth, and stroked his powerful quar-
ters.
..Reg'lar beauty, I declare! say,
stranger, wouldn't sell, would YEP
mo r replied. dismounting and
throwing him the bridle
sGive We two hundred and fifty Mexi-
can dollars for him--cash down."
"Double it and you can't have him
The horse is not for sale. Now be care
ful about his feed; give him exactly
equal parts of corn and oats,six quarts"
"Oats!p laughed the fellow, scornful-
~. ave don't have 'em about here
Corn an hay are good enough Fodder
for our hosses,"
81 .sThen the hay only, without corn"
and passed on into the dirty interior
of this backwoods hotel 1t was rude
apartment of unfinished logs, and with
out ceiling, and answered for kitchen,
chamber and dining room. In due time
rasher, of bacon snd eggs, enough for
three,- were. set before me, and being
quite hungry, did ample justice to
them Giving the slorenlY looking wo
man, who had prepared my meal, dol
f. Iar--and she was the only one of the
six that saw about the settlement
.slppg my rife, belted on my knife and
pistols, and was ready for the road
again. 1t was about full moon, and my
intention was TO ride on till near morn
ing, and rest most yf the following day
At the next settlement.
/ was rather surprised as i stepped
outside to see that about dozen i'll
looking fellows in deerskin trowssrs,
flannel shirts and top boots had assem-
bled around the landlord, and were ca
gerly discussing something with him -
They were as bad a set Of villains in
their looks as | have ever chanced upon.
Dirty, staggering, and unshaven, they
appeared precisely the desperadoes that
] found them to be- They were well
armed, too; and row o. horses hitched
TO !, the rings at the side Of the house
spoke Of their late, arrival, AS ] came
forward they were silent, and every eye
regarded me with sharp and insolent
gaze.
aMy horse, if you please" I said
The landlord proceeded very slowly
TO lead him out of the shed, and was
stepping up TO mount, when one Of the
men stepped in front Of me and. took
ethe Birdie. l' F 'g.''
."Not SO fast, younker,' he said, with a
laugh that stirred my blood on the in
stant. "Yon're a stranger here, and it's
maybe you don know US Well, we're
L detachment of the Free Flyers, of this
county; and one of our objects is to
ketth hoss thieves. We're thinking that 5
most too good an animal for stranger
like You to be ridin' around here.
sWhere'd you come by him ?"
saw exactly the position | was in -
These men, instead of being thief takers,
were organized horse-thieves them
selves; and l saw in the eyes of the
speaker and others about me that they
meant to have my horse, even if they
were compelled to murder me in order
TO get him | realized the frightful peril
! was incurring by opposing them; but
as / felt then, would have fought for
my noble steed though there had been a
certainty of death.
: / looked the fellow steadily in the eye
he appeared uneasy, and exclaimed, with
a great show of bluster:
$50 you didn't say nothing-guilty,
ehi Well, go your ways and be thank.
ful, too, that we let you off with giving
up the horse
"Take your hand off that rein ~
Numbered
The fellow dropped it and started
back in perfect amazement at my audac
ity and determination and taking the