The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1872-03-07
A Sanguinary Fight that Never Came


rience in Virginia City:
That was singular town. They had
the straugest customs-some of the most
curious customs When I finished re-
| porting on their paper they made me
chief editor. l lasted just week |
edited that paper six days, and then |
had FIVE duels on my hands [ wouldn't t
have minded that, if it had been the Gus
tom for those other people to challenge
me. Then | would simply have declined
with thanks. But it was not so. IF you
abused man in the paper, if you called
him names-they had no rights there such
as we have here-if the man didn't like
it, you had to challenge him, and shoot
him. Of course, | didn't want to do this,
but the publishers said it was the custom
society must be protected. If could
not do the duties of my position, he would
have to hire somebody else. 7'sDig1a
didn't mind the first three or four
men but the other man-I was after
him. / knew he didn't want to fight, so
| was going to make all the reputation
out of him [ could He got touched at
something | said about him-I don't know
what it was now-I called him thief.
perhaps. He fought very shy of me at
first, and so | piled him with blood -thirs-
ty challenges all the more At least he
began to take an interest in this thing
1t seemed as though he really was going
to enter into it at last. All our boys were
delighted at the prospect, but l was not.
This was not turn was expecting in
things. saeT 1901 g58 H-antt
had taken for my second fiery, pep
perry little fellow, named Steve, full of
fight and anxious to have things fixed up
right away. He took me over into ALT
tie ravine beyond the town to practice
1t was the custom to Fl ght with Colts ma
Wy revolvers at FIVE steps. We borrowed
stable door for mark from gentle
man who was absent We set up that
stable door, and then we propped a fence
rail up against the middle of it to repre-
sent my antagonist, and put squash on
top of it to represent his head. He was
very light thin man, very thin-the
poorest kind of material for a duel-you
could not expect to do anything with a
scattering shot at all. But he made a
splendid liue shot, and it was the line
that [ practiced upon principally. l.a-|s
But there was no success about it. /
could not hit the rail, and there was no
need that | should hit the rail the rail
did not really represent him. 1t was a
little too thin and narrow. But the squash
was all right. Well, I could not hit the
rail, and [ could not hit the squash, and,
finally. when | found | could not hit the
door either, I got little discouraged
But when | noticed that L crippled one
of the boards occasionally, thought it
was not so bad-I was dangerous with a
pistol, but not reliable.
Finally, we heard some shooting going
cd over in the other ravine. We knew
what that meant. The other party was
practicing. | didn't feel comfortable
They might straggle over the ridge and
see what was going on, and when they
saw no bullet hole in that barn door, it
would be too much encouragement for
them. Just then a little bird, little
larger than sparrow, lit on sage bush
uear by. Steve whipped out his reyolv-
er and shot its head of. The boys pick
ed up the bird, and were talking about
it, when the. other dueling party came
over the ridge, and came down to see
what was going on. When the second
saw the bird be said .'IIow far off was
that ?"
Steve said about thirty steps. .5T (
"Who did that - ra .ag s5,
"Why, Twain, my man, Of course"
"Did he, indeed Can he do that Of
ten 7" eaa haf .a
"Well, he can don that about four times
in five"
knew the little rascal was lying, but
| didn't like to tell him so. was one
of those kind of men that don't like to be
too frank or too familiar in a matter like
that, SO l didn't say anything. But ii
was comfort to see those fellows under
jaws drop TO sec them turn blue abou'
the gills aud look sick. They went of, and
got their man and took him home, and
when l got home I found a little note
from those parties peremptorily declining
to fight. How sore the boys were How
indignant they were! And SO was |
but | was not distressed about it.
thought | could stand it, perhaps
The Western States are flooded with
accounts Of stage robberies to such an ex
tent that persons taking places in coaches
| for the overland travel anticipate, with I
sort of grim pleasure, the time when they
may be able to relate to an admlrlng audi
ence the story of "a highway robbery, in
which they were concerned. But, not o
disappoibt their friends, they will, 10 the
most obliging manner, hand over, to anl
| person they may happen to meet in the
nciyhborhood where robbery has beer
com mitted any little articles of value
they may have about them. In sOnom'
County, CAL, recently, boy, not over i
wears Of age, by presenting stake at tht