Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1873-11-19
Miscellany
The Prairie Duel.


Fifteen yesls ago, when the Great West
seemed to be much further west than i.
does in these days of railroads, that "belt
all creatlon,' u great patch or ccraer OF
one Of the great prairlcs was counted by
the few husters aud settlers occupying i,
as a district in itself. and they called it
Little Elk Prairie Among the half.wild
characters who had built for themselves
novels Of driltTood and brush on this bit
Of rolling plain was huge huIkirg fellow
of mixed French Canadian, Indian, and
negro blood whose name was Bcndbow
Laval. A complete savage ~ appearance,
bis clothing, whether in summer or win
/ ter, never consisted Of more lhan two gar
/ mcuis--a ragged SHIRT and trousers, the
material Of which was rendered probe.
matcsl by age aud dirt. The mass Of
/ woody, iron-gray hair by which his head
was rhaehcd WAS crowped by something
that had once been portion oi ia hat; and
! his immense stockDglcss feet were thrust
into rude cOwskin shoes, with holes cut in
( them 10 accommodate certain peculiarities
OF shape aud pedal excrcsccnce. From
his huge size aud muscular development,
| Laval was nyrc than a match for any one
Of the jewellers OF Little Elk Prairie. none
OF whom were "chckcns" as regarded
physical strength Entirely devoid of cd
ucation-tor be did not know one letter
OF the alphabet from anothcr-ucverthe
less the great coarse fellow had sort Of
chiyalry about him which might 81 might
not have been derived from his share of
French lood. HIS appreciation of the
benefits aud etiquette OF duel.lng was in-
J tense, aud he had more than once Killed
his Antagonist in "a fair fight. A much
more dangerous man TO deal with than
Lava was Ilabakuk Sans, by origin u
Yankee, a. hi, name deuotes, but prai.
rlc man by prediction and long resi-
deuce. "Hab" as ke was called by the
men Of the plain, was thin, wiry man Of
middle age, with u brick-rcd coa'plexion
and very hight hair. lie was an excellent
mlrksman, and bad 4 reputation for cour
are, AhOTn in encounters with Indians and
bears but he always preferred mlla STRAIT
agom to skill or strengthen for the discom-
future of his foes lie had had several dis
putes with Laval, on the common basis of
accusation that each was in the habit OF
stealing animals from the others traps.
This, i'll the code of the plains, is an un-
pardon, be offence. Men caught in the
act have frequently been killed on the
SPOT, and when the offender was an Indipa
there are traditions Of his having been
tortured before being put to death.
/ Whether llab Sans had ever defrauded
Laval by purloinlbg fur creatures from
the traps SET by the latter never trans
pired. But that Laval was a fur-thiet
was established beyond doubt when he
was seen carrying to his hovei, one day, a
black wolf, caught in trap set by Hab,
and which the latter had left there pur-
pSsely TO test the hoaeSty Of his rival.
Hab's first idea was TO FIRE upon the pur-
loiucr Of his properly. aud so adjusting
the matter without any need OF farther
reference or appeal. On further consld-
Grafton however, he approached Laval
asJ taxing him with the theft, demanded
restitution Of his property or treason
Why" Take taat, them" howed the
huge fellow, hurling the wolf with such a
force at Hab that it knocked him down
and sent him spinning distance OF sever
al feet. In moment lab Sans had ris-
en- ON one knee, and, taking aim at his
antagonist, fred but without effect, owing
to the furry caused by the suddenness Of
the assault. On proceeding to reload his
, rife he remembered that he had 10 pow
J der but Laval Has in a similar Iredlca.
mcnt for all the powder in the place had
been expended in a recent hunt, and they
were awaiting the arrival Of a messenger
| with some from the nearest trading pest
: Drawing ,heir knives then, the two ap.
: preached each other for deadly conflict
which would have been an unequal one
however, owing to the superior strength
: Of Laval, who was also proficient 10 the
use Of the kaife. Knowing how slight hi'
,, chance was with such an antagonist, Hat
Sans paused, and looking fxedly st La