The Hickman courier., 1874-03-07
IRA EATON's GUN.
How a Down East Man Wa Taken in
and Done For.

and Done For.
The other day l ran against Charles
Yeomans, an old Californian, who Is
keeping a restaurant in Salt Lake City.
After listening to his stories of the carry
days of San Francisco, said
''Mr. Yeomans, do you ever remem-
Der of meeting a man named John X.
Hackett in San Francisco ?"
John X. Kackett p repeated Mr..
Yeomans. "Oh, yes, I recollect Hack
ett, and George Barnard, and Geor. e
Wilkes, and George Butler, and John
Scranton, of New Haven, and that
whole crowd. They were mighty lively
fellows, all of them. Lem-me-see On
a mus ng way. Lem-me-see? ? why,
Hackett is a judge, or something of
that kind, in New York now. seen
fellow about six months ago, that told
me he made tirst-rate judge-fifty per
cent. gold, forty per cent. silver, and
ten per cent. copper. Hackett was
wonderful shot I've seen
him dive tacks In a dOor-post at thirty
and forty feet, and never miss a tack.
All the boys took off their hats to linn.
He could shoot the toes off fly. That
was Great crowd-that crowd in Cali
fornia-in those days"
shirt-sleeves and mixed n cocktail for
Mr.. Gordon and Capt. Dinwiddie, OF
Camp Douglas. After che cocktails had
disappeared, he continued:
" In those days, you see, tried to
keep a place just outside of San Fran
cisco. called the Ocean house. I had a
tn Judge. III @aaas-NIesEE me sect must
have been--yes, it was-in 1857. All
the boys used to ride out and see us,
and the thing, first and last, panned
out good deal of coin. 1t used to be
a great place for high-toned sports to
come out and shoot pigeon matches and
eat those big California shrimp, and
plav little draw, drink wine, and such
things.$
Here Mr.. Yeomans showed up his
shirt-sleeves and mixed a cocktail for
Major Wheeler and the Hon. Sam.
Merritt, ex-de,egate to congress from
Idaho. After the cocktails had disap-
peared, he continued:
90 Well, the Ocean house used to be a
great place of resort for the boys. They
were always playing practical jokes on
each other and having a good time gen
orally. L remember one morning
there was Cook and Schent k, the great
marketmen, Ward Eaton and Ira Eaton
in the saloon, having a high old time,
laughing, drinking and telling stories.
Ira Eaton had one of these here fancy
double barreled shot-guns nader his
arm, and was bragg Dg about the game
he was going to shoot before night,
when who should come in but John
Hackett and John Scranton. You
oughter have knowed Scranton, for he
was one of the best fellows that ever
scratched gravel.
Here Mr.. Yeomans showed up his
shirt-sleeves and mixed cocktails for the
Hon. Oscar G.. Sawyer, Mr.. Sloan, the
five-wived editor of the SQlt Lake
Herald, and Major Howell, bf Camp
Douglas.
" Scranton had on a brand-new beav
er hat 1t was as glossy as ebony. He
had Just given fifteen dollars for it, got
himself shaved and his clothes brushed,
and looked as neat as a game rooster
The first thing / knew, Ira Eaton stood
his gun up in the corner, and went out
doors, saying that he would be back IL
few minutes. After he was gone
Schenck looked at the gun and said
by George, it's loaded. So Hackett
and the rest of them, they got around
and looked at the gun, and sure enough
it was loaded. Then Ward Eaton said
Lets put up a cold deck on Ira while
he's gone. We can draw the charcei
from his gun, and then bet him
of wine that he cap'- 'ssa * ;sarr5 - |
kOr,g l,af ak e.Sf, 49, - n rAyttO V ia 4 j |