Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1877-06-28


up, because l know you won't go
back on me. / might fight if 1 was
cornered, but if there was a chance
to run Or crawl out I wouldn't strike
a blow" .a.s. ,agsEs..e ,.--... ..
''But you talk very brave,'' said
one. -..-
'EAnd it's all talk" replied the
Terror, as he picked his teeth with
his bowie knife. Il foated out here
from Chicago, poor rs a rat, and the
biggest coward IN the whole train. If
luck hadn't favored me should have
been under the sod long ago. I've
got an awful voice, and can, look as
ugly as bear ina trap; and somehow
or other the story got adoat that
killed two men i'll Chicago, was res
cued from the gallows by a mob, and
that l had comesout here TO escape
justice. Men gsPwsafiaid Of me, and
L soon got the cue. L determined to
become Terror in order to make an
honest living, and I've got the thing
right down fine.''
''And you are not fighter and q
shooter and slasher?'
Gentlemen. it's kind o. mean for
man to run his own character down.
but to be honest about it l don't sup
pose there is man in Custer CITY
who couldn't wollop me inside of one
minute by the watch. L 90 around
simply to ma lIe Il show. If that
saloon keeper had reached out for me
you d have seen Ine dig out mighty
lively. But these weapons the name
I've got and; my anxious look for
gore frightened him half TO death. .
''Ies, everybody seems afraid of
you," observed the man from Troy.
"Afraid? l guess they are! When
l walk into place everybody begins
to quake and shiver, though | have
never drawn blood in this town. There
comes the chap who acts as City Mar
shal, Sheriff, Chief Of Police, or what
ever you may call him. Hes six feet
high and weighs over 200 pounds, and
yet see how l can bluff him.
The official referred to was coming
up the street at leisurely gait, and
when he came along opposite the
group the Terror leaped out with a
wild yell and shouted:
Looking for me, are you! want to
see me bad, do you!"
'For Gods sallel don't raise a
row with mel" whispered the Sheriff
As he looked around for cover. 81
don't want you, you don't want
me- -
You see how it works." continued
the little man Us the official moved on.
break nv neck, and yet he is afraid
OF me. Here are some grizzly bear
claws which | bought in Omana for
S.. Everybody around here thinks |
pulled the beast out of the hole i'll the
hill, held him by the ears with one
hard, and cut these claws off with the
other. There are twenty notches i'll
the stock OF his rale. These folks
around here have got an idea that l
have killed twenty men in rows or
fair fights, but | never even shot a.
one.
There was period of silence, and
then the Terror continued:
There's money in it, and it's
rather pleasant to be top of the heap,
but this thing can't last long. Some
lay before long L shall light down on
the wrong man, and he'll dress me
down and drive ne to the hills. / |
hope you boys will have lots of luck.
Pve been square and honest with you,
and now don't give me away"
At that moment three men on horse
back came down the street, and the |
Terror jumped out withs screech and |
shouted:
Here's the holyhocH you are look
Ing for. Here's the modest violet
who wants to be carved up and fed to |
the wolves?'
They wern't looking for him, and
they got away Oh gallop. The
party from the East went out among
the diggings and were absent whole
week. When they returned to Gus
ter City, they inquired for the Terror,
and a hotel keeper replied:
eyes; they did use to call him the
Terror, believe, but they didn't
know him. He was whooping around
here in his usual awful style three or
four days ago, swearing that he must
kill somebody, when a tinsmith from
Dayton, Ohio, took his rifle and
bowie knife away, spit tobacco juice
on his hat, and then kicked him the
whole length of this street. The Ter
ror was an awful coward, gentlemen
ii regular rag-baby under the bed,
and he'll never be seen in Custer
again"
NEVER KNOCK UNDER.
pn1Ixr