River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1877-06-21
TERROR NUMBER ONE.


and are presently seen walking up
and down the streets of the frontier city,
or collecting on the corners to hesr the
latest news from the diggings and the
prospects of striking Job.
The other dav, when a wagOn-lOad of
bull-heads was dumped out in Custer
CITY, as wagOn-lOads had been dumped
out every day before since grass started,
the first man TO welcome them to the in
FAINT CITY was achap five feet high, and
weighing accordingly There was blood
stain on his left cheek. a scar on his right,
and he had fierce eyes, a voice like a
roaring lion, and bad limp in one of
his legs. He was whiting out tent
pin with big bOwie-knife as the wagon
drove up, and, pushing the knife down
the back of his neck, he lifted up Hen
~ rifle. ran his eye over the crowd, and
called out in an awful voice:
is there anybody in that crowd look
ing for Terror No. II Kase if there is,
here / am; and I'm just aching to be
shot full of bullets weighing a pound
apiece
No one was looking for him. Some
looked at him and some looked across the
street on purpose not to see him, while
there was a uniform movement toward
hip-pOckets.
L didn't know but that some of YOU
might have come out here from New
York or Boston to plant me under the
sweet jessamine or the climbing morning
glory - chuckleti the Terror, as he rested
the butt of his rifle on the ground and
fshed up a six-shOoter from his boot leg.
There were men from New York and
Boston in the party, but they didn't want
to bury anybody just then.
] don't own this town" continued the
Terror, aS he laid his infant armory
across the head of barrel. E" I don't own
a foot of ground or a share in any of the
public buildings erected at the expense
of taxpayers, but when stand on Wash
ingtOn Square ana utter one yell, this
whole town quakes. I'm Terror No. 1.
There's one or two other TerrOrs around
here, but I'm the boss,-Im the regular
death 's-head and CTOss-bOnes of the Black
Hills regiOnv'
Before he had ceased speaking most of
the newcomers had disappeared, some
looking pale and anxious, and Others
feeling shivers race up and down their
back
An hour later, when a party of five
strangers from New England were max
ing the acquaintance of the internal bev-
eragcs on sale in one of the shanty
saloons, and at the same time pumping
the proprietor about prospects, in walked
the Terror He looked as fierce as a cat
amount cheated out of her dessert, and
there was an awful growl in his voice as
he called out:
Five o'clock by Omaha time, and
haven't killed or been killed the whole
day long, Turn loose your pet grizzlies,
unhitch your whirlwinds and let dozen
Ni,d lions come for me at once"
Take something TO drink, my good
friend," mildly replied the saloonist.
You are always welcome here, but you
don drop in often enough. Don't he
afraid 10 pour ont ali you want
To tell the truth, Steve" said the Ter
ror. as he poured out nearly half pint of
the worst whisky ever made, came in
here to kill some one; but you are white
man clear down to your tOe-nails. and
won't raise no row. That's good whisky,
that Is, and if YOU want any one in Custer
City put under ground, just give me his
name Can you think of any onel'
The saloon-keeper reflected for a mo-
ment, as he slowly wiped off his bar with
an old calico apron, and finally he re-
piled:
- No: don't think of any one Just now
but something will probably turn up in a
day or two. Any time you feel thirsty
come in and help yourself"
One of the five men had formerly been
mOlder in a Troy stOve-foundry. aud he
had been closely watching the Terror. All
of sudden he held out his hand for a
shake, cheerfully observing:
III bet 100 to that we used to work
board, and room together"
The Terror reached out his hand, close
" scanned the mOlder's face, and after a
r1ouent he said to the whole five:
"Gentlemen, come out doors and take
seats on the bench. | begin 10 know this
man. and don't want to answer any
questions in here"
We'll, but am surprised to find you
out here, and rugged up in this style,
remarked the mOlder, as the men found
seats
- So YOU may he" slowly replied the
Terror. when | worked in Troy there
wasn't a man or boy about the shop who
couldn't make me eat dirt. was one OF
the biggest towards east of Chicago, and
now I'm one of the biggest west of that
town. I own right up. because | know
you won't go back on me. | might fight
if | was concerned, but if there was s
chance to run az crawl out | wouldn't
slike a blow.
But you talk very brave" said one.
And It's all talk" replied the Terror
as he picked his teeth with his bowie.
knife. Il fiOated out here from Chicago
poor as a rat. and the biggest coward in
the whole train. If luck hadn't favored
I should have been under the sod long
ago. I've got an awful voice, and l car
look as ugly as a bear in trap; anC
somehow or other the story got aflOat tina
killed two men in Chicago, was res
cued from the gallows by a mob, an'
that I had come out here 10 escape jus
tice. Men grew afraid of me, and l sOOI
got the cue. / determined to become
Terror in order TO make an honest living
and I've got the thing right down fine"
and YOU are not a fighter, and ;
shooter, and slasherf
Gentlemen, its kind o mean for
man 10 run his own character down, but
TO be honest about il. | don't suppos
there is man in Custer City wh'
couldn't wollop me inside of one minut
by the watch. ] go around simply 4
make show. If that salOon-keeper ha'
reached out tor me, you'd have seen m
DIG out mighty lively. But these weap
ons, the name I've got, and my anxiou
look fol gore frightened him half Q
death"
Yes, everybody seems afraid Of you,
observed the man from Troy.
= Afraid, guess they are, When
walk into place everybody begins L
quake and shivcr, though / have neve
drawn blood in this town. There come
the chap who acts as City Marshal
Sheriff. chief of Police, or whatever yol