Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1878-08-28
THE BAD MAN OF BODIE.
The Encounter OF I" Bln1fer' with
a Mining Expert...The Bml!y's Dis.
aDDOintment.
Baltimore Every Saturday.

and his wild exaggerations were the
subject Of merriment only III that
"high old town." He was allowed to
swagger and boast to his hearts con-
tent; and even when he drew his
"nobby whistler" and shot the lights
out of all the lamps in Ryan's saloon,
the action only evoked grin and the
doubtful compliment that it was purity
fair shootin, and nigh as stiddy narve
as Irish Tom showed when he popped
away at that bad man from Dead
wood"
One day last summer Pete walked
into Strobridge's saloon with the remark
that he had "heerd the Last Chance
was goin' to be sold, and they've SEN.
up an expert to look into it."
The expert, pale, small man,
dressed in dusty gray, was standing at
the bar,land looked around as the tall,
Would-be ruflian uttered these words.
"Thet's so, Pete," said one of the
men present, "an' thets the expert"
pointing to the small man.
"You are an expert, ell !" shouted
Pete, cycling the man menacingly.
You're one of them fellcrs ?" Then,
after a pause, during which he surveyed
the stranger from head to foot, "Wall,
you're the wust ever saw Experts is
bad enough, but you're the slinkiest,
meanest, wust coot TO set yourself up
to report on mine l ever laid eyes
on"
don't want to quarrel with you,
Sir" answered the expert.
Ye'd better not, young felier; ye'd
better not. Pm Il whirwind of the
desert in a fight, and don't you forget
it,"
"Pm man of peace; carry no
weapons, and, Of course, l could not
hope to stand before even azephyr Of
the desert, let alone q wild, untamed
whirlwind."
These deprecatory words only in
censed the bad man" still more, and,
feeling that he had "soft thing" pro-
posed in his own mind to "play it for
all it was worth" and gain a record"
by whipping his man.
"Look u heyer, stranger, ! don't
want no insinuations. Do l look like
zephyr? Say |" Here Washoe Pete
shook his fist in the experts face.
What dye mean by talkin' abous
zephyrs? I'm tornado. | tear when
/ turn loose. Zephyr (sneezingly.)
Why, I've good mind To-"
please, mighty whirlwind, resistess
tornado, don't hit me. You wouldn't
strike consumphve man, would your"
Wouldn't % yelled the fighter"
in n terrible voice; wouldn't l? I'd
strike the side of mountain
But sick MANI" pleaded the ex-
pert, "a man dying of consumption,
an orphan, stranger and a man of
peaceI"
" What're ye giving me? Do you
know who | ann" fiercely demanded
the whirlwind.
you're gentleman known in
Bodie as Washoe Peter-at least |
have heard you designated by that
familiar appellation during my sojourn
here" answered the expert, moving
OIL.
What else am I?' shriuked the
rough, striding toward the covering ex-
pert.
"A gentleman, l suppose. Honestly,
! don't know your other name"
",Well, III tell you who | am" and
the tall man stood over the shrinking
stranger, MS if about to topple upon
him and annihilate him. I'm bad;
Pm chief in this yer camp, and | ken
lick the mans says l amt. I'm a rag
ing lion of the plains, an every time l
hit l kill. I've got an arm like a
quartz stamp, an crnsh when go fur a
man. | weigh "A ton. an earthquakes
amt nowhere when | drop"
But I've only just been discharged
from hospital replied the expert.
"Pl send We back again 4" and the
stalwart builer' caught the little man
by the collar and hurled him upon the
floor.
Its unkind to use a poor, weak,
invalid that way expostulated the
expert, as he slowly arose from the
floor. Please don't joke so roughly.
Let's take drink and call it square.
I'm very sorry that | have offended
you"
aye think Pm joking, do we've
take me for a josh, ell Iii show we
what l am afore | git through with ye.
Ie don't play me fur no tender-foot
Pm native, am, an I've stood this
yer foolin' long enough" Saying which
he dashed the stranger against Il table
and drew long knife.
AS soon as the expert saw this he
his face into the most piteous
shape, and throwing his hands up,
cried: "Im unarmed; l havn't got rs
much as Il pen-knife on me. Please
don't carve me: kick me to death if