The daily gazette., 1878-08-05
The Bad Man of BOdie.
THE ENCoUNTERoF OF A "BLUFFER" WITH
A MINING EXPERr-THE BULLY's.
DISAPPOINTMENT
From the Baltimore Every Saturday.


his wild exaggerations were the subject of
merriment only in that "high old town"
lie was allowed TO swagger and boast to
his hearts content; and even when he
drew his "nObby whistler" and shot the
lights out Of all the lamps in Ryan's sa-
loon, the action only evoked a grin and
the doub full compliment that it was
'purty fair shootin,' an nigh as stiddy
narve as Irish Tom showed when h,
popped away at that bad man from
Deadwood."
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 sent up an expert
to look into it." '"
The expert, pale, small man, dressed
In dusty gray, was standing at the bar and
looked around as the tall, would-be ruff
fian uttered these words.
"Thet's so, Pete," said one of the men
present, SAN that's the expert" pointing
to the small man.
"You're an expert, eh ?" shouted Pete,
cycling the man menacngly; 'you're one
o. them fellers as allows he knows payin'
mines, are you?" Then, after pause,
during which he surveyed the stranger
from head to foot, swell, you're the wust
l ever saw. Experts is bad enough, but
you're the slinkiest, meanest, wust coot to
set yourself up to report on a mine l ever
laid eyes on"
~ don't want to quarrel with you sir"
answered the expert.
eyed better not, young Teller, ye'd
better not, Pm whirlwind of the desert
in fight; and don't you forget it,"
"1m man of peace; carry no weap-
ons, and, of course, could not hope to
stand before even a zephyr of the desert,
let alone wild, untamed whirlwind."
These deprecatory words only incensed
the chad man" still more, and feeling
that he had "soft thing" proposed in
his own mind to ''record by whipping his
man.
"Look heyar, stanger, l don't want
no insinuatiOns. Do look like zephyr!
Say!" Here Washoe Pete shook his fist
In the experts face. "What dye mean
by talkin' about zephyrs? Pm a tornado.
| tear when turn loose, Zephyr [sneer-
ing.l Why, I've good mind to -"
Please, mighty whirlwind, restless
tornado, don't hit me You wouldn't
strike consumptive man, would you?''
"Wouldn't II" yelled the Fighter in a
terrible voice, ''wouldn't l! I'd strike the
| side of o mountainl"
"But sick mani" pleaded the expert,
ga man dying or consumption, an orphan
| a stranger and man of peace"
| "What re ye giving me? Do you know
who amp" fiercely demanded the whirl-
| wind. faH rt ttr. r.
"Youre gentlemen known in Bodie
as Washoe Peter-at least I've heard you
designated by that familiar appellation
during my sojourn here" answered the
expert, moving of.
"What else am II" shrieked the rough
striding toward the covering expert.
"a gentleman, suppose. Honestly,
don't know your other name."
"Well, I'll tell you who ami" and the
tall man stood over the shrinking stran-
ger, as if about to topple upon him and
annihilate him. 'I'm bad; Pm chief in
this yer camp, and ken lick the mans
says aint't. Pm raging lion of the
plains, an every time | hit l kill. Pve
got an arm like quartz stamp, an
crush when 60 fur man. | weigh q
ton, an earthquake amt nowhere when
drop"
"But I've only just been discharged
from hospital" replied the expert.
| am send ye back againw and the stal.
wart "bluffer" caught the little man by
the collar and hurled him upon the
/ floor.
"It's unlxind to use a poor, weak, suf
fering 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 1t square.
am very sorry that have offended you
aye think Pm joking, do ye-ye take
me fur a josh, eh? Iii show ye what
am atore | git through with ye. Ye
don't play me fur no tender-foot. I'm a
native, l am, an I've stood this yer fool
IN long enough" Saying which he dash
ed the stranger against table and drew
a long knife.
/ AS soon as the expert saw this be
| screwed his face into the most piteous
shape, and, throwing his hands up cried
"Pm unarmed; l haven't got so much as
me; kick me to death if you must have
my life, but for heavens sake don't stick
that terrible thing into me-"
| Now as WaShoe Pete had no intention
of using the knife-and thereby riSkinl
his neck to the tender mercies of IA Memo
ljury s verdict-he was well pleased witt
the opportunity thus afforded him o
displaying the deadly weapon, and, ,aftel
asserting his bloody intention, returning
it to the sheath. He flourished the knife
over the cringing expert three or tou
times, and then lowered it with the re
mark: "Why, dern your cowardly soul
/ wouldn't disgrace the weepin by shov
in into ye. No, sir but l'll plug ye,
and he drew a revolver.
"Pm unarmed-l'm unarmed-don'ty y
hear me-" wh,ned the expert.
"Go. an heel yerself then, retorted TIL
bad man.
81 don't want to fight"
I'll make ye fight. I'll take ye at ye
word, an kick ye to death.'
"Please don't"
Washoe Pete laid his knife and pistC
on the counter, and then strobe rap dl
to the spot where the expert was hall
crouching, half-standing. BY this tim
: the saloon was full of men, all of theI
smiling at the picture before them, rt
garding it as the height of enjoymeu
this lively encounter between th
greatest braggadocio in the Sierra and
Ismall, pale, mining expert, new to th
: section and a stranger to the wild way
of the border rutfian.
"This thing has gone on bout Ion
'nough," yelled "bad man." stopping bt