Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1879-01-30

savage, "that you are a d-d thief;
THAT you as good as stole 81, SOC
from a brother Of mine two DAYS
ago, and if you don't refund ev-
cry dollar of it to me I'd cut
your rascally heart out of you
right in this stages" and with
these words he drew a long
Ibntcher-knife from his belt and
leaned over toward Bill for an
answer.
"Then my reply would be
that two can cut hearts at the
same time;;" and as quick as
thought Bill had drawn a large
navy pistol, which he was just
in the act Of cooking as | caught
his arm.
The passengers then lnterfer-
ed, but the stranger was not TO
be pacified, and continued to
swing his knife around, to tlle
danger of every one near him,
and TO make every attempt to
get within reach of Bill, who
still held the pistol, uncocked, in
his hand. Finding it would be
impossible TO keep them apart,
it was proposed by some of the
passengers that they should get
out of the stage to fight it out.
The stage was accordingly stop
ped, and all the passengers a.
lighted, which was no sooner
done than the stranger made a
dash at Bill without further GER
emony. Some one stepped in
front of him before he could get
within reach of his victim, but.
could not prevent him from
throwing the knife, and with such
precision that the point of it pass
ed along Bills right side, infict-I
ing a severe wound. Bill then
cooked his pistol and fired, just
as the other had drawn. a revol-
yer from his belt. The stranger
fell, with a ball in his right shoul-
der. He was taken into the
stage, followed by Bill, who was
not injured so much as to pre-
vent him from walking, and af-
ter careful drive of three miles
both of the wounded melf and |
Charley were left at a hotel some
fifteen or twenty miles below
Placeryille.
Three weeks after / saw Bill
"rope in" a teamster for two yoke
of cattle on the corner Of j and
Fourth streets, Sacramento City,
and then sell the loser one yoke
for $50, which was all the money
he had, and lend him the other
pair to get his wagon into the
Bill had a heart, and a kind
one, too, if it was touched in the
right place; and it was no un-
common occurrence for him to
$50 or $100 toward I
fund for the relief of a
destitute family, or to enable
some unfortunate individual to-
return to the Atlantic States; and I
scarcely day passed that he
did not refund to some one mon
ey he had won from him upon
ascertaining that it left the loser
destitute. In one instance |
knew of him winning $500 from
an old man on his way home.
After he had lost it he turned a
way with such a look Of misery
that Bill called him back and
asked him which way he was
travelling, and if he was out Of
funds. The old man thought he
was being ridiculed, but answer
ed that he had no money left;
that he had been six months in
laying up the $500 which he had
just foolishly lost, and with
which he expected to have paid
bis passage home, but that he
supposed that nothing was left
him now but to return to the
mines. Bill inquired why he
was so anxious to return to his
family, and scarcely money e.
nough to pay his passage. The
other answered that a short time
before he learned. that his wife
was dead, and that three of his
children were without a home.
Bill did not ask another question,
but handed the $500 back to the
old man which he had won from
him, and 5000 besides, saying as