Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1880-06-22
A Bad MAN from Rodie.

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There were half a dozen peaceable
citizens in a C-street saloon last night
taking their toddies, and talking over
the situation at Chicago between
drinks. Not one in the crowd could
be considered a fighting man, three
of them being militia officers, two
mining experts from Skowhegan,
Maine, and the other a reformed
preacher. The discussion was at its
heighth and the reformed preacher
was just asserting, at the same time
throwing down the toddy.spoon vi
ciously, that he would be externally
tortured if any man could make him
admit that a third term was right,
when the door opened suddenly and a
stranger entered with a swagger. The
stranger wor his hat down over his
left eye, carried his lower jaw like the
cow-catcher ola locomotive, bent his
shoulders forward, and had the gen.
eral appearance of a very bad a
He slouc6ed up to the bar, picked up
a glass containing the prospective
drink of one of the militia officers.
drained the tumbler and turned to-
ward the ex-parson.
$50 yer won't admit that a third
terms the true business2 Well, now.
I'm a tellin' yer that it's my racket,
and when Bowie Bill pitches a card
every scrub in camp has jes' got to
foller suit or trump"
With these Introductory remarks
the stranger drew a bowie-knife and
jabbed the silver dollar that had been
placed upon the bar for the drinks.
Showing it toward the astonished com
FOUNDER Of cocktails, he said:
That's good for eight drinks, bar
keeper. My friends here have had six
of 'em, and III take the other two
myself. I'm chief of Bodie. and a rip.
snorter to fight, and I've come ter this
camp ter drink up all yer whisky an
raise hell"
The barkeeper took the dollar eau
tiously from the point Of the knife and
set out the whisky bottle and two
glasses, taking care to keep at arms
length from the counter. The crowd
seemed to lose all interest in politics
at once, and drew away from the Bad
Man of Bodie in silence.
Every man of the six wanted to
slide out quietly, and all started at the
same moment to put their slide into
execution. Each one assumed an air
of abstraction, as though he had not
been one Of the crowd and moved to-
ward the door. The Bad Man check
ed the exodus by stepping out with
his knife, and saying: Nov there's
some snoozer here that's just dyin' ter
ask all ter drink ter Grants health,
and we're all willin' to do it. OF
course we are. Step up, gentlemen,
and take yer medicine with our cadav'-
rous friend"
The cadaverous party was the man
who was previously shouting against
the third term, but he walked up to
the bar and laid down his dollar with
a painful assumption Of hilarity and
good humor, and all hands gulped
down the third term with their whis.
ky, while the bad man smiled in
a most offensive manner and carved
his initials on the rosewood bar with
his knife in letters four inches long.
The bar-keeper mildly protested
against the vandalism. but the bad
mar informed him that he should
consider himself honored to have his
bar graced with the autograph Of so
distinguished a man. "Yer don't
know when yer may see me agin, and
It will be a big attraction to yer
house. he added, giving an extra
flourish to a capital b that extended
clear across the counter, and nearly
caught the bar-keeper's hand. AS he
did SO, a miner came down stairs
from the faro game, and smiled when
ne took in the situation. The miner
walked up to the bad man from Bodie,
caught his wrist with one hand and
his ear with the other and turned him
around Upon looking at the miner
Bowie Bill dropped the knife, drew
IN his under jaw, and became the pic
lure OF meekness at once, The miner