Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-01-01

Irkel saw his challenger with glass OF
spirits in his hand, leaning on the counter
and talking very loud, occasionally bring
Simms, / am here to settle that matter
with you as have promised"
"Yuh don't mean to say yuh set on
squah fight, do yuh, white-livah ?"
.Don't repeat that, or I'll knock you
down. The name belongs to me no more.
/ come here to fight you or anybody else
who wants to fight, wherever, however or
with whatever you choose.
.That's right The stuf7s in yuh. Glad
to see a Yank that'll fight; been Iookin'
for one long time. Take drink fore we git
to business
The lawyer declined, and the arrange
ment was made (Simms taking the bar
room into his confidence) that the two
should step into an adjoining apart
ment, where several men were drinking
and gambling, place themselves fifteen feet
apart, each with loaded revolver, begin
firing at the word, and continue until the
| chambers were exhausted.
Some time was required for adjusting the
details, as each tippler had suggestions to
make but everything was ready at last
and the two combatants, with their
seconds were about to enter the adjoining
room when Irkel remarked to his adver-
sary that the latter might have been drink
| ing so much as to render his aim unsteady.
{. Not a bit, answered Simms "See
heeah I'll show yuh Look at that eeah
statutes head pointing to plaster bust OF
a nondescript Venusl ovah tn dooah at the
end OF tn saloon.
As he spoke, he raised his revolver and
| II bic hull
cheer went up from those present they
were all highly excited and delighted at
the prospect of the desperate duel
| Five to one, (" cried one of the number,
50 that Simms kills his man at fuhst fire. J"
Simms gazed into the lawyers face, as
the bust fell to pieces, but not the slightest
change was visible. Yuh a game man,
shuah," he exclaimed, "ef yuh ali a Yank.
| love game man whehevah he halls from.
Heeah, let me say was wrong in insultin'
that young lady; respec' you for protect
in her. Ell you hadn't struck me, I'd for
Civ yuh but Bill Simms can't stand a
| blow
The gamblers in the room put away
their cards with joyous alacrity when
they were told of the duel. The distance
was measured of, and freshly-loaded re-
volvers were put into the duelists' hands.
! As Irkel received his he remarked, with
strange smile, to Simms ''If you serve
me as you served that plaster cast, my
friends will be saved funeral expenses, for
there won't be enough left of me to bury"
''But yuh ah crack shot, no doubt,
Mr. Irkel"
''That remains to be seen," replied the
| lawyer, who scarcely knew anything of
firearms, never having discharged pistol
more than twenty times in his whole life.
They took their positions on one side of
the room, a lamp above each of their heads,
the seconds standing on the other side, and
the spectators crowding round the open
door leading to the saloon.
As the moment approached the silence
was audible the lookers-on seemed more
excited than the principals the feeling
was intense the breathing of forty men
was distinctly heard; every eye was fas
tened on the combatants, standing still and
silent under the glare of the lamps.
Gentlemen, are you ready? Fire.
One; two; three.
At the word two both pistols were stimuli
taneously discharged. Neither of the men
stirred The witnesses were waiting in
! tently for the next shots. Every second
seemed an hour.
"They are both dead" some one whis-
pered. "Shot through the heart, said
another, sepulchrally.
The seconds moved forward, when an
other shot was fired. 1t came from Simms'
revolver, just as he was lifting it toward
! his adversary, and the bullet went into the
floor. Simms himself swayed to the right,
| and slowly sank tn the floor
g Is he killed." inquired one of the sec
onds
Dunno, replied Simms, feebly but
hurt pretty bad, and tainted away.
How is it with you, Mr.. Irkel asked
his second.
"All right, l believe" and he stepped
forward. The back of his head was bleed
ing. Simms' ball had grazed the base of
his brain, cut off lock of his hair, passed
through the partition and fattened itself
against an adjoining brick wall.
! Although Simms was thought to be dy-
ing, it was deemed prudent to place him in
care of a surgeon, and he was accordingly
placed on board, covered with blanket,
and carried, still insensible, to the office of
physician near by.
AS soon as he had been removed the
rough men in the saloon began to press
about Irkel, drawn, as the crowd always
is, to the victor of the hour. They con-
graduated, fattered, fawned upon him,
though they would have insulted and NAL
treated him an hour before.
The lawyer, anxious to escape from their
servility, had announced his desire to sur
render himself, and was on the point of
going when he perceived Armistead stand
ing at the bar, and trying to steady his
nerves, disturbed by the duel, which had
resulted so differently from his wishes and
expectations.
The sight of the fellow who had out
ragged him inhamed Irkel afresh. Still
holding his revolver, he went up to Armi-
stead, and looking him steadily in the eye,
said, in tone of constrained quietness,
"Y You were good enough to pull my nose
the other day, and am so sensible of your
goodness that should be ungrateful if
did not return it.
With the words, he seized his enemy's
nose, wrung it severely, and then dragged
him by it across the floor The bully was
so.terror- that he merely struggled
to get away, muttering something about
taking an unfair advantage of him.
"Unfair advantage - echoed Irkel. :" 1t
is you who do that. You assaulted me
with a weapon in your hand knowing that
/ was not only unarmed, but opposed to
fighting. Now that am armed as well as
you, and ready to fight, you prove your
self to be what l have called you-a
coward. If you had a particle of spirit,
you would make good your pretensions of
courage.
Armistead replied not. He sidled to
the door, and as he opened it, he flung
back, "TlI see yuh agin, and dashed out.
Irkel then said to the men about him,
Armistead is like many of you; he likes
to insult those whom he thinks it safe to
insult When l was non combatant
everybody offered me affronts. Now that
| have been driven into resistance can
find few to quarrel with. If any of you
present object to me on my abolition prin-
ciples, l am entirely willing to give you
satisfaction. Having begun to fight, may
as well continue. don't expect to come
here again so you would better embrace