The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1880-06-29
A Bad Man from Bodie.
Virginia New, Chronicle.l


There were half dozen peaceable citizens
in street saloon last night taking their tod
dies and talking over the situation at Chicago
between drinks. Not one in the crowd could
be considered fighting man, three of them
being militia officers, two mining experts from
Skowhegan, Maine, and the other reformed
preach II. The discussion was at its height,
and the r. P. was just asserting, at the same
time throwing down the toddy spoon viciously,
that he would be eternally tortured if any man
could make him admit that third term was
right, when the door opened suddenly and
stranger entered with a swagger. The stran-
ger wore his hat down much over his left eye,
carried his lower jaw like the COW catcher of a
locomotive, bent his shoulders forward, and
had the general appearance OF a very bad man.
He slouched up to the bar, picked up a glass
containing the prospective drink of one of the
militia officers, drained his tumbler and turned
toward the ex-parson. s sd. ..f-,b
so yer won't admit that third terms the
true business? Well, now I'm a tellin' yer
that it's my racket, and when Bowie Bill
pitches the card every scrub i'll camp hes jes'
got to foller suit or trump" .,--..- 5.-
With these Introductory remarks the stran-
ger drew bowie knife and jabbed the silver
dollar that had been placed upon the bar for
drinks. showing II lOWdru lne dSlOnlSneu JAR
compounder of cocktails he said: s.-
'That's good for eight drinks, barkeep My
friends here have had six of 'em and I'll take
the rest of 'em myself. I'm chief Of Bodie and
I've come ter this camp ter drink up all yer
whisky an raise hell.
The barkeeper took the dollar cautiously
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 Bo-
die 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 toward the door. The Bad Man checked
the exodus by stepping out with his knife and
saying, "Now there's some snoozer here that's
Just dyin' ter ask all ter drink ter Grant's
health, and we're all willin' to do it. OF course
we are. Step up, gentlemen, an take your
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 painful assumption of hilarity
and good humor, and all hands gulped down
the third term with their whiskey, while the
bad man smiled in q most offensive manner,
and carved his initials on the rosewood bar
with his knife in letters four inches long.
The barkeeper mildly protested against the
vandalism, but the bad man informed him
that he should consider himself honored to
have his bar graced with the autograph of so
distinguished man. "Yer don't know when
yer may see me agin, and it will be a big at
traction to yer house" he added, giving an
extra flourish to a capital b that extended
clear across the counter and nearly caught
the barkeepers hand As he did so
miner came down stairs from the faro game,
and smiled when he took in the situation.
The miner walked up to the bad man