Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-07-10
''Sandy Bill"
flock Melone, in Californian. ]

ssDid 1 say Sandy Bill! Well, should
say so. Smartest and ugliest man ever in
Dead Mans Gulch. Knew him when
they found the placers there. Bill came
down to wash dirt, but he soon got tired
| of that, and took to cards. But cards got
| away with him. He wasn't strong
enough for them. He used to say, after
he had got right bad, that the black spots
stained his heart and the red ones stained
| his hands. He was sullen-like at times,
and then there was trouble. He'd pull
gun quicker than flash, and there would
| be cold meat for the coroner in the wink
of an eye Bad man, Bill was They
| wanted to get him out of the Gulch once,
and the camp council held camp meet
ing on it, but the undertaken got all the
council drunk and made 'em vote Bill
should stay He was good for one branch
of business at least.
Bill was cross-eyed, and when he got
right mad it used to make the boys feel
queer all around. They couldn't under
stand exactly who it was he was mad at,
| for his eyes would take in all sides of the
| room, which made it sorter awkward. He
shot Teller once, and got off on the plea
that it was an accident on this account.
Four men swore that he was looking
right at them, and that his gun went off
| in another direction The court allowed
that a man couldn't be hung because of
an in6rmity, but said that if such an acci.
dent happened again an Overruling Provi-
dence would rake in a prominent citizen.
For you see there wasn't any getting
away from Bills straight shooting, even
if he had crooked eyes. When he had
the drop on a man you could bet on
funeral with the same Christian conf
dence you could on four aces.
But Bill went under, and in a queer
way too 1t was after they found some
gold lodes of free milling quartz above
the gulch, and the camp had become
town. Bill was running bank above
the Nugget saloon, and he made it pay
big. One day fellow walked into town
all rags and misery and went into the
bank. Bill was keeping cases, and the
minute he saw the stranger he jumped
up and walked over to him. There was
some talk and they shook hands. Then
Bill came back to the table leading the
stranger "Boys," said he, "when was
sick this man doctored me; when l was
hungry he fed me; when crawled out of
rebel stockade IN Macon and tried to
get north he helped me- My friends are
his friends His enemies are my enemies
No matter how the cards run, half I've
got is his" Then Bill sat down, for he
wasn't much of talker.
The next day the stranger came out in
a much better outfit, but it didn't help
his looks much. There was something
about his eyes that looked like the DEVILS
trademark. He had noisy, clustering
way about him, and nobody took to Bills
pet. And it wasn't good day for Bill
when he came, either, for after that
everything seemed to go wrong. The
stranger spent an awful sight of money,
and all of it came from Bill He used to
cut up and make bad breaks about the
bank, but Bill stood it all and never said
word. If any of the boys growled he'd
take in three angles of the room with his
eyes and that settled matters. If they
talked with him he'd just shrug his
shoulders and say he was of age.
One day, though, Bills bank closed.
Nobody knew what it meant for while,
but when "Georgia'-that is what they
called the stranger-didn't turn up it got
whispered about that he had gathered up
all the loose scads and skipped. Bill
| would never say SO, InOuSn. lie would
, not talk about it at ALL He just soaked
J his watch and chain and went in for an
other pile, with two different expressions
in his eyes, one harder than the other
About Georgia" he never opened his
head.
, He got to drinking pretty hard after
!, that, but his luck was big. It was hard
to tell how much he won, for he wouldn't
: talk about it, but he made big winning
: and must have had nice little pile He
never said anything to any one, and die
T not want any friends. Things went or
7 this way for sometime after Georgia
left, and then there was an excitement
, Two bronchos had been stolen above the
camp, and the thief was caught ant
brought into town. 1t was Georgia, ,
looking more hang dog meaner than ever
l AS soon as Bill heard of it he went to thu
t owners of the stock and offered them jus
double the price not to prosecute. They
took it and agreed, but the thing hal
raised such row that trial was bound
] to come off anyhow. 1t didn't, though
! The day set Georgia" escaped jail ane