Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1883-09-06
PAINTING A PRECIPICE.
Thrilling Experience of Tramp Artist
While Swinging Two Hundred Feet
Above

Thrilling Experience of a Tramp Arts
While Swinging Two Hundred Fec
Above Terra Firma.
mo, sir, l can't patter flash; dom
understand the meaning of square will
dot in it painted on Il farmers fence
post. I'm a tramp, to be sure; but I'm
no beggar. don't run with the resi-
of 'em. and L don't understand theil
signs"
He was resting from his arduous ia
bOrs under Il shady tree in Lincoln Park
and if he could have been held under
the fountains stream for half an houl
it would probably be possible to ap-
proach him without holding ones nose.
However, as water was apparently his
sworn enemy, the reporter did not insult
him by the suggestion.
IL suppose you have met with a great
many adventures in the course of vour
trampingsy'
Adventures! Well, slightly. How
would you like to hang over a precipice
at the end of a fifty-foot rope, with two
hundred feet of clean air under YOU
and a gang of bloodthirsty Apaches up
abovep'
I'Tell us about it.
"lou see, I'm a sign-painter. Look
Iey,."
He drew aside the lapel of his savory
coat and displayed about dozent paint
brushes OF various shapes and sizes,
tightly bound together with strings and
resting in his inner pocket.
81 don't work in a little 6x9 shop for
$3.50 day from one weeks end to the
other. No. sir; the world is my work
shop. and L make what | can-some-
times it is twenty dollars day and
sometimes ii is nothing. got five dol
lars for painting patent medicine sign
on the river wall over ut the Newport
Barracks two summers ago: but the
blamed police of that town yanked me
in for it, and the Mayor fined me ten
dcllars and costs, and made me paint
oht the sign besides. SO YOU see
didn't make much by that job. You can
see traces of the lettering on the wall
there yet if You look close"
but about that little adventure with
the Indians?''
''Got any terbacker? What's that?
Keep the whole plug? Oh, thanks!"
He bit off about half the plug, moist
cning the remainder with saliva in the
course of the operation, and then went
on with his tale.
''lt was two summers ago. / was
painting the Southern Pacific for
Baltimore drug house. and had pretty
well plastered the rocks and fences
along that line with liver pills, electric
pads, etc. Of course. would make
big jumps now and then, when l
thought the scenery was too tame to be
painting, or never would have got to
the end of the road.
Il branched off at Benson, in Ari-
iona, and took run up the San Pedro
River as far as Tombstone, meaning to
lay the paint on that town pretty thick,
because its name makes it kind of con-
spicuous. you know, and j thought the
boss would like it,
But the first pot of paint was the
last. l started in ABOUT ten o'clock one
morning to decorste little shantv that
was not fit to keep billy-goat in. 1t
was made of about three dozen rough
planks nailed to four posts, with lot
Of tree branches as a roof
Il swung black paint all over one
side pretty lively as a groundwork for
the white lettering, but I no sooner
started in with the white when a big
fellow slouched across the street to
where was. and says he:
That's mighty pretty. Paint the
other side, now
'''Wait till get done this side. will
you, my friend?' says I, making the
outline of big L in white paint.
"'Just scratch that cut, if you please.
My name don't begin with an L.
He said that mighty soft: but when
looked at him had to look into the
inuzzle Of q big seyen-shooter navy.
i've Rad plenty Of trouble with men