Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1883-09-16
ON THE FRONTIER.
Some Of the Adventurous Types Of
the Southwest.
A Typical Frontier Saloon and its Occupants
-"CurIY BiIF' and Ms ~Eseapades
1.-The Grapevine Route"
Philndsiphia Pres.

IT," The man who used this expires
sion is o character. On the southwest
ern frontier his name is as familiar as q
household word. He was the terror o.
the border for many years, and has es'
capped lynehing many times. This
lines which here introduce him give his
pet phrase when recovering from q
spree. His throat vas doubtless toe
familiar with bad rum to be disturbed
with anything less than a curry-cOmb'
He was standing leaning against the
Counter of a bar-room in Silver City,
New Mexico, as he made the above
quofed remark.
1t iss
Typical Frontier GIn-mIlI,
and it was filled with strange charac-
tiers. Here were two Indians sitting on
q bench, q couple of drunken freighters
leaning against the wall, two regular
soldiers half drunk, two or three hunt
ing dogs, several Winchester rifles, a
pile of Indian trinklets and a half
wagon-loaG Of specimens of silver ore.
A board covered with a little red calico
and q half dozen bottles stood for the
bar.
Curly Bill was q hard man, and as he
stood taking bis whisky in this rude
bar. room he was a perfect specimen of
a rustler. His rude makeup of rough
pants stuck in his boots, blue shirt, fam
ing red necktie, and great sOmbrerO
added to a bad countenanCe much that
was picturesque. He had q knife in his
boot, two six-shoOters about his waist,
and was ready for a frDlic OF any kind,
even at the risk of his life. He was a
desperate of the dangerous sort and had
killed many a man. The boys gave
him credit of having stocked a private
graveyard, and he was consequently a
hero.
The Drink
was hardly down before Curly Bill
whipped out his revolver and for
amusement shot q hole through the top
of the freighters' hats. They then alt
got to bantering each other about their
skill as marksmen, and walking out
into the yard, they went shooting silver
half. dollars out of each others fingers
at twenty PAGES. Curly Bill o o tired
Ofthis mOnOtOnOus excitement, aud
asked one Of the soldiers to hold up a
silver piece. The soldier agreed: aud
twice he sent the bullet against the
coin, but she third time, fog pure devil
ment, he shot the fellows front finger
IF. When the soldier growled about
the miss, Curly Bills response was:
On, - it, Thought you had been a
soldier loSg enough"
This ended this quiet sport for the
day. The men walked back into the
,aiOOn, and | walked up to the further
end of the town. A few moments af-
forwards a cry of fire was raised, and
the gin-miH where Curly Bill and his
companions were was soon burned to
the ground. While the building was
burning the CHATTER of horses hoOfs was
came riding up the street at
A Railing Pace
and the landlord with them. They
stopped at another favorite bar-rOOm,
aud the landlord who had been burned
out said: ''That cussed Curly Bill gos
to shooting at the lamp and hit her o
little too low AMI 1t exploded. lie Will
pay the damages, though"
Drinks were ordered for all the mot
ley crowd in the bar-rOOm, and then
they went to playing Spanish monte,
the favOrite gambling game in the rude
west. A few days after this Curly Bill
barely escaped hanging for horse.steal-
ing, and left for parts unknown. To
day there is q price upon his head in al.
most every territory. He has been re-
ported dead a half dozen times, but he
turns up in unexpected places to veX
every community he strikes. Where
he came from and who he was before he
became n desperate ne one knows.
But he seemed 10 have had a fair early
training, and to have drifted into
his wild Lie
from a taste for adventure.
"Oh, hush" shouted 8 long, lank fell
low, as he jumped upOa a table filled
with rough men. The cause of his joy
was the words Of the dealer Of the keno
bank, the numberthat made him
winner of the pot.
81 am a hard man from Bitter creek
/ eats bar meat, weigh 1000 pounds,
smell like a wolf, and the whi1 of bull
lets is music in my ear" yelled the fell
low, as he drew his sOmbrero OFF from
his misunderstanding cOuntenance.
One of the men whOhad been less for
ruuate a. the game hit him a blow un'
der the ear Just as he finished speaking
and he fell like an OK. He picked him
| .eif UP, looked quietly around the place
ard then said: "Well, this is the mos
>cciable community | have struck
| Come OH. boys, let's liquor"
ID cost him s. to treat, but the eXpe
| rierce he got was worth it.
These two characters represent TIT
two different classes Of men you find OF
the border. The man who shouted
when he won the pot at the
Keno Bank
was a braggart. He would boast Of hi
great exploits, of the horses he had stolel
and of the men he had killed, an(
would swagger around with an air tina
would scare any one but a brave man
But when he met a fighter he Away
wilted! He and Curly Bill are fair rep
resentatives of the two classes OF hare
characters you find on the border. The.
all wear the broad brimmed hats, dres
alike, and have similar ambitions
Their open, reckless life gives thea
good health, despite dissipation, an,
their animal spirits often run away wit
their sense.
Among these characters whom yo'
discover under the broad sombrero tn
Spaniard first introduced into tn
southwestern territory you find man,
peculiar characters-men who hav
been raised we'll and have had gres
opportunities as we'll as the cowboy VIII
grew ND to q wild life and took his les
sons OF equity, justice and hUmanit.
from association with
The Texas Steer.
Russian Bill was a tyre of the bette
class, but in heart and impulses he wa
like the last man l introduced. II
was highly educated and spoke an
wrote six different languages. He wa
a ''blower" who had committed man,
crimes in his mind. But Curly Bill an
the brave men along the frontier neve
gave him credit for any exploits excep
with his tongue. He Dragged 80 much
however, about his desperate deeds tina
ono niOht while he was under arrest 70