The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-08-30
PocKnr ARrrLLRRr.
A DISABLING Trick with the Trieeer-Hothinr
= c.n.L-. -

l was at Ell Paso the other day, having gone
up IN the stage, as the line between Las Cruces
and III Paso is washed out. While in town /
dropped into q large store on Ell Paso street
which enjoys the reputation of selling more arms
than any other house in the city. Stores in Ell
Paso sell everything from the proverbiaI needle
to an anchor, but this one makes a speciality of
rifles, shetguns and evolvers.
lille your correspondent was inspecting the
giitterlng array of pistols of all kinds which
nlied haN q dozen showcases, a young fellow of
about twenty three entered. He was dressed in
approved frontier style, sombrero il would take
three days to walk around the rim of, white
HANDKERCHIEF tied loosely round the neck,
blue SHIRT, pants stuck in his boots, and
large Mexican spurs upon his heels, iingling as
he walked. He wished to buy d gun In the
expressive and laconie tongue of the frontier a
gun Is q revolver, a rifle is called by the name
OF the maker, and the weapon Of the sportsman,
uncnrtalled OF Its Fair proportions is known as a
shotgun.
Selecting from a case a handsome mounted
Colts forty-6ye ealiber revolver the clerk said;
How would you like this2 1t is the newest thing
out eut-a double-aetion~ forty-fve.H
Amt worth a row of beans. No man 'cept
a tenderfoot wants that kind Of thing. Give
me an old reliable all the time. Ye see a man
that's used to the old style is apt to get fooled
not pull her of in time-and then he'll be laid
out colder'n a WEDGE
He was handed out a single action Colts of
the same model, which, after carefully examin
ing, he proceeded to cock and FIRE, twirling the
pistol around his forefnger, and cooking and
pressing the trigger the moment the but came
into the palm his hand. After some little kick
about the price, the weapon was paid for and
the customer left the store.
There are few men, observed the clerk as
his customer left, that can do that trick. |
have been ten years on the Southwest frontier,
among the worst classes, and don't know more
nor half . dozen Bill the Kid could do it: so
can Pat Garret, former sheriff of Lincoln county;
50 can Dan Tucker. deputy sheriff of Deming.
Curly Bill could do it the best of the lot, and
that's how he killed Sheriff White, at Tomb
stone"
How was thatl' querried the correspondent
Wei, you see Curly Bill trying to paint the
town red, and White heard of it, and going up
to him covered him with his six-shooter and
told him he had got to give up his gun. Bill
handed the gun out butt first, but kept his fin
ger inside the guard, and as the sheriff reached
FORT he gave it that twist you've seen, turned
her loose and the sheriff passed in his checks
"Whatkind of revoivers are in demand"
Forty five and forty-four calibers Colts
models are the favorites; then comes Smith G
Wesson and a new model called the Merwin
Hubert. The latter is a favorite with men who
are often In town and like to pack o gun. 1t
has an interchangeable barrel. The long bar
rel is taken off and the short one put on, and
then it can be carried in the ~hip-pocket. The
great trouble with all these pistols are that they
are hard on the trigger. The boys gstover this
by having the catch filed down. The pistol of the
cowboy is as fine on the trigger as were the
hair.trigger of the old dueling days"
DO you sell many of the British Bulldog
pistolsl'
Yes. They are chiefly bought by railroad
laborers, tramps and boys. Men who are used
to the country either buy Colts f0rty-one or
carry a forty-four or forty-6ve in a shoulder
scabbard."
sfVTbot 4. 4bo+1u
well, its a pistol scabbard with a strap pass
ing over the right shoulder, and supports the
pistol under your coat on the left side, It ena-
bles you to draw while a man is thinking that
you are only looking for your handkerchief. The
bulldog is a poor pistol, shoots wild and can't
be depended upon for over fifteen feet.p
D you ever sell twenty-five and thirty two
calibersY7
mo; that is to say, very seldom. ATexan or
New Mexico boy would consider such pistols
toys. He may stoop as low as Al, but there he
stops. When a man or a boy shoots at another
in this climate he shoots to kill, and has no use
for such tools
"What use have tramps for ~pisto1sl'
We'll, they use them to stand.off brakemen
and conductors who want to throw them off
carry them more because it is the fashion than
anything else, and few men feel safe without
something IN their pocket"
How about the law2n
THE law against carrying deadly weapons is
intended to give the officers . bulge on those
fighters who go round hourishing their shooters,
get drunk and whoop her up. Officers amt GO
ing to search citizens Of any rapute for guns, so
nearly every mar carries one. i want to show
you q kind Of shotgun that has . limited use, =
continued the clerk, and he led the way to the
back of the store whore about half
a dozen double-baFreled shotguns were
standing in a rack. They had all been
cut of short, the barrels being only about two