The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1884-03-21
A CHECKERED LIFE.
HARRY J..NoRToN AND MARY BLACK
BURN.


IThe following from the Kansas City Eosning
Star is going the rounds of the press. We reproduce
1t that the thousands of Aontanans who knew Harry
Norton may have opportunity of seeing how fash
literature IL worked up for sensational journalism.
There is hardly yestige of truth in the sketch yet
has been written by some one familiar with Norons
! life history. IL Is, however, good advertisement
for "On the Yellowstone" and the genial, gifted,
popular hero of H. If such things may be- will, when
he notices 1t in the world which he has gone regret
that his oppnrtncityi past to do the asthor recon-
pensc by writing him up the Monte Christoof the
| West and emLeIshing the sketch with adventures
TINT would eclipse Joaquin Miller. SD N N WI
II is doubtful If any one who reads the
papers attentively has not felt that there
must be some strange inner history in the
life of the young actress, Mary G. Blackburn,
| who has been brought so prominently before
the public In the mysterious death Of Salmi
Morse, of passion Play" fame. Youthful,
| beautiful, a novice as an actress, possessed
| of some money, her relations with the sim
gular old man whose life has been one colos-
sal adventure and whose body was drawn at
| last from the river, nobody has entirely ex-
plaIned. 1t has been part of the writer's ex-
perience to know personally some OF the his.
! tory of Mary q. Blackburn. 1t has been
sadly romantic and full OF strange vicissi-
tudes for one so young. Something like six
or seven years ago Judge blackburn was one
| eff the leading jurists of Nevada. His daugh-
ter Mary, then not quite II years old, was
lovely girl-talf, 1.-the, and with glorious
| head of deep blonde hair, of that peculiar
| shade that hesItates on the boz der line OF the
lehtest brown. They we're at that time at
Silver City, New, and she was besieged with
| admirers, whom the judge endeavored, with
u popular sort of paterDal monopoly, to keep
at arms length.
Probably the most obnoxious of all of
these to him was Harry J. Norton, bright
young newspaper man, who was publishing
a typical mining camp journal there. Nor
ton was a romantic looking fellow, dark
haired and handsome, and had history full
| of incident and adventure. He had been
soldier, had fought his way into Mexico; he
had been a scout aud in government employ;
had threaded the labyrinths Of the Yellow
stone into the most marvellous fairyland that
the foot of man ever trod; he was the sole
survivor of a wild raid of the Apaches on the
Gila river, and escaped by sheer and desper-
ate courage alone; he had been gold-miner;
a hunter all alone in leagues and leagues Of
prairie land, and above all he had been a
keen observer, was an easy, graceful talker,
and these "moving incidents by flood and
field" wove themselves into his conversation
and lent it an affabie charm. He was a man
of undoubted nerve; will.power was the
dominant trait of character, and it is not at
all strange that he soon captiVated the belle
of the camp.
Judge Blackburn, however, regarded him
with dislike and suspicion. He said freely
that he considered him dangerous and dis
solute man and declined 70 entrust the fu
| Lonninass of hiS child his hands.
Norton loved her tenderly aud purely, and
was not the man TO be balked. Next to him
self the most promising snitor was rich
| Mexican, who had drifteo north, and whose
name has escaped the pei. lie was, how
ever, rich, rather dashiDg, a.'d really dan
gerous rival anywhere. NortHn fancied that
be vas standing in the way, ant prejudicing
the Judge against him, he lost no time In
finding pretext for quarrel and challeng-
ing him to duel.
The challenge was instantly accepted, the
Mexican, as the challenged party, choosing
Colts revolvers at twenty PAGES, and an
early hour next morning as the time.
Prompt to the minute they met. During
the night Norton had worked as usual at his
office, coolly grinding out "copy" for the
printers and correcting proof as noncha.
lantly as though he was anticipating moth
ing more serious than good sleep at the
end of il. The last sheet Of "copy" he wrote
was brief obituary of himself, and, hang
Ing 1t on his hook, told the foreman, without
mentioning its nature, to run 1t in the next
issue in case he did not return.
The place selected for the duel was level
spot In the rear of some shattered adobe
houses. They stood back to back, and al
"one, two three" were to wheel and fire
At "three," Norton turned deliberately and
sent bullet straight through his opponents
heart. The Mexican's ball had passed over
his head.
It was yet in the early gray of dawn, and
the journalist FASTENED to Blackburn's house
and plainly told Mary what had happened
also that he must instantly fly.
81 will 20 with you," she said.
She never re entered the house. Norton
procured her wraps IN the camp and they lef
together before the sun was up. OF course
she was soon missed, and, linking her ab
sence with the news of the duel, which
reached him shortly, and of Norton's depart
ure, Judge Blackburn did not nave much
difficulty in arriving a. an understanding ol
| the case. He was stern old man, aud
, started in pursuit fully determined, 50 h
often after ard said, TO kill them both. Hi!
, instant construction was that the journals
5 had enticed the girl away for the purpose o
! running her, and in the relentless old cod'
3 of morality, he preferred death to dishonor
But Norton, however, had u" such notion
They struck the stage and took passage, q
any lady and gentleman might, for Virgins
+ CITY. En- route the angered father pressed
them so hard that they were compelled Il
abandon the stage, and securing horses, I'm
ished the trip In the saddle. They arrived II
Q Virginia City a half an hour ahead, an
when Judge Blackburn arrived be was con
fronted by marriage certificate. Although
he concluded not to do any killing, he neve
entirely forgave Norton, and returned to hi
home feeling that he had been deepl
K wronged. Nobody was particularly afecte'
! by the death of the Mexican, and the prose
n cution quietly died out for lack Of interest
!. For two years the young couple led rov
2 ing life, drifting wherever the shifting fol
d tune of nomadic western journalism dre'
|. the husband. For time they were in th
i Black Hills, but some "gold.brick" conf
8 dence men whom Norton exposed combine
r their influence to freeze him out. His nes
: objective point was Lesdville, and reluctar
to take his girl wife to SO turbulent cam
. Norton sent her home to her parents IN N,
:, :, vada, and went to fight the battle alone. II
T. was soon popular character there, and be
: came editor of the Chronicle, which had n
, Gently been started.
= While at Leadville Norton published
= book, half romance and half history, entitle
= .sOn the Yellowstone" 1t was the idealize
\ story of his adventures, and while 1t nevt
reaped the author fortune Its sale was wild
In 1879 hard work and reckless life broh
~ Norton down and he was seized with pnel
Z monia. His wife was telegraphed for snn
came In on the big, numbering stage on II
L evening that he died. They took her to II
d bare log cabin in which be lay, and The seer
y at the bedside was pitiful beyond all word
= In tie delirium of grief she clung TO u
!, corpse aud had TO be finally taken away !
~ sheer force. Norton was buried under u
y, pinon trees In the carbonate hills and u
y widow of less than twenty went back to N
= vsda carrying with her the dead Bohemian
y few effects, including the manuscript OF T
y vision of his book, "0n the Yellowstone
~ making more of a story and less OF histol
ont oft. purse was raised for her amor
OF her husbands old associates, and she drftt
y. out of sight. II was sfterward learned th
be abe went with her father to the Paethc coa'
he aud few years ago became Suddenly .
y, riched by legacy left her By relative.
ha was with this money that she made her tn
u siricsl venture ct New York, again oppo
8: Ing the wishes Of her parent, aud again vii
I" ant warning leaving his house. Sail
he Nsrse.s play .On the Yellowstone' was