The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1886-07-07
a FRoNrIRR TALE.
''They Thought they Knew, but they DIdp't."
A Great Sacrifice,

''They Thought they Knew, but they Dldn't,n
omaha Bee. ~
"He's bullyW
"Hs's CowsrdW
"He's got to hang"
"Thsts his third manp
The one narrow street OF the frontier
town was filled with surgiug crowd of
excited men, There we're Indian fighters,
scouters, gamblers, tramps, miners, speCu.
housekeeping and everybody,
Every town has its bully-eveTy from
tier town, Big Jim was the bully OF Hill
City, and the story OF his last adventures
stamps him IS q man whom some would
call heroic. He could drink more, curse
louder, shoot quicker, and start row
sooner than any other man, When he
shot Lumber Joe 1t was q stand-of. 1t
was rough against rough. Whoever went
under the town would be the gamer. The
death OF his second victim brought him q
certain respect, for ne had given the man
q fair show. There was limit TO the
number Of men one might kill in Hill
City. II was three times and out. Big
Jim had killed bis Third.
Two hundred men-all exclted-some
half Crazsd-all indiguant-some terribly
aroused, surged down the street to the Red
Star saloon bent on vengeance. Big Jim
and the man he had killed were alone In
the place.
"Bring him outI"t
"He's got to hangm
"Bhug out the bully and cowardI"
There was a rush, hut 1t was checked,
Men had pistols aud knives in their hands,
bu. the sight OF Big Jim with big "nsVy"
in each hand cooled their ardor, A life
for life IL no revenge. They lied when
they called him a bully. Bullies strike
and run, or bluster and dare not strike.
They lied when they called him coward
Cowards do not remain to face death.
Big Jim advanced a little. The crowd
fell back. He stood In the door and sur.
veyed the mob as another man might
have looked up at the pine covered crest
Of Carter's Peak, The mob grew quiet.
There were 200 right hands clutching
deadly weapons, but not hand moved.
Two hundred to one 10 appalling odds,
but the one was master. Seeming to face
every man Of them-seeming TO cover
every breast with the black muZzles Of his
revolvers-the man backed away up the
road into the darkness, out Of their sight
and hearing. He said not word. There
wasn't whisper from the crowd until he
had disappeared. The men drew long
breaths Of relief. A terrible menace had
passed away.
Out into the darkness-down the rough
road-over the rude bridge, and there Big
Jim put up his revolvers, turned his face
square to the west and stepped out with
out look back to the camp. It was ten
miles 10 Harney's Bend. Men driven from
the one camp took refuge in the other.
The half way landmark was a bit Of valley
skirted by q creek. Wayiarers who were
iourneying by team many times halted
there. On this night there was lone
wagon. Under the canvas cover slept q
mother and four children. Resting against
wheel was the husband and father, his
eyes piercing into the darkness-hls ears
drinking In every sound.
Big Jim had not reached the valley yet
when the still night air was rent with war
whoops, the crack Of rifles, the screams Of
q woman and her children. Indians had
discovered the lone and almost defense
less family. There were FIVE scalps to
adorn their lodges. The bully and the
coward had not been discovered. He
could find a safe hiding place. Did he.
A half dozen screaming, yelling hends
were dancing about the wsgon-shootlng,
striking, lodging, closing in on the one
white man, who somehow escaped their
blows and bullets-when there was
cheer and rush and the navys began ~
crack. Sixty seconds later dead silence
had fallen upon the valley.
0ne-two-three dead Indians. The
immigrant leaned against the wagon, faint,
with q wound in his head. The wife look.
ed out, with an awful terror at her heart.
Bullets had Clipped and splintered wheel
and body.
"Who are your" asked the immigrant.
as figure approached him from the dark.
ness.
"Bie Jim"
"You have saved us from massacre
Eyes, and there Is no further danger"
When the blaze caught the fresh iagois
and lighted up the little valley the immi-
grant counted the dead Indians again
one-two-three. He turned with ex.
tended hand, but Big Jim had departed.
Next day, when men from Hills and Har.
ney's found his dead body beside the rocks
mile away, with five wounds which had
let his LIES blood out, they whispered to
each other:
ave thought we knowed him, but we
didn't"
- DESTROYING A UDE,