The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1886-08-13
eoLp BIG jim.
The Last Adventure Of the Exllsd Bully
Of Hill City.

BOLD BIG jim.
The Last Adventure OF the Exllsd Bully
Of lIiil City.
"He's bully!'
"He's coward!'
s.He's got to kang!"
s.That's his third man!''
The one narrow street of the frontier
town was filed with surging crowd
of excited men. There were Indian
fighters, scouters, gamblers, tramps.
miners, speculators-every thing and
every body.
Every town has its bully-every
frontier town. Big Jim was the bully
of Hill City, and the story of his last
adventures stamps him as a man whom
some would call heroic. He could
drink more. curse louder. shoot quick
er, and start a row sooner than any
other man. When he shot Timber Joe
it was stand-off. 1t was rough against
rough. Whoever went under the town
would be a gamer. The death of his
second victim brought him certain
amount of respect, for he had given the
man fair show. There was limit to
the number of men one might shoot in
Hill City. 1t was three times and out.
Big Jim had killed his third.
Two hundred men-all excited-some
half crazed-all indignant-some ter.
ribly aroused, surged down the street
to the Red Star saloon, bent on ven
geance. Big Jim and the man he had
killed were alone in the place.
"Bring HIM out!'
''He's got to hang!
"Bring out the bully and coward!'
There was q rush, but it was
checked. Men had pistols and knives
IN their hands, but the sight of Big Jim
with big "naty'' in each hand cooled
their ardor. A life for a life is no re.
venge. They lied when they called
him bully. Bullies strike and run,
or buster and dare not strike. They
lied when they called him a coward.
towards do not remain to face death.
Big Jim advanced a little. The
crowd fell back. He stood in the door
and surveyed the mob as another man
might have looked up at the pine-cOv-
cred crest of Carriers Peak. The mob
grew quiet. There were two hundred
right hands clutching deadly weapons,
but not hand moved. Two hundred
to one is 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
fevolvers-the man backed away up
the road into the darkness. out of their
sight and hearing. He sail not a word.
There wasn't whisper from the
crowd until he had disappeared. Then
men drew long brcaths of relief. A
terrible menace had passed away.
Out into the darkness, down the
rough road, over the rude brid ge. and
there Big Jim put up his revolvers,
turned his face square to the west, and
stepped out without look back Mt the
camp. 1t was ten miles to Harvey S
Bend. Men driven from one camp
took refuge in the other. The half
wav landmark was bit of valley
skirted by a creek. Wayfarers who
were journeying by team many times
halted there. On this night there was
a lone wagon. Under the canvas cover
slept a mother and four children. Rest
ing against the wheel was the husband
and father, his eyes piercing into
the darkness, his 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 woman and her chill
dren. Indians had discovered the lone
and almost defenseless family. There
were five scalps to adorn their lodges.
The bully and the coward had not been
discovered. He could find safe hid
ing-place. Did hep
A half-dozen screaming, yelling
fiends were dancing about the wagon
shooting, striking, lodging. closing
in on the one white man, who some
how escaped their blows and bullets
when there was a cheer and a rush,
and the navies began to crack. Sixty
seconds later dead silence had fallen
upon the valley.
One-two-three dead Indians. The
immigrant leaned against the wagon,
faint, with wound in his head. The
wife looked out. with an awful terror
at her heart. Bullets had Clipped and
splintcred wheel and body.
Who are you?" asked the immi-
grant. as a figure approached him
from the darkness.
big JIM"
You have saved us from massa-
Gre"
Yes. and there is no further dam
ger"
When the blaze caught the fresh
fago.s and lighted up the little valley
the Immigrant counted the dead In
dians again-one-two-th He
turned with extended hand, but Big
Jim had departed. Next day, when
men from Hills and Harncys found
his dead body beside the rocks mile
away, with five wounds which had let
his life blood out, they whispered to
each other:
1--WE thought we knowed him. but
we didn t."-Ondhd Bee.