Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-12-14
PENCIL AGAINST PISTOL.
A Bully Receives Painful Lesson
from a Quiet Man.

From the Net0 YORK san.
CHIvATITo, CHIHUAHUA, Dec. 5.-Ons
OF the notorious characters OF this section
Is Three-toed Watson, whose right hrst
name nobody knows, and whose last
name probably was not Watson in the
States. He Is one of the gang called rust
lers who keep on the edge OF civilization
and make it morally ragged. Three
toed Watson came here with the railroad,
and has made himself unpleasantly
conspicuous in all the tree fights
and fauGapgo atfrays that have
varied the otherwise monotonOus course
OF things in ChivatIto. By shooting two
men and freely fi0urlsbiag frontier re-
volver in the saloons, Watson has &C
uuired the coveted nOtoriety OF beng a
bad man and chief OF the camp, and also
established the custom among barkeepers
of never charging him anything for
whisky or mescal. When the railroad
went on Tnree-toed Watson did not TO-
low with the gang. 1t is not any easy
thing to get acknowledged as chief in
railroad camp, but, having got there,
the privilege of free whisky, free
lunches, and general bossshlp OF the
saloons are too valuable 10 frontier
tough to be lightly thrown away or aban-
doned. Watson is very liberal with his
privileges, and never takes a drink with
out asking all hands to join him. A re-
fusal TO drink with him is a deadly insult,
as II conveys to the mind OF Ihree-toed
Watson the inference that the person re-
fusing considers him no gen Sleman. After
to-nighrs experience. however, he prob
ably will not be quite so pressingly
liberal.
Two mining engineers were sitting at
q table in a saloon where the bully was
running things. aud when Watson ordered
everybody up to the bar one of them,
German named WinSler, politely de-
cliued. MIR. Watson produced q ponderous
pistol, aud, boxing the muzzle into WINK
ler's face, he roared:
eyer won't drink with me, yer Dutch
tenderfoot Reckon yer don't know me.
Pm q bowling blizzard or the perarie, l
am, and when Pm turned loose iSs dirty
work cleaning up the ranch. Pm gen
tleman, and you'll drink whisky 'long q
ne or make soft seat for the Coroner"
Mr.. Wiukler shut one eye and squinteG
into the pistol barrel, and quietly re-
marked:
well, ifvou insist, Pm with you"
Getting up from the table he walked
over TO the bar and stood beside Watson,
who f10urished the pistol once more under
his nose and then returned 1t TO the hols-
ter. Holding whiSkey glass In his lett
hand, Winkler took from his vest pocket
q QfauSllS0Sil BIN Il leu peHSlIB Sndl p
eAed to q needle point. Turning 10 Three
toed " Watson be said:
look here, sir! You are bigger man
than / am. and could whip me if you
wanted TO without any weapons. | didn't
want TO drink, butyOu pulled pistol and
would have shot me If | hadn't stepped
up here. l carry no arms, you see; moth
ing but a pencil"
Here Winkler poised the pencil, which
be zrasped firmly with his right thumb
and fingers, directly opposite Watson's
face, as though TO call attention to the
insiguIfcance OF his aTmOry and empha-
s,ze bis remarks, atthe same time looking
the bully steadily in the eye.
Now | want 10 tell yOu," he con-
tinued. ''that YOU are an in ernal coward
and a scound 81, aud l can lick you with
lead pencil" ana just as the bully
reached for his gun the pencil darted Tor
ward like a flash into his left eye, the
point passing accurately through the
pupil. Three-toed " atson yelled In
agony and fell upon the floor, writing
and sbrieking. Mr. Winkier put the
pencil back into bis vest pocket, replaced
tre untasled whisky upon the bar, and
went out. Watson may pull through il
be has luck, but that eye will be Ui no
more use 10 him, and his privileges as
bad man are gone.