Omaha daily bee., 1888-11-11

peradoes who congregated there, ana
ruled the town like potentate of old.
AS sample of the mans total disre-
gard for life. and his incredible nerve,
| will relate an incident in his life at the
trading post of Marrs, on the Niobraro,
as it was told me by one, Tom Donald
son, an old buffalo hunter, who still re-
sides at Whitman.
"Yas, sir" said Donaldson, "this man
Hall was regular built screamer,
the hardest. toughest crowd l
was with the Northwest Fur COM
pany, and I was with the Hudson
Bay, and one night late in the fall, a
lot of us boys dropped in at Morris.
We ware all slttin' round the stove in
Furney's saloon, lynn and iokin', when
finally we got it on Jake Thompson,
about as big rutiian as Hall himself.
He asked us all up to drink, and as we
were standin' along the bar wishin'
each other purity good luck an all that,
IN walked Joe Hall and four or five of
his partners. In 'em days you probably
knew the NOrthwesters and the Hudson
Bay men didn't trot in the same class
it was the navy or the knife on the
slightest preteXt.
''Hall and his frien's stood afore the
stove d moment, when Joe, in an in
sultin' tone, remarked: Il say fellers,
it hain't harf man as IL take his whisky
in the presence of gentlemen an not AK
'em to iine, eh?' Then afore
any one could reply, he continued, :,
i say, Thompson, maybe you don't know
me, an if you don't, all I've got to say
is that I'm the biggest humped-back
dummedary long the Niobrara, an |
kin eat more sow-belly, chaw up more
terbacker, and whip any two-legged
monkey that walks. Am | to have a
| drinkp"
see business in Jake's eye, and sort
o. loosened up my slxes fur 'mcrgen-
cies. was jest in time, for when Hall
| took step to'ards the bar, Thompson
| turned on him like flash, and dashin'
| his whisky in his face said: "Yas,
there it is, 'un kin make you eat this
| glass!"
Everybody drawed, but as we war
| bout evenly matched, no one seemed
anxious to take the first crack. We
talked it over minute, then we all
| greed to let Jake and Joe have thar
knives only, an settle it 'twix them
selves. Course they's willin' and
as they drew their charges we
| all backed up agln the
wall to gin 'em fair play an plenty o.
room. The next minnit they were to-
| gether, and as luck would have it, Hall
| dropped his knife at the first fashshay,
and as he went to recover it, Thompson
| knocked him on his back, an with one
knee on one arm and 'tother on his
breast, Jake lay his long knife on Hall s
| throat,
| "'Thar, Joe Hall, said Thompson, iii
| you had me in sich fix, what'd We do?'
| "'I'd cut your bloody throat from ear
to earl cried Hall, with an oath.
"And TO the disappointment Of all us
| Hudson men Jake let him up, and eX-
tendin' his fist, said:
"'Take it, Hall you're good un, an
come up here and take drink!
thought the above pretty good
story, but offered no comment, as
Donaldson isn't the mildest- hammered
man have ever met, and his breath
smelt like a gln-mill then, so accepted
'the story, treated, and said never a
word.
| But to the killing of Hall. One even
| ing Just year ago last October, after
Hall had been running the Head
| quarters" couple of months, he got
| drunk and amused himself by making
everybody, at the point Of his six
shooter, to either sing, dance or treat,
who happened in his place.
| Every citizen OF Whitman knew what
drunk for Joe Hall meant, and it may