The Democrat. (Scotland Neck, Halifax Co., N.C.) 1884-1896, 1888-01-13


known only as Nervy George I have
seen great many statements con cerning
his adventures in print, but all more or
less exaggerated. Some of the adven-
lures which came about while we were
in company | will now give to the press
for the first time.
Sloane was an Ohio boy, and made
his acquaintance and chummcd with him
in AndersonvilIc prison. We went
West together after the war, and at
that time he was only q years old. He
was feet : inches high, weighed 100
pounds, and was the strongest man
ever saw outside Of a professional
wrestler or cannon ball tosser. His
flesh was so hard that he could crack
walnut on his leg. On two or three oc-
casions | knew him to break the bones
in mans hand by single grip. He
took no training of any sort, but the
strength and ruggedness were born to
him As if not satisfied in making him
a young hercules, nature gave him the
most wonderful nerve and courage. He
once told me that he would give 800 to
realize for i've minutes what fear was.
saw him in some of the hottest places
man could get into, and never saw
him falter or hesitate or make a mistake
in doing just the right thing.
One afternoon, after we had finished
| up some business in Dallas and were
ready to go, we entered a saloon. 1t
was full of gamblers, cowboys and rough
characters generally, and every man
wore a revolver in plain sight. We
were slipping our drink when q burly, big
ruffian, who was fighter from way
back, Intentionally fell against Sloane
with considerable force, and then stood
off and leered at him and said
''Pm waitin' fur ye to AK my parding
for that, banty."
Sloane never carried a weapon of any
sort while in town. He looked the fell
low over in cool and quiet way, and
finally asked:
''Did you intend to insult me, sir2"
'Tnsult ye?' echoed the other. "Who
talks of insults} Why We little game
cock from somebody's barnyard, I'll
give We two minits to get down on your
knees to me-"
eff you do not beg my pardon before
finish this glass;" replied George, 81
will make a wreck of YOU"
By this time every body in the saloon
| had crowded around us, and it was easy
to see we had no friends there There
was something in Sloane's eye and tone
which cautioned the big fellow, and if
left to himself he would have retired
! from the scrape. But he was egged on
and braced up by the crowd who ached
to see row, and he stepped back a lit
tie, drew his revolver, and growlcd,
''Now, banty, get down on your mar
row bones, or you'll take a dose of
lead"
Sloane leaned on the bar with his ell
bow and slipped his wine slowly, paying
no further attention to any one. He was,
perhaps, minute and a half finishing
| his glass, and during the last half min
ute he was covered by the mans re-
volver. When he set the glass down he
wiped off his mouth, returned the hand
kcrchicf and then turned and advanced
upon the ruffian. The man fired point
blank at his head, cut off lock of hair,
and the bullet killed the bartender
Before he could fire again George seized
him, one hand on his throat and the
other on his knee, lifted him high in the
air, and held him thus for ten seconds.
Then he gave the body a fling upon
! some whiskey barrels ten feet away. 1t
was an astonishing feat Of strength, and
the silence of death fell upon the room.
When it was broken it was by a man
who had tip-toed over to the barrels to
look at the rutfian, and who hoarsely
whispered:
"Great heavens, Tom is as dead as q
fishw
So he was. The iron fingers had
choked the life out of him as he was held
aloft, and when he struck the barrel al
most every bone in his body was broken
George stood there for two long minutes,
looking from one to the other, and then
asked:
docs anybody else want me to GO
down on my knees"
Never a man replied Never a hand
was lifted and we went slowly out and
mounted our horses and rode away IN
molested.
A month or so later We were at Waco,
and one night attended the perfor-
nance at concert hall. A rougher
crowd couldn't have been brought to-
gether. In the first five minutes of ON
stay, saw three tumblers of beer shot
out of the hands OF walters, and hat
was knocked from the head of one OF
the stage performers by bullet.
scented a row and wanted to go. but
George asked me to wait bit Direct
ly in front of Us sat an outlaw from the
Indian Territory. He was in an ugly
frame OF mind and anxious for blood
letting and pretty soon he turned on