Omaha daily bee., 1889-05-19

bar, when this same feflJw came in car
rying a long knife and undertook to as
sault me. AS | turned around facing
him he made slash and cut my hat rim
in two. The point Of the knife Just
nicked the end of my nose. [ jumped
back quick enough to save being badly
wounded, The men with me caught
and held him until could make my es-
cape. That was the closest call | ever
had.
Only a short time previously, B. G.
Porter, the actor, was deliberately shot
by another cowboy. just such aspecimen
as this villain of mine, consequently
you can bet there was not the least dis
position in me to fight. And, by the
way. let me say to you that the true
animus with which Tom Curry was
prompted to kill Porter has, to my
knowledge, never been written. It was
at Marshall that the murder occurred.
Curry posed there as bully and had
every man, woman and child in the
town with the exception of Ed Jackson
afraid of him. jackson was gambling
house keeper, who, in size and general
appearance, was Il perfect match for
Jack Haverly At one time when jack
son was away, Curry went into his
place, destroyed everything he could
and cut wide swath. On returning
home, and being informed of Curry's
conduct, Jackson called the desperado
down ana gave him to understand thai,
if ne ever repeated the act, his friends
would be called on to bury him the next
day, and you will not die in your stock
ing feet, either was the little gamblers
significant warning. Curry was big
enough to eat jackson, but he didn't
do it,.
''The night he shot Porter, Curry
heard that Ed had gone out OF town,
| and, thinking the time appropriate to
get even, he again visited the gambling
shops, determined to riddle it. l think
he had kicked over a table, when Jackson
opened side-door and stood in front of
him with cooked revolver drawn.
ST will give you two minutes to leave
here said the owner, 'and If you don't,
your dead body will be carried out
Curry knew that Jackson meant it
| and didn't linger to argue the question, +,
| but got out in hurry. After reaching
the street, where he heard people talk
| ing how little runt of a
fellow had made him run,
| Curry became enraged and was in
| a frame of mind to do anything desper-
] ate. He walked over to the depot ours
| ing everybody that came in his way.
| Porter, Maurice Barry more and Ellen
| WcTC hb SouhpOi
eating. Curry went up to Ellen and
commenced calling her all kinds of vile
names. Porter and Barrymore inter
| fered, whereupon Curry whipped out
| his revolver and commenced firing.
| The first bullet struck Porter in the
stomach, the second caught Barrymore S
left arm and third grazed Miss Cum
| ming's head. Curry was arrested, tried
| and acquitted, but it cost his brother, a
wealtey New Orleans banker S2OO.0OO.
He afterwards emigrated to Arizona
where a cowboy put an end to his exist
| ence.
II remember a very funny incident"
continued Mckinney, that occurred a
few years ago at Columbus. Barlow,
| Primrose & Vests minstrels were tour
ing through Texas and had Eddie
Fox, the popular little red
| haired violinist with them as
leader of their orchestra. After the
| performance he went into saloon car
rying his violin and called for some
thing to drink. A strapping big ranger
injured what he had in that baby
cofiin,' and being informed invited Ed
die to open IT"
nsNo, not here )" replied the leader.
"tYes, you will, quietly observed the
ranger, aud as he spoke large navy
six-shooter dropped on the counter"
eddie teeth began TO chatter, and