The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-05-02
POISONED THROUGH THEEYE
A Startling Snake Story From
the Wild. wild West.

of a down town hotel one day last week,
says a writer in The Alta California,
there might have been observed a seem
ingly aged gentleman, whose hair was
gray and whose cheeks were shriveled.
\ pallor as of death was on his face, and
frequently the muscles of his features
would twitch convulsiyely. His name
was Richard J. Allen, and he registered
himself as hailing from Toronto, Canada.
Five years ago Richard Allen. or
Dick Allen, as lie was Familiarity known
by his associates, owned, or at least
claimed and occupied, a stock range of
considerable area in southern Arizona,
the Mexican boundary line being distant
but a few miles. He owned a large num-
Der Of beef cattle and was considered
well to do.
Among the rough population of the
border Allen was a power. He was most
| generously gifted by nature, having a
well knit. athletic frame, and a mind
well stored with knowledge. But it was
Aliens nerve which secured for him rec
ognition and affiuence amid the cactus
fecked plains of Arizona and New Mex
ico-a nerve which knew no hinching,
even in the face Of death. The greasers
and Indians soon learned to dread the
tall stockman, for in more than one en-
counter they had come off badly worsted,
and more than one unmarked grave on
the Mexican frontier bears silent witness
to Aliens unerring aim, for he never
hesitated to kill when he thought him
self justified. Very little is considered
justification among the class with which
Allen was associated. So greatly was
he feared and respected by his wild COM
panions and neighbors that nothing
bearing his brand was ever molested, and
the most daring of the cowboys and out
laws seldom tempted death by a too pro-
longed argument with him.
AS an illustration of his iron nerve, it
may be related that at one time in 1884
he was given warming to keep away from
a certain small settlement, some ten
miles from his ranch, behaving incurred
the displeasure of a gang of notorious
cutthroats there. Allen smiled grimly
as he read the warning, then strapped
on his revolver and set forth for the
hostile hamlet. He tied his horse in the
rear of o saloon and started to enter,
when a pistol shot was heard and a bull
let whistled over ms mead. allen turned.
Not more than twenty feet away stood
'Dan," a half breed Indian, with a re-
volver in his hand. AS Allen turned
three more balls passed in close prox-
unity to his head. He knew the Indian
had one shot left. With a scornful smile
he said, "Fire again, you, and fire
lower"
The Indian did so, and the next in
slant his spirit had left the arid plains
of Arizona forever. Then Allen strobe
into the saloon, where at least a dozen
of his enemies were gathered, and de-
mandedt to know who sent him the warn
ing. No one answered, and after round
ly cursing the gang for their cowardice,
he left and went home. For two months
he battled hard with death, for the last
bullet fired by the Indian had lodged
in his right breast, almost piercing the
lung.
1t was some three months after this
occurrence that Allen met with a mis-
hap that hurled him from the heights of
a sturdy manhood to an existence but
little removed from death. 1t was in
the summer of 1885. All day long Allen
had been hard at work branding q lot Of
yearling steers, at a point some twenty
miles from his dugout, and at night he
was completely worn out. 1t vas a
wearisome gallop from the branding
place to his cherries habitation, for the
air was sultry and the baked ground
gave forth an intense heat.
1t was nearly II o'clock when the
stock man reached his destination, and
glad was he when his pony was safely
stabbed for the night and he at liberty to
retire. He was about to creep into bed
when his quick ear detected a slight
noise in the direction of his stable, and
he knew at once that providers were
about. Selling his revolver, he started
for the stable on his hands and knees,
for he intended to kill and not to alarm,
having no garment IN other than his
undershirt. The noise at the stable con-
tinued, and Allen moved rapidly toward
the sound. So intent was he on investi-
eating the noise that he failed to notice
where his path led him, and suddenly,
without warning, he felt something be-
meath him give way, and he was precip-
itated to the bottom of a ''played OUT
well, q distance of some twenty-five feet.
The well had been dry for years. and the
mouth had been closed with a few rotten
boards, which, giving way under Aliens
great weight, had caused the catastrophe.
For q rroment Allen was stunned.
The skin on his body had been abraded
in a dozen places, and every bone ached
with the force of the fall. The stockman
was almost overwhelmed with 6 for
in this accident he saw himself rendered
helpless. and knew the thieves, if any
there were, would not leave as much
behind as a @lariat, and might, should
they discover his position, kill him.
With a muttered curse of despair he
turned to look for his revolver, deter
mined to fight to the last, should an at
tack be made upon him. As he turned
he saw cleaning and flashing in the
murky darkness a pair of small, beady
eyes, and poor Aliens heart almost stood
still, for a warning hiss and rattle told
him he had in the well as a companion a
rattlesnake. The reptile ratified angrily,
and moved his head from side to idle in