The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1890-06-22

New York Sun sent this story OF a duel
river
'Gus Davis, of Philadelphia, came here
several months ago and was engaged as a
cattle herder by JOIN Shure. Davis soon
showed himself to be a useful man and
gained the esteem Of his employer and
han three months he had resisted so many
temptations to quarrel with his associates
that he was nicknamed The Northern
Coward
q the morning of August :, while
Davis was ON duty looking after his cat
as usual with Good morning. Northern
Coward
Human endurance has its limit and
Mr.. Davis thought he had been insulted
long enough. Thu Mexican was at first
surprised at the stand taken by the Phila-
delphian, but one word brought on an
other until each determined that
the other must die. The quarrel soon
brought all the cowboys in the vicinity To
the spot. The mode Of combat was
speedily arranged. A chain 10 inches
long was securely locked about their
necks. A Mexican dagger Ia two-edged
knife six inches long was given 10 each
or the combatants. The obliging cow
boys then lowered the men into n dog
canyon, n descent of 20 feet. There they
were To remain until one killed the other.
The rest of the cowboys then went To
work as II nothing unusual had occurred.
For some days nothing was known as to
the result OF the %ncounte Yesterday,
however, Davis, weak and emaciated, re-
turned TO camp, dragging after him the
helpless body of Jesus Garcia.
"The story Mr.. Davis tells is as follows:
me light began as soon as we reached
the bottom of the canyon. Being locked
together each was always within range of
the Others knife. After such delibera-
ton as the Few minutes during our de-
scent permitted, l decided that unless the
first blow was fatal the chances were de-
cidedly in favor OF the party. assailed. I
accordingly allowed the Mexican TO strike
the first blow. He plunged his knife into
my side. As soon as l found his hand
thus stretched forward | cut the muscles
of his right arm near the shoulder. Imme-
diatcly his knife dropped. While he was
STOPPING to pick it up, l. sent my blade
into his body from the back. Before /
could strike again he had picked up his
knife and cut the cords of my arms so as
to render them useless. Here we both
stood Tor q few moments, when / discov-
cred that his heart had beer reached. His
body soon fell in the death struggle 10 the
ground. The chain was SO short that he
brought me down with him. In a few
minutes he was dead. / was so weak from
loss of blood that l lay down by his side.
We lay there for five days and nights, UNI
til hunger drove me to make a last effort.
! climbed the steep incline of the walls of
the nyo and reached the camp, carry
ing Garcia on my back"
A ~favorite form of dueling anon the
Mexicans is to fight blindfolded with
knives. Occasionally "A man refuses 10
fight on the ground that the other fellow
vastly exceeds him in skill with the knife.
They equalize this by blindfolding both
ms liz Some at..Aa .l... Gl
sash held aut by the seconds, while a
referee stands by and sees that the band
ages over the eyes are kept i'm place.
Then the principals slash away. Soex-
pert do the old knife fighters become that
they seem almost as well able To parry "A
thrust simply through the sense of feeling
as they are with their eyes uncovered.
A most remarkable duel was fought at
Las Carnitas, \. NJ, many years ago. A
rather understood tranger came TO the
town and picked a quarrel with 'Hand-
some Harry "A gambler renowned as a
lead shot. They got out into the road
and both fell MORALLY wounded. IL was
discovered thatthe stranger was "A Woman,
and though she never spoke after she fell,
hes story became known that she was a
sister of a girl who Handsome Harry
had wronged years ago.
There have been quite q number of
duels between Mexicans in dark rooms.
The combatants are put into n room from
which every particle of light is excluded.
They are sometimes armed with knives,
sometimes with pistols and sometimes
with both. The usual practice of duelists
under these conditions is TO crouch down
against "A wall and wait for the other man
to betray his whereabouts. They must fire
at the sound in such a case. There nave
been instances where the duelists nave
crouched within three feet of one another
and remained so until a sound has given
or the other n clue he waited for.