Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-08-31
QUEER WESTERN DUELS.
Fighting with tho Riata-Peefs Despe'
rate MISUNDERSTANDING I'm
fsan Francisco Exsmincr.l

foreground.
fsan Francisco Rxaminer.l
The RATA duel is not new thing on the
| Mexican frontier Indeed, there IS hardly
n big cattle range anywhere that has not its
stories of hard fights with the lasso. Such
duels are bound TO be fierce. But so skill
full and quick do these rope-throwers be-
come that such duel not unfrequentiy
lasts for hours.
Probably the best-rememb ered fight OF
this sort was that between Texan known
| az Kid Long and little Mexican who was
only spoken of as "Gabilan "-hawk-on
the great Lievre range. They c1rcled
around each other. lodging the rapid
throws, from 10 IN the morning until after
sunset. When the horses had almost gwen
out the Texan threw at his adversary. who
threw back so that his moose passed right
over the other mans lasso and hand ana
caught him fair around the neck and under
the armpit. In almost no time Kid was out
of his saddle and being dragged over the
ground at rate that knocked the life out
of him before he had gone hundred
yards >,
The West. during its wild and woolly
DAYS, and the Mexican frontier have had
many remarkable duels. That between
Farmer" Peel and soldier near one on
| the forts in Utah is among the classics OF
the field OF honor, or what has answered
for that in the COW towns and mining
camps. The weapons were rifles, re-
voiyers. and bowie-knives. The principals
were placed on opposite sides OF hillock,
around which ran a road, ana started 10
meet The curve of the hill prevented
Their seeing one another untll they
were within hundred yards. AS
soon as they saw one another they
both fred. Though part OF the rim
of Peel's hat was cut on ana
the soldiers sleeve was pierced, neither
was hurt. Then they pulled their pistols
and advanced, firing. Both dropped oadly
wounded when less than twenty
yards separated them. They, lay there
squirming and shooting until ooth hau
emptied their weapons. Peel was despee;;
rately hurt, and his adversary had one oail
| through the stomach and several others
| distributed oil over his anatomy. When
| they could shoot no more they Law Tor q
short time swearing. Then Peel, who was
| so badly hurt that he could not advance
even on his hands and knees, began to
wriggle toward the fallen. soldier. de
pulled himself along with his elbows, and
with his one uniniured hand hand nnisheo
! the soldier with his bowle-knfe.
Farmer Peel already had the biggest pri-
waite graveyard of any man in the vicinity.
| This encounter spread his fame ali over
| the coast, and when he went over 10 Ne
yada he received everywhere the homage
| of lesser lights.
They have lots of deadly encounters up
| there on the Comstock. There was one q
number of years ago fought over half a
mile under ground. According TO the evil
dence given at the INQUEST by the survivor,
| fine two miners were working alone In a
| drift. They were rivals for the affections
| of a woman, and in quarrel one made q
drive of the other with his candle
| stick A miners candlestick consists
| of a metal socket attached to sharp steel
| spike, so that it can be stuck IN the face OF
! the drift anywhere. The second miner DC,
| Tended himself with his candsestlck' ana
| there. thousands of feet under the ground,
thev wrestled and stabbed until ones life
| was gone. As they did not come up when
they should have gone of SHIFT others
went down in search of them. They found
| one dead and the other unconscious
through loss of blood. The jury, of course,
| had to take the survivors, story OF the al
fair. and he was acquitted,
| A little blind canon IN the sierra Madre
used to furnish the Apaches with the means ca,
| of formally settling their disputes. This
gulcb is fairly alive with rattesnakes.
! When two bucks had q quarrel that they
did not wish 10 settle of hand they repaired
TO this gully, and while the remainder OF
the tribe stood around and watched from
the hills on either side, the combatants
went together TO where the ,serpentss
were thickest. There, stark naked ana
weaponIess. they would wrestle. This
would wake up every RATHER, in the
Glen. The aim Of each was to force the
other on to the angry snakes. 1t was not
unusual for both to be bitten while they
struggled and rolled among, the rocks.
Each was bound to remain, and wrestle as
| long as his adversary had life or strength
enough TO struggle with him.
A most remarkable duel was fought at
Las Carnitas, N. NJ, many years ago. An
and picked a quarrel with, Handsome
Harry" q gambler renowned as dead
shot. They got out into the road and both
Tell MORALLY wounded. 1t was discovered
that the stranger was woman. and though
she never spoke after she fell, the story
became known that she was q sister or !,
girl whom Handsome Harry" had
wronged years before,