The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1890-05-15


away from home. She could not have
been moro than twenty years of age, and
Bill. who know hor, says he never saw
moro modest, timid or beautiful woman
in his life.
A man made an improper remark to
her and the girl cried out in her shame
end modification. dad" sprang for
ward. end, knocking down tho man who
had his arms about hcr, stood to protect
her from further insults. Tho man
arose and he and his friends attacked
Dad" and desperate fight onsucd
from which Reagan emerged victorious,
although suffering from knfo wound
That night he married her, and the next
day they boarded steamer and went up
the river. dad" idolized her and she
worshipcd him. On the trip down, how
ever, tho parting came. They had q
quarrel. and dad cast aspcrsions re-
garding her character before no made
her his wife. Brokcn-hcartod, she ran
to the side of tho boat and threw herself
into the river. Ilcr body was found
floating down the stream. On the fourth
finger of the left hand was plain gold
ring, and it is thij riny that dad" as
he fingered between life and death in
tho hospital. twirlcd 30 constantly.
"The biggest gam Dad was over
in" said old Ill ll.rlinr. "was in st.
Louis in 1CJ0. whom tho old fellow
carried away S3J, ,OJJ IL "a aad checks
and somo S1i,OJj in Gus end promis-
sorry notes. Go1't know oil about that
sitting nor how he strucl; it so rich. but
do know that 1t was so. A number of
tho most prominent men in st. Louis
werc in tho game, one of them named
Greene, believe, who was largely in
| terested In tho Granite Mountain Mines
and very wealthy. Ono man, Srlithers ]
think. was his name, had paid Dad
check for r.$6, 900, and then had gono to
the bank early in tho. morning, and
stopped payment on it. When Dad
camo to cash it, of course it was no
| good, and Dad was mad. He went
around to Smithcrs's office, and con-
fronting him, tore the check into a
hundred pieces and threw them into his
face. Then reaching into his vest
pocket he extracted five 500 bills, and
| tossing them on to Smithcrs' desk, en-
claimed: Here, my poor man, take
these and buy dinner and stalked out
of tho Office. Smithers sent tho bills
back the ncxt day, and Dad gave them
to a missionary society in st. Louis"
Back in the flfties Dad mado st.
Joseph his headquarters. 1t was during
tho gold fever in California, and OF
course the city was filed with advcntur-
Gus spirits. Tho one hotcl-that is, OF
any pretcnsions-was the Pacific House,
| u,bio ic c-i11 c., ,l 10 l.,
haps one of tho most famous hotels in
! the land to-day. On the second floor of
tho Pacific House dad" and partner,
named Cummings-"Deacon" Cummings
he was called-ran a gambling joint.
Among Dads patrons were two of tho
most famous characters of carly days
the Thompson brothers Colonel Broad,
lus Thompson and "Old Jcff" Thomp-
son, or the 'iro-Eating Tarantula, as he
was often called. JEFF was tho man
who tore down the stars and stripes
from the courthouse there in 81, and
when hcdged in with his regiment by
the Yankees wrote orders, like Ma
poleon, in blank verso and doggercl.
Colonel BroadduS and Dad" were
warm friends. Broaddu3 would borrow
I few dollars from some ono who didn't
know him we'll, buy q drink for the
crowd and then steer straight for
Dads" rooms, where the chances were
he would lose every cent in a few min
utes. 1t was Broaddus who first sprung
tho joke that has been attributed TO
Senator Vest, Senator Stewart and about
every living statesman, and will be at
tributcd to future public characters
probably. Broaddus had been sitting
in game, lost all he had, and went
lown into the hotel Office. His long
beard was Of q delicate ccru color, being
saturated with tobacco-juice. A friend
said to him:
Colonel, how did You get all that to-
bacco-juice on your beard?"
"By expectoration, sir; by expectora-
ton"
"And was it necessary to cxpectorate
in your whiskers?"
"Yes, sir, it was"
Gould you not have spit in tho cuspa-
lorcsP'
mo, sir. did not dare turn my
head long enough in that game, SIR"
Dad" was very nervy man and
strong as lion. In those days there
was notorious character called "Plattc
Purchase Pete He was born and
raised in this section of Missouri,
and was typical Western terror. He
was terror simply because no had alb
normally well-developcd vocal organs,
and no one dared to dispute his right to
the title of reigning terror of st. Joe un-
Ill he ran up against dad" A game
was in progress ono night and "Platte
Purchase Pete" walked into the rooms
and began to create disturbance. The
players paid little attention to him, ana,
this irritated Pete. Walking up to
dad" he reached down and, taking up
tho pile OF chips that stood before the
veteran gambler, stepped back few
PAGES and hurled thom at him. dad"
laid down the cards which he was deal
ing, and slowly walking up to Pete,
J grasped him by tho back Of the neck