Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-08-28
QUEER WESTERN DUELS.
With the Riata-Pcels Des.
pcrate Encounter.

From the San Francisco Examiner
The RATA duel is not new thing on the Mexi-
can frontier. Indeed there is hardly a big cat
tie range anywhere that has not its stories of
hard fights with the lasso. Such duels are
bound to be fierce. But SO skIllful and quick
do these rope throwers become that such a
duel not unfrequently lasts for hours.
Probably the best-remembered fight Of this
sort was that between a Texan known as Kid
Long and little Mexican, who was only spoken
OF as "Gabllan"-hawk-o the great Lievre
range. They circled around each other, dodg-
ing the rapid throws, from 10 in the morning
until after sunset. When the horses had almost
given out the Texan threw at his adversary,
who threw back so that his moose passed right
over the other mans lasso and hand and caught
him fair around the neck and under the arm
pit. In almost no time Kid was out of his sad
die 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 re-
markable duels. That between Farmer" Peel
and a soldier near one of 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 camp. The weapons were rifles,
revolvers and bowie knives. The principals
were placed on opposite sides of a hillock,
around which ran road, and started to meet.
The curve OF the hill prevented their seeing
one another until they were within
hundred yards. AS soon as thew saw one
another they both fired. Though part of
the rim Of Peers hat was cut off and the
soldiers sleeve was pierced, neither was
hurt Then they pulled their pistols and ad-
vnnced, firing. Both dropped badly wounded
when less than twenty yards separated them.
They lay there squirming and shooting until
both had cmptied their weapons. Peel was
desperately hurt, and his adversary had ono
ball through the stomach and several others
distributed all over his anatomy. When they.
could shoot no more they lay for a 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. He pulled himself along with his
eipows. ana with his one uninjured hand fin
ished the soldier with his bowie knife.
Farmer Peel already had the biggest private
grave yard of any man in the vicinity. This
encounter spread his fame all over tho coast.
and when he went over to Nevada he received
everywhers the homage of lesser lights.
They have lots Of deadly encounters I'D there
on the Comstock. There was one a number of
years ago fought over half mile under ground
According to the evidence given Mt the inquest
by the survivor, the two miners were working
alone In drift They were rivals for the at
fections OF woman, and in quarrel one made
n drive at the other with his candestick. A
miners candlestick consists OF a metal socket
attached to sharp steel spike, 30 that it can
be stuck in the face of the drift anywhere The
second miner defended himself with his CANDLE
stick, and there, thousands OF feet under the
ground, they wrestled and stabbed until ones
life was gone. As they did not come up when
they should have gone off 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 affair, and he was ac-
quilted.
little blind canon in the Sierra Madre used
to furnish the Apaches with the means of for
mally settling their disputes. This gulch is
fairly alive with rattlesnakes. When two bucks
had quarrel that they did not wish to settle
off hand they repaired to this gully, and while
the remainder OF the tribe stood around and
watched from the hills on either side, the COM
batants went together to where the serpents
were thickest. There, stark naked and weapon
less, they would wrestle. This would wake up
every rattler 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.
most remarkable duel was fought at Las
Carnltas, n. NJ, many years ago. An under
sized stranger came to the town and picked a
quarrel with Handsome Harry" gambler
renowned as dead shot. They got out into
the road and both fell 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 of n
girl whom Handsome Harry" had wronged
years before.