The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1890-04-20

AFTER calling Tor the accustomed glass OF
} water-on the ~side-looked round for q
late item Of news TO work in a scoop on
his rivals. II came, but not in b way he
expected. One other customer was there,
and ms the bartender sized up the pair he
yawned and said:
at comes near being true, one fellow
don't know how another fellow lives, and
here's three Of us now, q faro-dealer, n
reporter and q bartender. Wonder
which is the worst ]"
"Don't know about that" said the
dealer, ''but there's no three classes of
Z men who should know more about human
ma ture.''
''Give me a little of the same," said the
reporter:
so to speak, m stories OF the last fifteen
years came thick and fast, in fact much
n thicker and faster than the drinks. 1T
takes some n in our line of business, to
tell what a man is when he sees him."
the dealer said, after an inquiry as to
what the governor of North Carolina re-
marked to the governor of South Carolina
during the war, 'and after a little prac-
tice you can call him off every time. You
and dress like gentlemen, that are SO far
below the average that you wouldn't be-
lieve it-that Is IL you weren't dealing.
You'll find a well dressed man, trying to
rob the bank Of a chip and you'll find q
poorly dressed fellow the soul of Honor all
/ around. I've been dealing now nearly
' twenty-five years, and I'll give you my
word that outside Of the stealing business,
I'D rather deal for a 'hold-up' than q mil
lionaire."
The reporter took a little absinthe in
his, and hen listened to stories OF the
days when the hill country was 'tough."
at was down i'm Phoebe i'm '73, when
Jack Harris used to hold up the stage
coaches, that l first met him. He's dead
now, n what ! say I'm his favor won't do
me any good, but he was n man and a
|, gentlemen all the same-that Is when he
= was off the road. Many a poor broken
drown tenderfoot he helped out, and many
a good sized purse he took from those
nearly zone, though, for he, Al Water
man and Nose Haines were pinched for
holding up u coach on the American Flat.
a Haines squealed. Waterman went to
States prison, but Jack proved an alibi
and got of. That was up at Virginia City.
and he left there and worked around
White Pine and Phoebe.
~ remember when he struck Phoebe,
but kept rather quiet. His first break was
in n saloon, where he was drinking one
night, when word was brought that a man
named George NJ. Harris was shot. George
vas n young Californian, who wanted TO
be tough, but ran against an assayer, who
was running the same girl. Both shot,
oat Y BAo VI W Aoc ohs hhNt
him next day. There were some mining
experts i'm McClusky's when word came,
| and one of them has since been a United
States senator. Jack Harris was leaning
to join them. He did, and then N OF
the party said:
"'That's one good job they did to-day
killed that Harris, the stage robber.'
- guess you're wrong" Jack said,
"'Oh yes, he's ont in the alley there
now.'
"sYou'rc off. that was George from
Frisco. I'm Jack the 'hold-up.' Have
something with me, gentlemenY
"Somehow they all took something, and
hen dropped out OF sight and Jack didn't
! follow them.
Ale held up a stage near Austin once,
and among the passengers was a Judge
and his wife. Jack didn't bother much
with the Judge, but he ordered the driver
TO place a cushion on the grass. IL was
DONE, and Jack handed the lady out Of the
y coach. He a~pologized for being com.
PEELED 10 delay her on the journey, and
then robbed the other passengers, her
husband included. He would not allow
any of his pals to modest or search her,
but when she asked him to return her hus
bands watch, he said politely that bust.
ness was business, and he had TO draw the
line somewhere. He drew ii at the watch,
and some months after, the Judge was
notified where he could purchase IL from
a fence.
The reporter switched off and took ben
edictine with his.
.'Business was lively in those days. and
there were eight square games running in
4. Phoebe. They had to be square,, for II wal
: a tough camp, and the players were hard
men. They wouldn't rob you Of a dollar
but they'd kill you for a nickel. One OF
two thousand dollar was an every day
winning, and many men who bucked tn,
tiger then are millionaires now. They
don't know a fellow when they see hin
these days, but guess it's to keep away
ave had lots OF hard men come to sc,
us then. but most of them got killed Off
sometimes by a tenderfoot and sometimes
by a pal. Morgan Courtney was one o.
I, man-killer, hut he turned up his toes TO a
man that lives near Salt Lake City to-day
Sim Levy was another, and he killed
man named Casey, but some got thu
drop on him in Arizona and he is planted
down there"
.Billy McGee-the boys used To know
him as Fat Mack'-was another charac
= ter. He came from Alabamy, and did nc
know What fear was. John Kane wa
sheriff then, and a Montana man name.
He picked up Billy as a deputy, and CAV.
him the night run. Billy said he didn'
care for the salary, but he wanted :
show the 'ornery cusses' that the
of m~an-killers, but he showed them, al
the same. He had q runaway partne
named Hank Woodruff, and ] remembe
The evening they were both sitting ON th
|, curbstone i'm front of my place. Som
"a one gave them the tip that a gang wa
going 10 kill Mack that night.
81 guess it's time TO go our rounds
said Hank.
"'Guess il is said Mack. and the
started.
They went direct to the saloon wher
the gang was getting ready for them, an
throwing out a brace of revolvers apiec'
called for a show of hands. Every han
went up. and Mack said:
Don't want your guns. boys, but you
better leave them with the bartender 4
night and they all left them. Next NOR
ing. though, they had them again, ana d
had 10 kill one of them-a fellow name