The Sunday morning news., 1891-11-29


| didn't ye, wen ye seed 'em ridin down
| on ye, jes' kill three or four critters,
pile em up fer barricade, an give tn
red devils reg'lar hi? That'd ben bet
term losin tn hull bunch"
When Bob Hall, cowboy from the
| "3I Bar" the next ranch-one of the
meanest, ugliest, most quarrelsome bull
| lies who ever hourished a gun-got
killed at the hotel in town by an unof-
| Tending tenderfoot, whom he had tried
| to compel to take a drink, Billy, as
usual, had something to say. Huh!
| That's them tenderfeet all over. They
| think eff er man tries t. hev fun with
'em hyar thet they've got t shoot, an
shoot quick. TIL galoot oughter've jes'
took Bob Hall b. tn scruff o. tn pants
an kicked r throwed i'm out, an Bob
'id've pollygized too quick. Bob Hall
never had no sand"
All the same, there was an old story
to the effect that once, when Billy had
been unaccountably absent from the
ranch for three or four days, he had been
in town, devoting considerable attention
to keeping out of the belligerent Mr..
Halls way.
But Billy's opportunity came one day.
He had been laid up week and was
still lame as the result of being on the
side next the ground when his pony
stumbled and fell one day, and was sit
ting at the door one morning about II 80
when the stage came along. Several of
us were in the ranch house and were
orr, 10 fl,a wi,
outside, for the stage road was two
miles from the ranch. AS we crowded
to the door we saw something was up"
for Dyer, the driver, looked excited.
"Mornin, gentlemen" he said. And
then to Boss Fleming: Fleming, ex-
pect t. be held up over b. Five Mile creek.
Kin one O. tn boys go with me? I'll get
mother man at Parker's, an I reckon
three1l be 'nough."
"Why, yes, of course" was the reply;
"you can have more if you want 'em.
I'll go myself. But why didn't you
bring guards it you're carrying any val
uables?"
Dyer explained. The night before he
had noticed three suspicious looking
characters in town, and observed that
they eyed him considerably. This morn
ing he had started early, hoping to pass
all the places favorable to ''hold up"
before the three tough looking gentle
men had time to get located. He had
felt a bit backward about bringing
guards, as he did not like to appear cow
ardly, and besides his suspicious might
be groundless and the laugh would be
on him. There were no valuables except
the mail bags.
But the three strangers had passed
him mile back, evidently in a hurry to
get somewhere; hence his visit to the
ssHX."
Fleming turned to get ready to go-he
was not the man to send somebody else
into danger-but was met at the door by
Billy, ''heeled" with two revolvers and
a Winchester.
"Hullo, mani" calculated Fleming.
Didn't you hear me say I was goingT
"Don't care eff ye did," answered Billy
laigs is too stiff t. straddle any blame
broncho." And he climbed painfully up
on to the drivers seat, and the stage
rolled away, leaving us staring at each
other, unable to believe our eyes.
The stage did not reach the Five Mile
nor did it reach Parker's. At place
two miles west of the 'HX," where the
road traversed the edge of bluff over
hanging deep ravine, there were three
shots fired, and brave Walt Dyer and
his two team leaders fell into the road.
Then there were more shots-a/ /rattling
fusilade for two or three minutes-then
silence.
When we got to the scene we saw
Billy Brag lying across the body of the
driver, supporting himself on one elbow
and keeping 'the drop" on a man who
stood holding up one arm-the other was
shattered and hung limp. Two dead
men besides Dyer lay in the road. The
wheelers were quiet now, but their hoofs
had cruelty mangfed the bodies Of their
prostrate comrades in front.
81 knowed ye'd come, boys" said
Billy, "else I'd he'd t kill this 'un, stead
o. savin i'm fer leetle necktie party.
They got Dyer fust lick, but wen they
run up agin Phin Ellsworth, they ketched
er hi ov er Teller. Guess ! kin die off
real peaceful now"
But he did not die. With ball in his
leg, another travelling around some
where on his inside and wound in his
throat which causes his voice to break
in ludicrous way he still lives and
brags of this very exploit, =
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