Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1891-10-29
BIG JIM DIDN'T SHOOT.
AN INCIDENT OF THE OPENING OF oKIA A
HoMA TO SETTLERS.

1t recently fell to my lot to pass a Sun
day in small Kansas town, and as il wa
wet day l was forced to remain for tn
greater part of it cooped up in the litts
hotel. The house had no other guest. an5
so for the want Of other company wen
to the Office and entered into converse
ton with the landlord, tall, sun bronzed
leathery featured man past middle age
who, / soon learned, had spent many
years in the West, and who had seen some
rough, as well as interesting experiences,
and who was chuck full of "reminiscences
After we had talked for a couple Of
hours on various subjects, my host sud.
denly remarked:
Il reckon, stranger, you've heard tell
Of Jim Dixon, or more likely Big jim
as we allus called him.
"No, think not, was compelled 10
admit, though realized from the tone in
which the question was asked that it was
humiliatiug admission to make.
"Never?" the landlord repeated. "Wal
that's strange. Thought shorely ever
body knowed bout Jim. He was the
foremost man on the border, an he made
a record that'll stand good many years
He was great man, Jim was; a won.
derful feller, shore. fought Oh my
stranger, reckon he was. He wasnt
afeard of nothin', an guess the happiesi
times he ever knowed was when he wal
mixed up in shootin' scrape. Thar's nc
tellin' how many men Jim killed first an
last, for he was so reckless he'd jes' POP
'em over at the crook of a finger. an
didn't no more keer for it than nothin'.
Twixt you an me, stranger, think Jim
carried the shootin' business leetle too
Ter. like fer man to stand UP fer his
rights, and If feller needs drappin', why
then drap i'm; but there amt no call fer
gettin too blamed promisc'us bout IL an
putin hole through chap jest fer the
fun of it.
II reckon, stranger, ever man wha.
Jim made up his mind to kill caught it,
eept one, an that one, guess, was th.
last one he ever laid off to plant
Jim caught it that time himself, eh?'
] suggested.
"No, he didn't" the landlord replied in
tone Of slight disgust. "Narry time
sir. Jim wasn't the man to be planted
premachoorly, an the Teller that could
drap i'm never lived"
"How did it happen that he didn't kill
the man you speak of, then?" l asked.
"Well, sir, it was a quaire piece OF
business, that was, an one O. the most
techin' things ever see. Inever knowsd
feller SO broke up in all my life as jim
was, an, sir, it was nobody but a little
gal that done it-a little bit o. shaver
bout six or seven years old, Ireckon, an
the poorest peekedest little thing l ever
set eyes on.
want to hear bout it, ELI? Wal, the
way of it was this:
You see bout the time Oklahoma was
opened for settlement, Big Jim, an me
an four other fellers was herdin on a
range in western Texas. We'd been VI
in the territory herdin' right smart, bun
the soldiers drove US out with the rest OF
the cattle fellers, you know, and so we
aid down on the border sorter waitin'
for developments.
while we was in the territory we
picked out valley what had bout 5000
acres o. the best land an richest grass i
ever see anywher, an we lowed as soon
as the country was open for settlement
we'd come back and take possession Of it
an make ranch thar in spite o. all Gre
alton.
@Wal, by an by the President issued
his proclamation, an then when the day
fer enterin' the territory come round we
moved in with our cattle an took posses
zion of the valley.
Now said that night as we squat
ted bout our campfire, If none o. those
blamed settlers don't come fooliu' round
yere TO take up claims in this valley
we're fixed, fer this II make one o tI,e
incest little ranches in the country
@'Wal, said Big Jim with al oath. IL
any settler wants to take claim yere, an
thinks he can, jis' let him try it. / low
he'll find out mouty blamed soon that
he's undertook a most miserable un-
healthy job. This valleys ours an we're
goin' to hold it spite o. the dickens; an
can tell you right now, fellers, that I'll
shoot the first chap what offers to stop
here. III make sich example of him
that ther won't another settler come in
30 mile Of us
Wal, we was purity well tired out so
we turned in quick as supper was over,
an we slept like logs till mornin'. When
we woke the sun was up, an the fust
thing we see when we glanced cross the
valley was q old covered wagon not
morn quarter Of q mile away. The
wagon had come in, Ireckon, jis' after we