The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1891-11-14
BIG JIM.

; recently Tell 10 my lot 10 pass u
day in n sfnall Kansas town. and
was a wet day was forced TO
ain for he greater part OF 1t
ped up in the little hotel. The
SO had M other guest and 80 for
want OF other company went
he Office and entered into CONVEX
pm with the landlord. n tall. sun.
bed. leathery featured man past
HE age who. | soon learned.
spent many years In tho
and who had seen some rough.
well as interesting expert
Is, and who was chuck full OF rem
tences.
tier we had talked for a couple
ours on various subjects, my hos:
'enly remarked:
reckon. stranger. you've heard
81 Jim Dixon. or more likely Big
as we allus called him.
No, / think not" / was compelled
limit though realized from the
in which the question was asked
IL was IA humiliating admission TO
..
gever?r the landlord repeated.
i. that's strange. Thought shore
er'body knowed bout Jim. He
the foremost man on the border.
he made n record that'll stand n
many years. He was n great
Jim was; q wonderful Teller.
). Tough! oh. my. stranger, |
Dn he was He wasn't afeared OF
in an guess the happiest times
yer knowed was when he was
a up In shootin' scrape. Thar's
Him how many men Jim killed
and last for no was SO reckless
Jest pop 'em over at the crook OF
ger and didn't no more keer for
an nothin. Twixt you an me,
ger ! think Jim carried the
in business Il little too fer. l
fer a man TO stand up fer his
<, and II Teller needs drappin'.
hen drap I'm; but there amt no
FER gcttin' too blamed promisc'us
II an putin n hole through a
jest fer the fun OF it.
reckon stranger ever man
Jim made up his mind TO kill
il IL, 'cept one. an that one, |
was the last one he ever laid
plant.
on see bout the time Oklahoma
pened for settlement Big Jim. an
N four other fellers were herdin'
'ange in western Texas. We'd
up In the territory hordin' a
smart but the soldiers drove us
it'll the rest OF the cattle iellers,
now. and so we laid down on
order sorter waitin' for develop
lille we was in the territory we
4 out a valley what had bout
thousan' acres o. the best land
chest grass | ever see anywher.
8 lowed as soon as the country
,pen for settlement we d come
an take possession OF IL an
la ranch thar In spite O. all Gre
al, by an by tho president is
lis proclamation and then when
hy for enterin' the territory como
ID we moved In with our cattle
nok possession OF tho valley.
Vow. said | that night as we
seed bout our campfire, IL none
obse blamed settlers don't come
fC' round yoro 10 take up claims
irs valley we're fixed. for this III
M ono o the incest little ranches
in country,
Val, said Big Jim with an oath
1T settler wants TO take n claim
yean' thinks he can jis' lot him
Try | low he'll find out monty
bid soon that he's undertook a
mmiserable unhealthy job. This
vW's ours an we re goin' 20 hold IL
spo' the dickens; an | can tell you
rignow, fellers. that I'll shoot the
irchap what offers to stop here
rllake SIGH example OF him that
h@ont another settler come Ia forty
nibf us
Wal we was purity well tired out,
o turned In quick rs supper was
,ve an we slept like logs till morn
NJ. When we woke tie sun was up,
nhe fust thing we See when we
la;ed cross the valley was n old
owed wagon not morc'u quarter OF
ne away. The wagon had come
J. recon jis after we went TO sleep
a 10 folks he'd put up n tent like ms
toy was hxin' 10 stay. Big Jim
Q iok a squirt at the outfit then he
rcDose and swo . M 10 SIT the woods
ire Then he got his pistols an
aVpd Nhaf no WINS Uoin'