The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-12-04
A LITTLE MANS PLUCK.
How He Soundly Thrashed n Wester

How He Soundly Thrashed n Western
BuIIy.
Colonel William Greene Sterrett OF the
Galveston Dallas News and l went to the
theater the other night. One of the players
impersonated a dude. The Colonel is not
dude, and he has never shown any predilec-
ton for that particular variety of the genus
homo. When he saw this dude he laughed.
Between the acts he told me why.
''Once, good many years ago." he said,
81 was travelling in q 5tage in Western
Texas. 1t was long before the snort of a To-
connective was heard on the prairies of that
region over which the buffalo yet roamed.
At one of the stations young Engllshman
and his wife got ill., He was little fellow,
and dressed as 4 typical dude. The driver
was big, raw-boned siX-footer. He was a
noted fighter. He had n6ver been whipped,
and was regular terror. He seemed to
take dislike to the little Englishman from
the start. Presently he stopped the stage,
got down, came back and threw open the
door.
Here, he said to the Englishmau, You
come out of that and get up on the seat with
me; there amt room for you in there The
Englishman didn't move. Come out, tell
YOU roared the driver The Englshman
just sat still. If you don't come out I'll
pull you out by the legs shouted the Jehu.
Then the rest of us expOStulaied with the
driver. | was too tired to fight and couldn't
get at my gun, so just expostu ated along
with the rest. We told the driver there was
plenty of room inside; that the Englishman
wasn't crowding us. and that if he Qhe
driver insuted or injured any Of his passen-
gers he would be discharged by the stage
company. The driver by this time was
wild He swore he was In command of
that stage. and that he proposed to run it TO
suit himself, and If that blankety blank cuss
didn't come ont he'd pull him out.
"'Ail right said the Englshman at last,
/ will come ont, and when | am out l will
whip you soundly.'
"He got ont slowly We all felt sorry
for him and sorrier for his wife. She didn't
seem to be scared or worried. though. and
all she said Was;
Charley. don't let him scratch your
face
"Well. when the little Engiishman got
out he took his coat off and handed it back
into the stage. Then he started toward the
driver, and the driver started toward him.
We heard sound a great deal like that
made by hitting steer in the head with an
ak. Down in a heap went the driver. He
was up quick as a flash. Down lie wens
again. Actually that little English dude
knocked that burly 6-fout driver clean off
his feet dozen times. How il was done
none of us could tell. The big fellow would
rush at the little 'un with his arms going
like fails. Suddenly the little fellow would
make dash, his right arm would fly out
and down would go the driver. After the
dGZenth round that driver cried out:
Hold on, stranger; hold on. Pm
whipped and throw up my hands. You kin
ride anywhere on this stage you darn please,
outside or inside, or on the horses. You're
the boss now, but, he added, .glarinR saw
agely at the rest of US, 4 kin lick anybody
else on this stage
"We didn't expostulate. The English
man climbed back into the stage as quietly
as he got off. His wife was satisfied for
'Charey's' face wasn't even scratched. At
the next station the driver explained that IL
he'd only have got hold of the little fellow
he'd have Rugged him to death like BEAR
but he explained, every time just as was
about to lay hands on him the ground'd fly
up and hit me on the back of the head
WHO was the little fellow? Oh, grad
uate OF Cambridge, and the best boxer of
his time at the university" Washington
Post.