The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-12-06

>NHNe S''' ACi eihC w dIC VI OtilcT company,
L went to the office and entered into
conversation with the landlord, tall,
sun bronzed lcathcr-fcaturcd man past
middle age, who, ! soon learned. had
spent many years in the west, and who
had seen some rough, us we'll as inter
est!ng experiences, and who was chuck
full of "reminiscences.
After we had talked for n couple of
hours on various subjects, my host sud-
denly remarked
reckon, stranger, you've heard
tell of Jim Dixon, or more likely Big
JIM as we allus called him?"
mo. think not" / was compelled to
admit, though l realized from the tone
in which the question was asked that
it was humiliating admission to make.
"Ncvcr?" the landlord repeated
oval, that's strange. Thought shorcly
everybody lSnowed bout Jim. He was
the foremost man on the border, an he
made n record that'll stand good
many years. lie was Il great man, jim
was; wonderful Teller, shore. Tough!
oh. my. stranger, | reckon he was. lie
wasn't afcard of nothin', an I guess
the happiest time he ever ltnowcd was
when he was mixed up III Il shootin
scrapc. Thar's no tcllin' how many
men Jim killed first an last, for he was
SO reckless he'd jest pop 'em over at the
crook of finger, an didn't no more
kccr for it than nothin'. 'TwiXt YOU
an me. stranger, l think Jim carried
the shootin' business Il leetlc too fer /
like fer q man to stand up fer his
rights, and if Teller needs drapping',
why then drap i'm; but there amt no
call fer gettin' too blamed promisc'u
bout it an putin hole through "a
chap jest fer the fun OF it.
Il reckon, stranger, ever man what
Jim made up his mind to kill caught it,
cept one an that one, guess, w as the
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. Marry
time, sir. Jim wasn't the man TO be
planted prcmachoorly, an the Teller
that could drap i'm never lived"
"liow did it happen that he didn't
asked.
Wal, sir, it was quire piece of
business, that was, an one o the most
techin' things ever see. never
lSnowcd Teller SO broke up in all my
life as Jim was, an, sir. it was nobody
but Il little gal that done it-a little
bit o shaver, bout six or seven years
old reckon an the poorest pcclledist
little thing | ever set eyes on
Want to hear bout it. CHI? Wal,
the way of it was this:
You see bout the time Oklahoma
was opened for settlement, Big Jim
an me, an four other fcllers were
hcrdin' on n range in western Texas.
We'd been up in the territory hcrdin n
right smart but the soldiers drove us
out with the rest of the cattle fcllers,
you know, and SO we laid down on the
border sorter waitin' for develop
ments.
"While we was in the territory we
picked out a valley what had bout
three thousan' acres O. tho best land
an richest grass ever see anywhere.
an we lowed rs soon as the country
was open for settlement we'd come
back an take possession of it an make
ranch thar in spite o. all creation.
oval. by an by the president issued
his proclamation, an then when the
day fer entcrin' the territory come
round we moved in with our cattle
an took possession of the valley.
Now said | that night rs we
squatted bout our campfire, if none
o those blamed settlers don't come
foolin' round yere to take up claims in
this valley we're fixed fer this III make
one o the incest little ranches in the
country
al Y.
if any settler wants to talxe.a claim,
yere. an thinks he can. jis' let him