Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-02-04
+HE SUDDEN WIDOWS

fHE SUDDEN WIDOWS
was very quiet in Adamsville that aft
,ou IL had been quiet for some time
IN Nobody had been shot or knitted,
no !yuching bee had occurred for
hi many weeks. Nobody had even been
NH Adamsyille was becoming degen-
HE'D, and you could see ''ennui" written
the countenance of every male citizen,
one form or another. There were no fe-
lie citzens-that Is, of the sort subject
i ailments Of that nature. Those who
IT there always had a lively time of it.
frre was Spanish Dick across the street
Nv quarreling with one of her male
ktiends in front of the Diamond saloon.
* was one OF the leading citizens of
6amsville-or rather one of the most
eminent ones She had another name,
ID it was too long for every day use, so
8ey called her Dick for short.
|Dgk was beauty-also devil in skirts.
i a. size was bad goes without saying.
d was not only bad. but she was the most
\ 1us quick tempered, ready to stab of
u kind and calling that ever infested a
camp. Everybody was afraid of
D. half the town knuckled to her, and
j did a., she pleased. ! think very few
h pie would have been sorry to see her
k,c because she had habit of shooting
b a very impartial way when in one of her
\ luerS, and OF course nobody could shoot
\ or defend himself
~ Obi, particular afternoon she was
ice calm, and we loafers in front of the
20. only heard word or two from the
n raero~s the street, but we could see and
less. ANA oar guess was that Dick was in
kwl1a heat and that something unpieas-
would result to the gentleman with
M She was debating, who was Mr..
lfaoN bra~iey, the ''gentlemanly and
tl-lng Darkeep' at the Diamond. We
r'>.t very closely to the truth, but it
\ worse tuau we expected.
After he discussion had proceeded for
As time Frank turned on his heel to re-
fer the saloon, but here an interruption
l7ed. Phil Holmes, the gambler, came
0i the barber shop next door and said
'm-tuiug which caused Beasley to halt
+ idenly and wheel around.
u was. all done in n moment. We saw
point her finger ut Beasley tragically
q Aeara her voice screeching in Spanish.
e SCI" Holmes lips move in saying some
4 'nS lp Erauk-the latter's hand flew
lacN to his gun pocket-there was a report,
laip ana quick. We rubbed our ewes and
'Aet over. On the steps lay Beasley.
Z 20, through the heart-the gambler had
W MS gun IN hand behind him, all ready,
I'd had been too quick for the other. It
h IDS eO,doiouded murder, but there was no
''' ina, Holmes had been ready. as the
=. I''ch seen was that made by Frank,
:, q so there was nothing to be done.
however Holmes evidently deemed that
+ presence in Adamsville for awhile
1'u DE easily dispensed with; so in less
1 iA an hour he and the woman were on
s.. way to Woodruff. a town about TWEEN
/. I'VE miles distant.
There was a good deal of serious talk in
''''.''il.e that night. Beaslev, the dead
'-. "'H been very popular; there was not
man I'D .ne camp whodid not feel his loss
: 'Aat q, personal friend, and the purse
.'.'tu ipT ms funeral was the largest thing
|. IAe subscription line the oldest inhabi-
''... -oUI" call to mind.
va 'a. other hand the murderer was
-.'f'..s ".,llked by nearly every one. He
'L' one ut those cold blooded, heartless,
3'e eyed, t"c!turn fellows, for whose oft
!. prayed nerve there We're plenty of adj
-''Iy''' hNl whose real friends might be
United ON ones fingers. He had been at
=, l!iI i"o years, but never, to any ones
,-'" i7Ige, done kind act to man, wom-
~ VI beast. Although he had been uni
.1.Is careful to keep out of trouble of
'''! N.'Ur ana there was no specific act ex-
~ 'he shooting of Beasley for which to
I1'tlnn MN, there were rumors, and
.,.r's OF them, concerning a past record of
''"l eht malOdorOusness to make it very
-Treable for him if said rumors had
.2-L" 'eriLication. The fact was, however,
,l1 NOBODY heretofore had cared particu-
, ,,,t' ABOUT his record, especially as Adams.
,I'e owned quite number of citizens
.-o9e e,cutcheons needed renovating and
d goa' Of whitewash.
-o'''+ht. however, all these rumors and
'"'!oua other matters concerning Holmes
- dragged IN for discussion and redis
;, ,''Sa'Oli' and If Mr.. Holmes had happened
- DC about his usual haunts he would
1 r found the social atmosphere dowr
M, r,'' 'he black ice point. AS said, there
, ,a9 good deal or talk, but that was about
49,, ,,', lax Is not an expensive commodity
nav, rru nave observed that there are quite s
NJ OF people in the world who tax,
5II3'1AIaSe Of its cheapness, and we, o
, ,'.,'ul'yille, were using the Americanl
Us ,.s1 cherished prcrogative to the fulIes
", gu1-and that was all.
o. 4uete was only one plan of action sug
$50 this was offered by Tootsy McFad
t5a - young man recently arrived from
Az. Last" which term, as applied a
Evansville, comprehended Kansas, Ne
r' '''sAa' Missouri and other oriental com
IN ',..i1ieS more or less distant toward tn
rising sun.
hoy, tVolay 5 idea was an original one. I
NJ not 1t Is safe to say, entered the min,
NJ any other citizen 1t was too brillian
-. otherwise remarkable-alto S
aT,S was expressed about as follows:
why not"-aud Tootsy lifted his othe