Los Angeles herald., 1892-10-23
CLUTcHING AT HIS BREAST.

ion of the country and wearing a slouch
hat that well shaded his face and left one
to guess at the character of the wearer.
"Ticket to Cameron" was all he said as he
stepped to the window, and receiving his
piece of cardboard retired to dark corner,
where he sat down.
I might have paid little more attention
to his appearance had he not been shortly
followed, first by party of six or seven
rather hard looking customers, who were
evidently under the influence of Missouri
lightning" and a moment later by three or
four ladies with escorts. One of the gang
of roughs commenced using language that
was more expressive than elegant, and
had no other recourse but to go over ami
demonstrate with him. Somehow as
stepped across the room the feeling came
over me that l was to have trouble, and .
little tremor of fear passed up and down
the seam of my waistcoat
However, kept bravely on, and in a
gentle and gentlemanly way reminded him
of the fact that there were ladies present,
and it was necessary for him to modify his
language. His friends sided with me and
attempted to keep him quiet, but without
avail, and they finally arose and went out
on the platform, expecting of course that
he would follow. With drunken perverse-
ness, however, he remained, and his talk
growing more and more vulgar l forgot
my fear, became mad and walking over
to the tough seized him by the collar, and
before he had time to offer any resistance
had thrown him out of the door and on the
platform, where left him in the hands OF
his friends
A half minute later saw what made my
hair stand on end. In the door stood the
man had thrown out, pistol in hand and
ready to shoot. Were you everunder fire?
Do you know what it is to stare death in
the face and realize that within the next
second o bullet will go plowing through
your body and but the tick of watch
separates you from eternity? In moment
l thought of every incident in my life, and
closed my eyes to receive the leaden mes
senger that would send me, fearfully un-
prepared, into the great unknown. Almost
instantly two shots rang out, sounding like
the reports of cannon in that small room.
felt sharp twinge in my right knee, and
then all the animal in my nature was
aroused and | thirsted for blood. We
always kept a revolver in the money
drawer, and with quick lunge through
the ticket window l reached it and turned
to kill, if possible, the man who had fired
at me. l was too late. He lay on the floor
clutching at his breast, from which the
blood was flowing in a crimson stream.
His revolver lay beside him. Over in the
corner sat the man with the slouch hat,
revolver in either hand, but not moving 4
muscle or giving sign.
The friends of the apparently dying man
rushed in, and seeing me standing with a
revolver in my hand reached for theirs to
avenge their companion. At the first
movement quick, sharp voice rang out
from under the slouch hat in the corner in
no undecided tones.
"The man that pulls is dead man!' and
the words were emphasized by the click of
the two guns that covered the party. No
one pulled" but they looked sullenly at
the man who had dared single handed to
call them down.
There was an awful pause of few sec
onds; then the rough nearest to the stran-
ger, after a close scrutiny, sprang back
with the exclamation "Jesse James, by
-W 1t was enough. That name carried
with it power to subdue fiercer more
bloodthirsty and Drawer men than those
sn front of me.
Carefully they picked up the wounded
man, and as they carried him out again
that voice was heard, and this time it said,
"The man that harms that lad will answer
to me-"
The train soon arrived and he departed
with it. My wound was slight and the
badly wounded man eventually recovered.
A few days later q train was robbed on the
same railroad, only few hours ride from
Princeton, at the little hamlet of Win
ston. Two men lost their lives because
they resisted, and yet l somehow find a
very tender spot in my heart when 1 think
of Jesse james.
Titus died in the third year Of his
reign. Suspicious were entertained Of
poison, tho poisoner being believed tc
be his brother Domitian, who succeeded
him.
In the fall of 1890 G.. G. Sexsmith {
farmer living near Atchison, Kan, founi
an ear Of corn which showed an ode
number Of rows Of grains-nineteen.
.g. ~