Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1892-03-24
Wits HIS Doors ON.
How the Reputation OF Camp Hard Luck
Was saved.


How the Reputation OF Camp Hard Luck
Was saved
Camp Hard Luck was six months old,
and we hadn't yet lost man by death.
Now and then one had met with an ac-
cident to lay him up for a few weeks,
but it was subject of congratulation
that no one had actually turned mp his
toes Almost while we congratulated
ourselves on this good fortune, Deacon
White took to his bed and became
seriously i'll The deacon was a quiet,
digniied man. who never thaWed out
even when whisky was plenty, and he
was the acknowledged peacemaker of
the camp The chaps just over the hill
at Cherry Diggings were a quarrelsoms,
brawling lot. and but for the effects
of Deacon White there'd have some
times been rows in which somebody
would have got hurt
Three days after the deacon was
taken down ne sent for two or three of
us to pay him special visit When we
had come together in his shanty he
said:.
"Boys. Pm very sick man. It's my
last sickness Pm an old man, and
realize that I've got to co.
We knew that it was serious case,
but yet we talked encouragingly and
tried to brace him up.
Its no USE" he protested after we
had had our say. 1--WE got to die and
the only question is how shall go. If
die in my bed the boys wont like it.
It would look too womanish, and the
fellows over the hill would have an
other chance to brag They've had
three men die, and all died with their
boots on"
AS matter of fact we were little
tender on that point. but we were will
ing to make an exception in the case of
the deacon. He was not a fighting
man, and he couldn't be expected to get
up off dying bed and get in the way of
bullet We talked and argued with
him, and apparently made him see
things as we did, and after an hour or
so we returned to work, leaving him in
the care of man whose foot had been
hurt and who was just able to limp
around.
This was about 8 o'clock in the after
noon. AT about Cherry Diggings
man, who had filed up on whisky, ap-
peared on the crest of the hill and be-
gan whooping and yelling and giving
our camp the grand def. Following
our usual line of conduct we paid no at
tention to him, but he kept on seeking
a quarrel, and by and by something
happened to startle US We heard a
ringing war whoop and looked up to see
Deacon White, fully dressed and having
a revolver in his hand, striding up the
trail. The man left with him had fallen
asleep, and the deacon had dressed and
armed himself without anybody being
the wiser. He was man six feet tail,
but he looked to be a foot more as we
saw him now His long, black hair was
blowing out behind from under his hat,
and the yells he uttered as he went up
the trail sent chills over every man
of us
The chap from Cherry Diggings must
have been dumbfounded. even though
half drunk. He ceased his shouting
and stood stock still until the deacon
came within pistol shot and opened fire.
Then he turned to flee, but a bullet in
the leg brought him down. The dea-
con continued to advance, firing all the
time, and we suddenly saw him throw
up his arms and fall at full length.
Only then did any of US move. It had
all come upon us in such way that we
stood spell hound. When we did move
hundred of US went together, aud in
three minutes we were at the crest OF
the hill There lay the deacon, shot
through the heart. and there lay the
Cherry Diggings man, having four bull
lets in him3a dead enough before we
got there. AS we looked down on the
face of the deacon we expected to find
it wild and distorted but it was not so.
There was smile there-a smile fading
away into pallor as death claimed the
victory. He had died with his boots on
and saved Camp Hard Luck from being
disgraced in the eyes Of Cherry Dig
gings-M. Quad, in n. Y. World.