Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1892-06-02
jim HOWARD. GAMBLER.
A NARRATIVE OF DISGUISED EVENTS
WHICH OCCURRED N a LONG
SETTLED COMMUNITY.
CIRCUMSTANCE NEARLY CONVICT A
MAN IN THE INFORMAL COURT
OF JUDGE LYNCH.
THE VENGEANCE OF THE MOB CRATE
FLED By THE MURDERER ) SUM
MARY PUNISHMENT.

Jim I1OWdiu WAS / LOlEeSiDDdl = All
bier Now, gentle reader. don't conjurC
up a sharkisn Looking Individual witt
restless eyes. fierce mustache, black
both by nature and art, a mouth thai
expresses either a cruel determination
or q repulsive smirk, and of faultless
dress and superficial polish in short, q
character such as Egg lesion introduces
in his End Of the World which was a
photograph of the sporting man from
the time immem0rial Howard was, as
| said, professional gambler, but you
would never suspect II from appearance
or demeanor OF substantial figure,
slightly bent BY years, with hair Of sill
yer gray, blue eyes that in single
glance seemed to make a comprehens We
inventory Of your abilities and charac-
ter. his unpretentious dress and quiet
manner would lead Il stranger u class
him as deacon Of rural church
Howard and | met frequently at the
table of the hotel ~ which We were
boarders and in time became excellent
friends For, Mortified one, if the devil
has one virtue, persistence, worthy Of
imitation, Howard had many. Through
outa life devoted to gaining a livelihood
by the chances of cards. he has been
absolutely temperate, had never used
profane or vulgar language, took a
hygienic care OF himself, such rs the
members Of profession more respectable
rarely do. and. virtue, not the least
never talked Of himself or his adyen.
lures. We are All more or less human
barometers, indicating fan or .'stor
my weather rs circumstances raise or
lower our spirits, but Howard was the
same did fortune smile or frown. A
superficial comparison between him
and the average man was consequently
decidedly in his favor.
OF course. be had had adventures.
Bless You, man 3 generation ago
couldn't win the title oil Lion Hearted
Gambler of the Northwest" without
adventures; but they were like some
magazine sketches, the edges were still
uncut 20 the public One winter day
we had been riding behind the darling
of his heart, q beautiful five year-old,
1.-THE as a grey hound aud as high strung
as Ii Southern belle In the coulse of
our drive q part Of the harness gave
way, and the only or, al least, the most
feasible method of escaping destruction
was to allow the frightened animal to
plunge down the hill we were then
descending, and take the doubtful chance
of keeping the track and finding the
road clear. Accepting the situation
with the sang froid with which Howard
had lived his entire life, | seemed to
gain stronger hold on the old man,
and that evening. while smoking our
post-pTandial cigars and chatting about
The incident, he remarked in solilo-
duizing manner: Talking of close
calls. death came so near eashing my
chips once that was haunted for weeks
afterward In response to my repeat
ell request for its narration, he finally
said.
1T happened iii ISL and to make
my connection with the event clear, /
must begin baeb some time before the
event occurred in which | nearly played
a traeieal part An old man, whom
we will call Downey, lived with his wife
on a small patch Of ground by the side
OF the Wisconsin river After Years of
toll which had stiffeued his limbs and
bent his back he had reached the decis-
ion that his days OF work were nearly
over and dreadinE The time of coming
feehleness III their ISOLATED cabin. the
connie determined ia sell their little
Moi md taking a skin float down tho
Wisconsin to tbe Mjssissinnj and
thence Ia Missouri whera a Son was
6yine, win whom thav desired "a end
tbeir fIays Il n4v seen strange Is vo,
ibat th,s nnusnal means 81 trgnsnorta.
ION .bonld M adonfed bot one mnst
remember the qreat an,ount of raffjng
,hot i aana IN tbis Strssm and nut
tba dtystfar4 a1,nn It's b,nks know we'll
how h., Mi, an ear =, balance tbem-
eolvas ~ i. nnstinc Iog In fsof arr
nna,ls.. sn,,f.il,;on.
,.....za
iah ~ MIN
The plan was dnlY followed, and
fhe old people Win their meager
savings ana few tribes eadeafed ny
@ssoel9ti9h began their seemingly dang
efous Journey lheN would have PROB
ably reached then destination had not
two q the worst tougas vino irequented
The logging camps II winter and helped
- tine prmg drive he4td OF their mien
e. 81 tt a