Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1892-07-07
BIG JIM.

Sunday in small Kansas town, and
as it was wet day was forced to
remain for the greater part of it
cooped up in the little hotel. The
house had no other guest and so for
the want of other company l went
to the Office and entered into CONVEX
sation with the Landlord, tall, SUM-
bronzed, leathery featured man past
middle age who, I som learned,
had spent many years in the
west, and who had seen some rough,
as we'll rs interesting expert
ences, and who was chuck full of rem
iniscences.
After we had talked for couple
of hours on various subjects, my host
suddenly remarked:
Il reckon, stranger you've heard
tell of Jim Dixon, or more likely Big
Jim Us we allus called him.
No. think not" I was compelled
to admit though l realized from the
tone in which the question was asked
that it was humiliating admission to
make.
'Never?n the landlord repeated.
Wal, that's strange. Thought shore
ly everybody lznowed bout Jim. He
was the foremost man on the border,
and he made record that'll stand
good many years. He was great
man, Jim was; wonderful teller.
shore. Tough! oh, my, stranger, l
reckon he was. He wasn't afeared of
nothin' an l guess the happiest times
he ever knowed was when he was
mixed up in a shootin' scrape. Thar's
no tellin' how many men Jim killed
fust and last for he was so reckless
he'd jest pop EN- over at the crook of
a finger, and didn't no Lore keer for
it than nothia.' Twixt you an me,
stranger I think Jim carried the
shootin' business Il little too fer. 1
like fer q man to stand up fer his
rights. and if teller needs drappin',
why then drap i'm; but there amt no
call fer gettin' too blamed promisc'us
bout it an putin hole through a
chap jest fer the fun of it.
II reckon. stranger ever man
what Jim made up his mind to kill
caught it, 'cept one, an that one, I
guess, was the last one he ever laid
off to plant"
"You SIC bout the time Oklahoma
was opened FOR settlement, Big Jim, an
me- an four other fellers were herdin'
on range in western Texas. We'd
been up in the territory herdin' a
right smart but the soldiers drove US
out with the rest of the cattle tellers.
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. the best land
an richest grass l ever see anywher.
an we lowed as 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 cre-
alton.
"Wal by an by the president is
sued his proclamation. and then when
the day for enterin' the territory come
round we moved in with our cattle
an took possession of the valley.
"'Now,' said I that night as 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 IL
make one O the incest little ranches
in the country.
Wal said Big Jim with an OATH
it any settler wants to take claim
yere, an thinks he can. jis' let him
try it. low he'll find out monty
blamed soon that he's undertook a
most miserable unhealthy job. This
valleys ours an we re goin' to hold it
spite O. the dickens; an can tell you
right now, fellers, that I'll shoot the
first chap what offers to stop here
I'll make SIGH a example of him that
Their wont another settler come in forty
mile of us.
oval we was purity we'll tired out,
so we turned in quick as supper was
over, an we slept like logs till morn
in. When we woke the sun was up,
an the fust thing we see when we
glanced cross the valley was a old
covered wagon not more'n quarter of
a mile away. The wagon had come
in, I recon, jis' after we went to sleep,
an the folks he'd put up a tent like as
if they was fxin' to stay. Big Jim
he took squint at the outfit, then he
tore loose and swo-e fit to set the woods
afre. Then he got his pistols an
when somebody axed what he was goin'
to do, he said:
"'pm goin' over thar an wipe that
derned settler out. I'm goin' to shoot
him so full O. lead that he'll weigh a
ton. I'll break up this squatter bust
ness right on the start
Il knowed Big Jim meant what he
said an felt kind O sorry for the set
tier, but didn't say nothin'. Me and
the other boys jest set down an
watched Jim as he strided cross the
prairie, an waited to see what was
goin' to happen.
when Jim got up sorter close to
the wagon we seen him draw his gun
an git ready to shoot then we saw
him edge up little closer kinder keer.
full like, then all to once we seen him