St. Paul daily globe., 1893-04-26
A CHANCE SHOT.
Ghe strengthening Man Relates
Western Story.

Western Story.
Detroit Free Press.
The strange-looking man sat in one
corner of the smoker and hadn't much
to say while the drummer and the West
ern real estate man were telling their
stories. He reused. however, after
peculiarly peculiar one by the drummer
"That reminds me-" he said, ''of
something that happened once in a
mining town in the Rockies, during
the good old times when everything
was new out there. Like every other
mushroom municipality, we had among
US gamblers and greenies, tOughS and
tenderfeet. One ot these tenderteet
was the most cowardly fellow, in some
ways, ever saw, and how he had ever
come to such a place l couldn't under
stand. He was afraid of everybody,
and boy could bulldOze him. but he
was brlght-minded, with fine turn for
business, and was honest
"A pistol was horror to him, and he
wouldn't take drink of whisky under
any circumstances, which, by the way,
required considerable courage. In his
case it did, at least, as it afterWard
turned out, for one day he refused to
drink with the uglieSt, most dangerous
man we had, and row ensued. The
tough whipped out pistol, and would
have killed the fellow, but some one
caught his arm, and the other man
went down on his knees and begged for
his life.
ut was no good, however; the tough
was drunk ana was determined to kill
him, and TO prevent an open murder,
some one suggested that they fight it
out in the street, and a revolver was
put into the hands of the tenderfoot.
He didn't know how to handle the gun
at all, and while one man showed him
what to do, four or five more held the
tough. Then they were put at ten
PAGES, and more abiect. scared speci-
men l never saw than the tenderfoet.
He could hardly stand up, and his pistol
wobbled about as If 1t were swung to a
string. The tough enjoyed it more than
anybody else, for he felt sure of his
victim.
"After he had watched the shivering
wretch a moment, he pulled up his gun,
and at the same time the tenderfoot
pulled his up and tried to aim it. Then.
bang went the tough's gun, and almost
simultaneously followed the report of
the tenderfOot's. The tough dropped
like shot OK, and the tenderfoot threw
up his right hand and hoWled with pain
and fear. We rushed up and found the
tough dead, with bullet through his
heart. and the tenderfOot with his
fingers and hand bruised and bleeding,
but not seriously injured. The bullet
from the tough's pistol had struck the
trigger of the tenderfoct's and dis
charged 1t with fatal result"
The stran nge-looking man had appar-
emily no more to say, and his listeners
looked at each other questionlngly.
The drummer coughed suspiciously.
MAY L ask" he SAID, show it hap
pened that the tough's bullet didn't
take the tenderfoOt's finger off be-
fore it reached the trigger of his pis-
| tol?'
"Simple enough" replied the strange
looking man, frankly; ''he didn't have
his finger on the trigger. He had it on
the trigger guard, and he would have
been pulling on 1t yet, to make the gun
go off, if luck hadn't been against the
| tough"
The strange-looking men relapsed
| into his former silence, and nobody had
the cheek to try to tell any more stories.