The herald., 1893-10-19
SOMETHING GAVE WAY.
Remarkable Story of How Mexican's
Bullet Accomplished Its Purpose.


Bullet Accomplished Its Purpose.
A remarkable story is recalled by the
exposure through landslidsFat. Fort
Tulerosa, N. H., Of the skeleton of a
man who was buried there three years
ago. His name was Richard Delong,
but he was known among his associates
as Long Dick. When the Mexican Cen
tral railroad was first constructed, Dick
was employed by the company as a car
penter, and the wages being rather
good he rapidly accumulated a stake Of
several hundred dollars. This done, he
started back for the States, and as luck
would have it was in train that was
held up by bandits. That is to say,
number of bandits boarded a train at
station and started through the cars,
two to each car, to rob the passengers.
Dick had been in Mexico long enough
and under such circumstances as to
acquire violent prejudice against the
ordinary inhabitants. 1t riled him great
ly to have one of them get the drop on
him, and he sat with his hands up under
the muzzle of the bandits revolver as
pale as death. When the thief who was
taking the valuables came to his seat, he
noticed Dicks pallor, but mistook it for
sign of fear, and so, having been very
successful so far, he lost his caution for
moment and turned his head to call
the other bandits attention to Dick.
That was a very bad mistake for the
bandit. The moment he turned his head
Dicks big fist caught him under the ear.
Dick was as strong as on OK, and the
blow killed the bandit-broke his neck,
they say.
Nevertheless, in falling, the thief's re-
volver was discharged, and the bullet
struck the seat and glanced thence into
Dicks side. But Dick was game, and
picking up the revolver opened fire on
the bandit who was ON guard. That
sent the rest of the gang flying off the
train, and then the passengers gathered
around Dick. A surgeon found the bull
let was lodged somewhere in the muscles
of the back, but had no instruments to
cut it out. So he dressed the wound, and
by the time Dick got up the road to So
rocco, where he intended to stop, he felt
SO we'll that he decided not to have the
DullCb Cub OuU dU oil. llO CfChbud1lJ lC-
covered, to all appearances, and coming
to the Tulerosa region became cowboy.
He had been here few weeks when a
man came along breaking bronchos for
the COW outfit. Dick watched one man
through two mounts and then said he
could break one of its desire to pitch in
less time than the professional could and
backed his offer with s..
Both men mounted at the word, and
both got good shaking. The two ponies
pitched as only plains ponies know how
to do, but both were conquered in spaces
of time so nearly equal that the contest
was declared draw and a new mount
for each man called for. But Dick was
out of the game. He had downed his
pony's spirit, but when he had done so
his head was rolling from side to side be-
cause of dizziness, and he was groaning
with pain.
Something gave way" he said, 'and
it must have been the lead of that infer
nal Mexican"
He was right in his diagnosis. He got
off his pony, but soon fell to the ground
and in short time died. A surgeon
who examined the corpse said that the
bullet had lodged near the main artery
there and the wound had not fully heal
ed. He was of the opinion that it would
have killed the man sooner or later, no
matter how he cared for himself, but
the tremendous jolting while trying to
break the pony had broken down the
wall of the artery, and death soon fol-
lowed. He was buried in the soldiers
cemetery near the fort.-Exchange