The Portland daily press., 1893-11-06
HAZING A DRUMMER.
Rattling Reception Given a Com.
mcreial Traveller.


He Was the First Of Ills Find to Visit the
Town, and Ho Took Too Serious View
of Hitnsclf-It Was Put Up Job, "and
Well Put Up, Too," Says tho Colonel
''It was while was stationed at Fort
Niobrara," Colonel George Barry began as
he lighted q fresh cigar at the Lotus club
the other night, that the first commercial
traveler-drummers some people call them
--made his appearance in Valentine He
was slim little fellow, and he seemed to
have given q good deal of care TO his per-
konal adornment. Where he suade his
mistake was in taking too serious view Of
himself.
He dropped into Valentine on one of the
first trains that got through oysr the new
road. He had couple of fancy yellow
grips that must have looked very pretty to
him, for he lugged them with him when he
went into Dutch Georges saloon to get
drink. His other accouterments were
very light striped suit and jeunty little
straw hat which aroused the mirth of the
cowboys
'It's surprising how little some fellows
can pick up in travelling around the earth.
Now, that chap didn't know any more
than to drop those yellow grips right in
front of Dutch Georges bar and call for a
Manhattan cocktail. Yes. sir, he wanted
q Manhattan cocktail, and he wanted it
quick too
"You ought to have seen Dutch George
look at him. Then he winked couple Of
times at the row of cowboys sitting along
the side of the room and turned around
and began to mix a lot of things together
for dear life. The little drummer leaned
one arm on the bar and looked around at the
row of cowboys without seeming to see the
chap that had edged up behind him. Just
as Dutch George had finished mixing what
ever it was be had fixed up for the drum
mer, there was pistol shot, and one of the
boys sitting at the side of the room gave q
yell and fell out of the chair in a heap on
the floor. A big six shooter fell to the floor
beside the little drummer, and little
cloud of smoke rose between the drummer
and the bar
''Well, sir, you can believe it or not, Just
as you like, but am telling you that there
was row. Those cowboys yelled like the
devil and swore that the drummer had shot
the fellow who had fallen out of the chair.
Three or four of them pulled their guns
and were for shooting the drummer right
there, but one fellow proposed to lynch
him, and that proposition went through
with whoop. Some of them carried out
the cowboy who was supposed to have
been shot, and Dutch George began looking
for rope. The drummer just gasped two
or three times and wilted down into chair
white as ghost and scared almost to death.
Once or twice he tried to say something,
but all he could get out was whispered,
Why, gentlemen, I-why-what--I assure
you p
SO they started to take the little chap
out to hang him. There wasn't tree that
would serve in 10 miles, and they were
good deal puzzled as to how to get salts
factory gallows on such short notice. They
kept talking it over before the drummer in
the coolest sort Of way, and I tell you he
was scared. Just as they got to the door
of the saloon there was shout that the
sheriff was coming, and before any one
could say Jack rabbit the sheriff and an
other man were there with their six shoot
ers i'll their hands, demanding the prisoner
in the name of the law. The little drum
mer was SO relieved that he could have
Rugged the sheriff, and he began to try to
talk again. The sheriff told him to shut
| up if he wanted to get out alive and
started with him for the door. But just as
soon as his back was turned one of the
cowboys shouted:
"'SEoot him! Shoot himi Don't let him
get away like that
1.-THE sheriff and his man swung round
| aud whipped out their six shooters again.
Keep backl' he shouted. 'I'll shoot the
| first galoot that touches this man so full of
holes he won't need grave
''The cowboys took the challenge, and in
less than quarter of second more than
| 40 pistol shots were fired. It sounded like
an engagement of infantry. The room was
| full of smoke. Two or three of the cow
boys fell to the floor, and the man who was
| with the sheriff went down with a groan,
| crying that he was done for Somehow or
other the sheriff got off all right, and while
| the shooting was liveliest dragged his man
| out into the street. The little drummer
was near having a fit from fright, and the
sheriff had lost his hat. 1t was a particu-
larlv fine sombrero, with band heavily
ornamented with silver, and the sheriff
wouldn't have lost it to save IA men from
| being lynched. So he took the drummer to
the cornsr of the saloon and said:
| "'Now, Pm going back there for my hat.
| Don't you wiggle out of this spot till I
come Dack. IL you Go, you're mighty Iable
to lose your life mighty sudden and I'M
pleasant
with that the sheriff left the drummer
| standing there at the corner and went back
| to the saloon. He hadn't any more than
| opened the door before the shooting began
again, and what had been done before
wasn't a marker to what it was that time.
| The little drummer listened to it for min
ute and thel all of sudden seemed to re-
| alize that he was alone and that the road
| was before him. The next sixteenth of
second he was off up the road like quar-
| ter horse, with never thought of his two
fancy yellow grips.
He'd got about $50 yards away when the
door OF the saloon opened, and Dutch
| George and the sheriff and half dozen
cowboys jumped out into the street with
their guns in action. Well, the way the
bullets dropped around that drummers
| feet would beat Kansas hailstorm. And
fhe more they dropped the faster he ran.
You can talk about your Salvatore and all
the rest of theml If l had horse that
could run the way that little drummer
footed it out of Valentine, I'd bet there
ECT ldn,t onntha,- Id win