People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1894-07-20
BOTH WERE BAD MEN.
SWIFTEST MANIPULATORS OF
GUNS IN WYOMING.
Wien They Crossed Each Other the
Shooting Was OF Short Duration and
Remarkably Accurate-which Was the
Quicker Remained Undecided.

tlemen, that not one in fifty OF the
stories OF gun play that came out OF
the West has any foundation in fact.
Most of them, very nearly all Of
them, are pure fancy"
1t was Colonel George Barry, in
his old corner Of the LOtos club cafe,
started again in his experiences on
the frontier, says the New York Sun.
Now. in all the time that | was
stationed in Wyoming territory"
he went on, Il met only two men
who might really be called bad
men, that is, men who were not only
willing to shoot when they got into
trouble, but who rather preferred
trouble OF that sort and we're fire.
quently on the lookout for it, Both
of them were master hands with a
six-shooter, and neither could quite
comprehend what allied a man who
was ever afraid OF anything. Each
had done murder Neither would
admit it, OF course. Both would
contend that they had shot in fair
fight, and that the dead men had
just as good chance as themselves.
But everybody knew it wasn't so.
The first man Hyde killed was
down on the old trail between sgd
ney and the Black Mills There was
dance one night at a roadhouse, and
Hyde went He had some trouble
with another cowboy, and the other
fellow threatened to shoot him.
Hyde was a peaceable enough fellow
then. and didn't pay much attention
at first to the other cowboys
threats. But when they had been
repeated several times Hyde got
tired. He went into the barroom OF
the roadhouse and got Winchester.
Why he didn't use his six-shooter |
don't know, but he didn't He went
back into the dining room. where
they were dancing, and, walking up
to the man who had threatened him.
he said:
"'D-n you, you've been talking
about shooting all night, and haven't
done d-n thing. Now, I'm going
to shoot.
"He pulled up his Winchester de-
liberately, and shot the cowboy
squarely through the heart OF
course the other fellow had time
enough to pull his gun while Hyde
was raising his Winchester, but he
didn't get it quick enough Hyde
said he was white-livered.
"Ducello's first man was killed in a
different sort of fight. A Michigan
man named Sandy Miller had located
q claim in the middle of one OF the
finest ranges of the Sweetwater. OF
course he had legal right to do so,
but you couldn't persuade the ranch
men with anything but bullets that
he had any moral right where he
was. So they sent party OF cow
boys up to run him out OF the coun-
try. Ducello went along 1t hap
pened that Miller didn't look with
favor on the running out process.
and he had man working for him
who was similarly minded. Ducello
told me about it afterward.
There was me, he said, AN a
fellow from Laramie with yellow
chaps that couldn't ride much, an
another fe Low, forget his name.
but his alias was Bullwhack Bill.
guess he'd been a freighter some
where. Anyhow, they was US three
an couple more fellers, an'we was
jest goin to fire Sandy Miller p d. q.
But we didn't. He wouldn't FIRE
We cleaned him out instead, and he
and his hired man d-n near cleaned
us out dom it. We got up there all
right, and found old Sandy at home.
He came out to meet US with Win
chester, an his hired man stood in
the door behind him. He knowed
what we was after without our sayin
a word
"You fellers, he says, don't run
none OF your damned wizzi es on me,
he says. an with that he up with his
Winchester an lets silver. He took
old Bullwhack Bill pretty fair, and
it got plain they was going to be q
fight. | take it he wasn't used t.
Wyoming ways. Well, when he shot
of course | got out my gun an be
gan to talk some myself. They was
considerable shootin goin' on. an
seen that Miller's hired man was
prett handy with Winchester him.
self He worked her faster n any
man | ever seen. Somebody knocked
Miller over, an | thought it wouldn't
be just square not to save the hired
man trouble, so give him one tina
stopped his cd Winchester. Damn
good thing | did, too for the Lara
ME man. with the yellow chaps and
Bullwhack Bill and one OF the other
fellows, was done up don't know
as / ever heard just exactly what
did start the row between them.
professional! jealousy, most likely.
However the row started, it don't
matter much how. and the word
went round that there would be some
of the quickest and cleanest shoot
ing when Hyde and Ducello met that
the world ever saw. Well. they
met, and there was shooting But
no man alive is ever going to tel
just exactly how it occurred.
"DucellO was breaking a bunch o.
bronco for the X outfit. Hyde
was in Cheyenne. 1t happened thai
on the afternoon on which HYDE