The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-12-09
4 NEW MEXICO BAD MAN.
Traits OF the Real Article and Those OF
the Man who Tries to He had.

Traits OF the Real Article and Those OF
the Man who Tries to He had.
"Sitting in Bob Young's saloon at Pueblo with
that gigantic 'old-timer' Davenport, once of
Cimarron." said the Western surveyor, "he
entertained me with some quaint and tragic
episodes Of New Mexico life and death in the
seventies. One was about q Thanksgiving Day,
IN the afternoon the cowboy contingent came
in to town to celebrate the day. They were
showing the effects OF the loads they
Ihad made It their first business to ac-
Scumulate. One foolishly drunken fellow
from the range. who had got separated from
his gang. had strayed into this saloon and was
Tbracing himself upright, with his elbows upon
hhe counter. None of the men playing cards or
drinking quietly at the tables paid any atten-
tion to his vaporings. From time to time he
jumped up and kicked his heels together to
make his spurs rattle and announced in defiant
tones that he was only a cowboy. but he was
rs good as any man living, and II any man
didn't like his talk he might go to hades.
"'That fellow isn't a bit bad. though he tries
to be- remarked Davenport contemptuously.
THE real desperate doesn't behave in that sort
of way. II you want to know how a genuine
shooting man acts take Clay Allison Of New
Mexico. We'd be standing, for instance, in
Iambert's barroom at Cimarron drinking.
There were plenty OF men in those days who
would be too glad to take Allison's life II they
j.; but he would stand there quietly talking with
me, 70 all appearances as unconcerned as to
Ing. his head. his eye-,he had an eye like
\Of everybody who went and came in the bar
broom. He had All old grudge against Reinhart
\(t tins s fseIins S would ~ lead To the death SipS Of one s1 Of
lthem. At sight Of Reinhart Allison's bad blood
(in an nndertone, so full Of intense hatred and
purpose that II was appalling:
DO you SEES that mani I'm going to Kill
"'weli, a man In my place needed only to say
lsnd there by which Reinhart would lose Ills
pife, for he was no match with Allison In a man
} fS %an hf R,' sher sfrsPi posse nes about S@nS h finance Allison
liked me, and ! knew that the only way " 70 turn
! Iim from his p SonIS saw Was ts 20 bi nppeai I" MS better
That's all right, Clay, so far as you and
tReinhart are concerned but there's another
are dependent on him, Hes got a daughter 10
lyeGrs old and two little, children, a boy OF hve
imother Think what will become OF them II
you kin their father.
idea of killing Reinhart from Allison's mind for
that time, and the day would go by without any
"speaking OF Clay Allison remlnds me of
jhow he called me 70 a standstill mighty sudden
after dark, and had put up at Lambert's and
had gone 70 bed early, Nobody locked their
Ss boys were drinking and skylarking late that
might in the barroom. and in lodging away from
my comrades after a scufie | ran into the hall
way. up stairs, and bolted into the first room |
I s:.n .s &C.; :sP re tSse i 81 Pf I fS% aFRtsdi al 4 tR my o ara.
mand OF a stern voice that came from the bed In
the corner OF the room.
-" Stopl Stop right thereI'
~ recognized the voice as Clay Alltson's.
"For Gods sake don't shootl' managed to
gasp out. Its Davenport"
~" Strike n light and show YOURSELF but
don't you move from your tracks" he said In 4
voice 4 little less savage.
"'I struck a match, and its light showed me
Allison half sitting up In bed. just as no started
up at the sound OF my bursting into the room,
both his hands grasping the butt of q cooked re-
voiyer that pointed straight at my head. or
course he lowered IL then, and we settled the
matter of my waking him with a couple OF
drinks. But IL was well ! hadn't taken a second
step into the room before he knew who ! was,
for should have caught a bullet from a pistol
that never missed