Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1894-07-06
TWO VERY BAD MEN.
A DOUBT AS TO WHICH WAS THE
QUICKER WITH HIS GUN.

Important Point In Question.
1t was Colonel George Barry, in his old
corner of the Lotos Club cafe, started again
In his experiences on the frontier.
"Now, in all the time that was Sta
toned in Wyoming territory" he went
on, II 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 were frequently
on the lookout for it. Both of them were
master hands vii tn a six shooter, and
neither could quite comprehend what allied
q man who was ever afraid of anything.
Each had done murder
Zone of these men, Ducello, was bad
horseman'-that is, it was his business to
break bronchos. Hewent about from ranch
to ranch and tackled the ponies that the
cowboys didn't have time to work down.
Perhaps it was his business that made
him reckless and then again probably it
was his natural reclllessness that led him
to adopt that business. Ducello was the
quickest man with six shooter I ever
saw, although Hyde, the other bad man,
had the reputation Of being the swiftest
manipulation of a gun in all Wyoming.
1.-THE first man Hyde killed was down
on the old trail between Sydney and the
Black Hills. There was dance one night
at roadhouse and Hyde went. He had
some trouble with another cowboy, and
the other fellow threatened to shoot him.
Hyde was 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 awinchester. Why
he didn't use his six shooter don t know,
but he didn't. He went back into the din
ing room, where they were dancing, and
walking up to the man who had threat
ened him he said:
"'D-n you, you've been talking about
shooting all night, and haven't done
thing. Now, Pm going to shoot.
He pulled up his winchester deliberate
" and shot the cowboy squarely through
the heart OF course the other fellow had
time enough to pull his gun while Hyde
was raising the winchester, but he didn't
get it quick enough. Hyde said he was
white livered.
"Ducello's first man was killed in diff
ferent sort of fight A Michigan man
named Sandy Miller had located 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 per-
suade the ranchmen with anything but
bullets that he had any moral right where
he was. So they sent party of cowboys
up to run him out of the country. Ducello
went along.
"'There was me- he said, AN fellow
from Laramie with yellow chaps that
couldn't ride much, an another fellow,
forget his name, but his alias was Bull
whack Bill guess he'd been freighter
somewheres. 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, an he an his hired man
near cleaned us out doin it. We got up
there all right an found old Sandy at
home. He come out to meet us with a
winchester 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 wizzies on me, he says, an with
that he ups with his winchester an lets
silver. He took old Bullwhack Bill pretty
fair, an it got plain they was goin to be
fight. take it he wasn't used to Wyo-
ming ways. Well, when he shot, of course
got out my gun an began to talk some
myself They was considerable shootin
goin on, an l seen that Miller's hired man
was pretty handy with winchester his
self. He worked her EASTERN any man 1
ever seen. Somebody knocked Miller over,
an thought 1t wouldn' t be just square
not to save the hired man trouble so
give him one that stopped his old winches-
ter. Good thing did, too, for the Lara
mic man with the yellow chaps an Bull
Whack Bill an one of the other fellows
was done up.
WELL" said the colonel, lighting
fresh cigar, THAT was kind Of men Hyde
and Ducello were, and it was evident that
If they ever crossed each other the shooting
would not be as long drawn out as it was
accurate. They crossed. That seems to
be the inevitable when two bad men really
have nerve. So many bad men are just
buffers and DULLES, you know, that you
can hardly tell what any one of them really
means to do. Idon't know that ! ever heard
just exactly what did start the row be-
tween them.
However, the row started, it doesn't
matter much how, and the word went
round that there would be some of the
quickest and cleanest shooting 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 tell just
exactly how it occurred.
"Ducello was breaking a bunch OF
bronchos for the x outfit. Hyde was In
Cheyenne. 1t happened that on the after
, noon on which Hyde started for Little iva
! Ducello took it into his head to ride into
!, Cheyenne. That evening their ponies
+ came up the lane to the x ranch togeth-
er, but without riders. The boys knew
what had happened and started out to get
the bodies. They were lying not SO very
far apart on opposite sides of the road, only
} about mile below where the lane from
? the ranch turns into the stage road. Hyde
, was shot through the heart, Ducellc
D through the top Of the head.
1.-The boys figured that it happened this
3 way: When Ducello and Hyde met, it just
. 80 happened that the chances Of the draw
were even, and each saw 1t. Each wanted
to get whatever advantage Of the other he
could, and neither was in hurry to pass
by the other, SO they stopped and talked
maybe about the Indians, maybe about
stock-who knowsP
$50 they rode together, talking away
| about Whatever IL was, but ewing eact