The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1894-04-12
a FINE SHOT,
Story of the Town Marshal and the Terror
of the GuIch,

| Story of the Town Marshal and the Terror
of the Gulch.
| The crowd around the hotel stove
was listening to the tales of a few
| hardened liars, when man in a SLOUGH
hat, wearing his hair long, projected
himself into the conversation.
That last story" he said reminds
me of an experience l once had in the
west before it had reached its present
civilization. l was living in a mining
camp out there, and my next door
neighbor was the terror of the gulch,
| though that wasn't his name. / got
along with him very well until it came
my turn to be town marshal and then
he began to be ugly, and, gents, when
that man got ugly. there wasn't a
pretty spot on him. Well, there was a
good-looking girl in the town, and the
| Terror and me had our hopes sot in the
same way, and the girl wasn't saying
which one was favorite. You know
women have that way sometimes. The
girl wasn't only good-looker, but she
was the best shot in the place, though
the Terror disputed the point with her
sometimes. Things went on smooth
enough, till one day the Terror got the
idea that the girl was coming my way,
and then he went off and got full
up to the neck and proceeded to
paint the town. I'd seen him that way
more times than one, and it never both
cred me any, for l kept out of his way,
but being marshal it was my duty to
| tba an1 fh0,1oh 7
willing, as far as | was personally con-
cerned, to let the peace go to decay in
this particular spot, public opinion
wasn't, and had to tackle him right
in front of the girls house and she
stood by an open window and watched
us. l went about it mighty careful,
can tell you, and the Terror took up an
idea that was afraid, and got bad
right at the start | don't know ex-
actly how it come about, but the first
thing knew we had our guns pulled
and the girl was standing not twenty
feet away, on her porch, with a navy
pistol in her hand ready for business
The Terror's pistol got caught in his
clothes some way, and l got the drop
on him, but my gun snapped and
thought my end had come, for the man
was wild and he had his gun on me in
! half second after mine had missed
fire. l shut my eyes and made jump
for him, and just as l did two shots
rang out, the Terror's pistol went
whirling into the air, and l had him
by the throat What would have hap
pened to him | am not prepared to say,
for | was twice the man he was phys
ically; but nothing serious happened,
for the girl was right onto us both with
her gun.
LET him upn' she yelled, as she
stuck the barrel of the weapon against
my head. 4 saved your life and you We
got to save his.
81 had sense enough left to mind her,
and then she made the Terror get up
and go along peaceably with me to
the lookup. That night went to see
her and she told me she had no notion
of taking part in the fight, for she
didn't want to hurt anybody, or get
hurt: but when she saw the Terror had
me dead to rights, she knew something
had to be done, and instead of shooting
the man, she had got bead on his
pistol and shot it out of his hand be-
fore he could pull the trigger. Under
the circumstances. gents" concluded
the story-teller, II call that middlin
fair shooting; leastways for woman 5"
That point was conceded without
debate.
"Of course, you married the woman
who saved your life?" ventured a
listener.
This is true bill I'm giving you,
gents,' he replied, and l must say
that | didn't though tried to, hard
enough"
THE Terror didn't get her, did he?"
The man smiled with satisfied air
"Well, not exactly. She got the Ter
ror. Anyhow it looked that way to
me. for about year after that, he told
me one night if | ever got as good
chance again to shoot him, he'd con-
slider it personal favor if / didn't nse
gun that missed fire. detroit Free
Press