Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-01-25
HAZING A DRUMMER.
BATTLING RECEPTION GIVEN A CON-
MERCiAL TRAVELLER.

He Was the First Of His Kind to Visit the
Town, and He Took Too Serious q View
Of Himself-It Was . Put Up Job, land
Well Put Up, Too" Says the Colonel.
st was while I was stationed at Fort
Niobrara," Colonel George Barry began as
he lighted a fresh cigar at the Lotus club
the other night, THAT the first commercial
UNDERSTANDINGS some people call them
made his appearance in Valentine. He
was slim little fellow, and he seemed to
have given good deal Of care to his per-
fonal adornment. Where he made his
mistake was In taking too serious view OF
himself.
HE dropped into Valentine on one OF the
first trains that got through over the new
road He had couple Of fancy yellow
grips that must have looked very pretty to
him, for he Iugged them with him when he
went into Dutch Georges saloon to get
drink His other accouterments were
very light striped suit and jaunty little
straw hat which aroused the mirth OF the
cowboys.
ITS 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
Manhattan cocktail. Yes, sir, he wanted
"a Manhattan cocktail, and he wanted 1t
quick too.
you ought to have seen Dutch George
look ut him. Then he winked a couple OF
times at the row Of cowboys sitting along
the side OF the room and turned around
l,.f g IL
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 he had fixed up fer the drum
mer, there was pistol shot, and one of the
boys sitting at the side of the room gave a
yell and fell out of the chair in IA heap on
the floor A big six shooter fell to the floor
beside the little drummer and u little
cloud of smoke rose between the drummer
and the bar.
"Well, sir, you can believe it Or not, just
~ 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 II rope The drummer just gasped two
or three times and wited 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 =
80 they started to take the little chap
out to hang him There wasn't a tree that
would serve in 40 miles, and they We're a
good deal puzzled as to how to get u salts.
factory galows on such short notice. They
kept talking it over before the drummer in
the coolest sort of way, and | tell you he
was scared. Just as they got to the door
of the saloon there was n shout that the
sheriff was coming. and before any one
could say lack rabbit the sheriff and an
other man were there with their six shoot
ers ip 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 lust as
soon as his back was turned one of the
cowboys shouted:
"'Shoot him Shoot himl Don't let him
get away like that
THE sheriff and his man swung round
aud whipped out their six shooters again.
Keep backp he shouted IN shoot the
first galoot that touches this man SO full Of
holes he won't need a grave
1.-The cowboys took the challenge, and in
less than a quarter of a second more than
40 pistol shots were fired. 1t sounded like
an engagement of infantry. The room was
full of smoke. Two or three of the cow
boys fell to tho 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 fit from fright, and the
sheriff had lost his hat. 1t was particu-
larly fine soubrero, with n 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 corner of the saloon and said:
"'Now, I'm; going back there for my hat
Don't you wiggle out of this spot till
come back. Il you do, yoI re mighty liable
to lose your life mighty sudden and UNI
pleasant
with thai 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 marker to what il was that time
The little drummer listened to it for a min
ute and then all of sudden seemed to re-
alize that hcvas alone and that the road
was before HIN. The next sixteenth of
second he was otf 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 tire saloon opened, and Dutch
George and tie sheriff and half "a dozen
cowboys jumped cut into the street with
their guns IN action. Well, the way the
bullets dropped around that drummer's
feet would beat a Kansas hailstorn. And
the more the, dropped the faster he ran.
You can talk about your Salvatore and all
the rest Of them! If l had horse that
could run the way that little drummer
footed it out of Valentine, I'd bet there
wouldn't another man set race. I'd win
'em all. by rad sir would I'd break un