The Dakota chief. (Gann Valley, Buffalo County, S.D.) 18??-1913, 1894-10-25
HIS NAME WAS MUD.
Fiddle 5 was excited.

iuulNt = WAS cANilCN.
Not that there waS anything eX-
TT lugdluarE IN that, tor the Fiat was
in il normal cund 1 on Of excitement
over one thing or another every hou:
IN The DAY aud vented it IN much
drinking, 20. d talking and i'ghting;
but on this particular occasion the
OK itcmcnt was Of an unique order
that in lis sLill intensity chilled aud
sllcnc1d the mUO0 u met that crowded
the doors o. the ''Nary's Eyes 81
loon ana gambling hou.c, the rrO-
prieto. OF wA!ch, Velvet Jack, was az
that IN meat being tried for his lie
before that most terrible OF earthly
cJurt> ,udre i.yn h.
II was not the drst killing at the
Flat. Tins sl0Oting sCrare was only
Or If the dcI Us Of Others during
trA. tive months of fiddler'> cX St
enc. ,but The victim was Il peculiar
ly nor ensive creatu G known aS
.'Mua" to the emp.
he had no other name that he
knew OF. ard had earned his sOhrl-
quct by his IN ii in i'll Ia X at the
gaming tables. and his equa ~ uniail-
Ing remark as he rose penni.eS> from
his bout with the tiger: Wal, my
names mud agin:" but OF this partic-
MAR OCCASION Mud's luck had run his
way, ana he had sat hour after hour
at the little oblong faro table since
the night before and won with IN.
failing regularity through every deal.
Velvet himself had the shift at
deal when Mud had o the last
ounc in the bank roll and, a. the
lucky player rose from his seat oppo.
site him, the gambler had without a
word shot him through the heart.
The cold liendishness of the act was
too much fol the nerves OF the Ed
dlers, and the camp rose TO a man
and cried aloud for vengeance.
They were waiting now for the sen.
teGce.
Long Smith was the Judge. He
occupied a chair placed on a faro table
ut n end OF the long. low cabin, the
identical chair that Velvet sat III
when he shot Mud.
Velvet sat q little to bis lett. a
guard at either side, on his right, the
Hd>IllN NilOSCu ny " lNGAhC SIt "
stood, and beyond a rope stretched
across The room, was the silent, eX-
pcctdnt crowd.
The evidence was all in, and Long
Smith was setting himself down into
a comfortable pos [ on to listen TO
the clunscI Tor defense when Velvet
suddenly rose to his feet and said:
''>cc here. boys, what's the use OF
go ne on with this monkey business
any longer, shot Mud. and you've
determined that | must hang. Can't
you drOp this and take ne out ana
hang me and tc done with it. lnstea
of tOrturiIE me with all this non
sense: YOU know you're only doing
1t 10 amu>c ourselves"
The eye. OF every mai in the crowd
were liked or the prisoner dur. NJ this
spec n. and then turned e~Xpcctautly
TO the Judge.
." riSner ct the bar. yer bein' tried
fer murder by the only kin O er cot
tn : yer kcntFy hcZ. FL TIERS eny.
thin We hey ter say We II h V er
Chance to say IL furder on
There was a hum OF approval from
the audiCnD @. and the ,ounsel for the
defense went on with his argument.
followed 10y the counsel for the pros
ecutiun. The court summed up and
charged The Jury, which, without a
moments hesitation, returned a YER
diet of guilty.
The Judge arose from his chair
I'D said: "\ e!Nct, yer gone in
there was 20 further assumption of
judicial dignity: it d Opped from him
as u drops Il cloak rom his shout
ler,, "ther boys hey Civ yer a ST. ar
deal which'S mOre'n yC give Mud. n
Yeri! hey ter 20 under. What boy
yer got ter say again IT,
Acyet smiled and shook MS head.
''lou've got the drop On me. |
reckon" ne SAID, land 1 can't Kick "
Just at this moment there was a
struggle Of some n trying to force
an entrance through the crowd at
the door, and the shrlll tones OF a
woman's voice could he heard de-
manding access to the court that was
LryiGG the man that had killed hers
Ppm Mud's wife" she insisted in
I shrill, shay voice.
..Oh, ! know what yer nicknamed
him. His n my names DObbs, n he
were err goad nufI man most ways
n I want ter see the nan what
killed him III lef' me er lone widder
fight in the prim err llfe.
The rclicJOf the late Mud was at the