The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1895-03-21
TWO BAD MEN.
A Brace Of Wild westerners Who
Were Both Able Killers.
Thsy schsmed for . Whole Afternoon 20
Get the Drop on Each Other with
out 6uccess-Pleasant Diver
sioua Of Gun Fighters.

"One OF the things that strikes q
with SURPRISE" said west
ern land surveyor to the New York Sun
man, sis the way the tough men In the
far west, when they happen to run
counter to men of their own kind, will
refrain from shooting until one gets the
drop on the other. So quick and ready
are the shooting men Of the real sort
that when facing each other on guard
neither one can fire 30 quickly that the
other will not return the shot before
falling. Thus IL may happen that two
bad men who have sworn death to each
other may meet often without ex-
changing shots because neither one can
catch the other unprepared. Take the
case Of Wild Bill and Jim Currie, for
example. Both men of undoubted
nerve and skill, they were enemies for
years = by some accounts they ex-
changed shots once at long range-but
they never pulled triggers on each other
at close quarters, and when Bill was
assassinated by wretch years after
ward at Deadwood it closed the feud.
''Clay Allison, the New Mexican dead
shot and mankiller, found one man who
WASH T afraid to stand up to him and
was just as quick with his gun as
himself. That man was Mace Bow
man, some time deputy sheriff Of Col
fax county. They spent whole after
noon together, each trying to get the
drop on the other, but neither one
could accomplish it. It was perform
ance, though, Of kind to make an
&~-a e1,3~va~ Th4>o a
bad blood between them, and this
afternoon when they met in Lambert,s
barroom and got to drinking the enmity
began to rankle. It was perfectly un-
derstood between them that II either
one got the drop on the other, the
slower man would die, and this being
agreed on both men maneuvered for an
opening. Facing each other with such
pleasant intentions they laughed and
joked and drank together, all the time
watching each other like cats. As q
diversion in the proceeding they would
lay their pistols, the barrels crossing
on the bar counter. step back to the
other side of the room, and then, at ar
agreed signal, make rush for the pis
tails. But neither could seize hi
weapon quickly enough to get the ad
vantage of the other.
'Once as they were taking drink to
gether Bowman, with his whisky hal:
way to his lips, suddenly smashed the
glass to the counter and drew his pis
tol. But as it came up Allison's re
volver met it half way. The men wert
looking into each others eyes, and {
sign in others that trigger was to bt
pulled would have meant the death O
both men, which was more killing tha,
either one wanted.
"This dalliance with death went o1
through the afternoon, until at last, q
the coming of evening, the two men
becoming savage, declared that the.
would bring the duel to an end. The,
cleared the room Of spectators, and hat
already taken their places in corner
diagonally opposite to begin shooting
when w. R. Morley, Of Cimarron, |
strong friend of both men, rushed /,
between them at the risk Of his life
and by expostulations and entreatie
managed to get them off the idea of tn
duel and mutually to agree to separat
without further trouble. So the tw
contestants backed out Of the room q
opposite doors and rode out of tow,
different ways, saving an encounte
which would almost certainly have n
suited in the death of both"