The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-01-20

4 on mere
No. but I viii soon bring it, was
ne response as he turned and walked
/ out of the store.
Il now had about an hour at nv dis
PoSaI. and taking Dalziel aside I asked
I Hiih 10 ne my second. which he accedei
I TO- gave him all the money I had on
me some S6o0. and told him that If
/ should be killed he was TO bury me de-
Gently and that he might keep any bal
ahee left over. Then on a sheet of note
paper wrote a brief VIII disposins Of
my interests in certain concerns
did not waste any time in thinking
OF my poor mother my sisters. or any
aearer one than all. The fact was that
hadn I any sweetheart or relations of any
KIND save and except my dear old dad. and
wen know that he. a major under the
mas or old England. would rather have
heiped TO bury me with his own hands
! IMAM that his son should turn tail in
such a case. Neither was | disturbed i'm
my mind about what respect the old la
aies toi both sexes would call the awful
responsibility which must rest on me if
l killed this man. No. sir! Just meant TO
drill as many and as deadly holes in his
Iascally carcass as good fortune
and my skill could together ef-
feet. Brutal no doubt you will
say Perhaps it was, but | was going to
shoot to kill for all that for if ever a
]
| Crocktord meant il when he went out of
that store.
What did I think of, however. was
| how to increase the chances ofsuccess, as
] certainly did not want to be killed, or
| even wounded, so / mentally laid down
! my plan Of campaign and surmised the
method of operation as it were.
There was stim about half an hour be-
fore my adversary could get back so Dali
ziel proposed my having a few shots to
get used to the Winchester, which / was
10 use. About two hundred yards away
stood an old shanty. empty and tumble
| down; on this Dalziel stuck the white lid
| OF box. offering a plain mark of per
maps twelve inches square. / took the rife
| and after firing two shots for direction
and elevation / walked over to see how
had got on, then came back and resumed
firing. When ! got through three and
! twenty cartridges, we all, that is. the rest
OF the men in the store-with Dalze and
| myself walked over to the target
Great Scott" exclaimed old Mottram.
why. there amt a single bullet within
/ five feet of that bOX-lid. You amt got no
| show, at all, against Crocky, Mr. Comp
/ ton, an if was you I'd own up and apol-
| gize'
90 thank you for your advice re-
| piled. believe / have more chance
| than you fancy, but if I had none. this
1 affair would have to go on, unless, indeed.
/ your man should beg my pardon for throw
ing his glass in my face
/ There amt much chance of that.
I fear. He's dead set on shooting yer.
/ sir but l wish there was some way of
/ stoppin this affair. 1t seems onreason-
| able that you should meet "A man SIGH
a tremendous lot better ner yourself when
| your life will most likely hev to pay the
| stake
"Crockford soon arrived at the store.
/ bringing his rifle with him, and, of course.
| a whisper or two from his friends made
/ him acquainted with the results of my tar
/ get practice. Dalziel made a last attempt
/ to prevent a meeting, and addressed
! Crockford upon the evil of carrying this
affair to a termination. Crockford said:
There amt no particular reason for
lighting, ii he will appolergize fer strk-
! in that blow, but he's got ter do it, and
! got ter do it humble, too, or else let him
| git hold of his rifle; l won't say no more
| q impatiently waved to Dalziel to de-
| sist, and signed to Mottram to proceed
/ with the necessary preiiminares. Taking
| the two rifles from our hands he pressed
/ one by one, into the magazines of each
! of them seven cartridges. You. Crock
| ford, said he, are well posted as to how
| these affairs are managed here, but for
| fear that you turning TO mel may not be
| so well acquainted with them | will tell
| yer the conditions These two rifles will
/ ~ ldil uoWll Oh the IllUQle OF the ROAD.
! where 1T goes over the plain in a. straight
! line, they Will be placed about two nun
dred yards apart, and you Will stand each
/ beside his gun. We. that is Dalziel and
| myself. will stand between you and to one
| side. When l throw my hat up you are
| each at liberty to get your gun and make
! the best use of it again one another. You
may stand and fire, kneel and fire or lay
down and fire. as you please; you kin run
| in on one another, or, if either of you
! chooses. he kin run back theirs plenty of
| road. too, each of you has about fifty
miles of straight travelin' behind him eff
ne don't like the looks of things in front;
but neither of you must leave the road
/ and the seven shots in each of your guns
| must decide the affair, hit or miss. Mind,
| if these conditions are broken by either
man, me and Dalziel are here to see far
! play, and we have guns, and will use them
too Without another word we all left
! the store and the two seconds, placing the
rifles on the road besides Crockford and
| myself, retired to the little hillock to
! give the signal
! q, perhaps ought to give you a de-
scrption of my feelings at that moment,
| but really 1 can hardly do So nor do l
| remember any very predominant emotion,
/ save that l felt sort Of stony calm, mix
ed with strong desire to draw a bead
| on that figure standing quietly beside his
weapon some two hundred yards away.
LAS before told you had laid down my
method of proceeding, and the basis of it
was to remain on the defensive, for I felt
sure that Crockford, despising my abilities
| with the Winchester, would advance upon
me, nor was l at all mistaken; directly
! the signal was given he seized his rife
! and almost instantly discharging a shot,
which passed within foot of me, he start
ed on a zie-zag run towards me. Mean
while 1 had gone down fiat on the road,
! bringing my rife to bear upon him, and
/ getting sight after he had run in perhaps
fifty yards, I fired my first shot.
Il shot primarily to stop him, of course.
! if I could but also with the intention of
throwing thin cloud of smoke imme-
I diately in front of me, beneath which I
/ could again take sight. The day was still,
bright and warm, and far away along the
] road behind Crockford a little white puff
of dust told me that I had missed my man.
/ Jerking the lever of the rifle forward and
back to its place again, l had my second
! shot ready for delivery. This time | wait
ed. Judging that when he came to stop.