Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1895-10-15
HE COULDN'T SHOOT.
Tut HE FAD SKILL IN ANOTHER d.
RECTlON THAT SERVED.

While City Editor of The Daily Dove of
Badger Rock, Robinson Taught the
Tough Men of tho Camp New Trick
In the Art of Self Defense.
"Ono Of the best men l ever knew at
adapting himself to circumstances, OBJ
served Major Hotchkiss, twas q young
fellow that we'll call Robinson. He was a
Yale man, and, fancy, bit of black
sheep. He came of n good Now England
family, and one brother went into the
ministry and another came to this city
and prospered in the law, but these pur-
suits were too prosaic for him. After we
left college he went to Cuba for u few
months and then came back and driftcd
to Chicago and became reporter on the
Chicago Times. This was in tho old
Storey days. when Times reporter, in
the event of man refusing to give him
news, was expected to take the man down
and hammer it out of him.
Robinson made n mistake ono day
He hammered the city editor and had to
leave town. He promptly came to Badger
Rock, Mon.
Badger Rock at that time was one of
the hardest towns in the west Homicide
was II i1astimo, like lawn tennis or croquct
in other parts Of the country. Mining and
gambling were tho only two recognized
industries, with the preference given to
gambling as n Rcntlcmanly vocation. Rob
inson got immediate employment on
daily paper called by it's owner, with ane
irony, Tho Daily Dove. 1t was the worst
.I,, H., Nz,, II, l.
deal. Tho exciting nature of connection
with it may be best realized when | say
that the papers strong point was abusive
personals in n country where all personals
are dangerous.
"Whcn Robinson came to town, he
found tho post of city editor vacant and
applied for the place. The owner, not
withsranding his bclligerency, was fair
man to his employees. He slipped his arm
into RObinson's and led him half mile
up the mountain to tho little cemetery
Pointing to three white wooden head
boards, he said, Young man, there sleep
your three predecessors There's room
for another between that end and the
fence, answered Robinson, and he took
the position Of city editor.
But the worst thing about tho outlook
for the young man | have not mentioned.
He could not shoot. He had tried to learn
many times; but, in his own words, he
couldn't hit flock of barns When he
explained this popularity to his employer
this individual was for having him imme-
diatcly throw up the position.
" Why, he explained, they get you
inside Of week. Quick and accurate
shooting is the only chance for man on
this paper. I'd rather have man that
can't write than one that can't shoot
" Just let me alone, answered Robin
son. If you are not satisfied at the end of
month, I'll resign.
" Give me the address of the friend you
want notified, please, said the man. whip
ping out pencil, but Robinon only
laughed, picked up the shears, cut tho
lapcls off the side pockets of his coat,
walked out and wandered up the gulch
"Now, something the owner of The
Daily Dove didn't know was that Robin
son had pitched for three years on tho col
lcge baseball club. He had been the best
pitcher the club had ever had. He could
throw Il ball harder and straightor Tor
crookcder, as the circumstances might re-
quirc) than almost any man who up to
that time had stood in the center Of the
diamond He had made up his mind to
Utilize his talent in this direction. Up
the gulch he began selecting stones about
the size of hens eggs, hard and jagged. l
think he picked out galena specimens
largely Us being the heaviest and frequent
~ rough and square Corncrcd. He dropped
half II dozen nuggets in each side pocket
and took off his hat and filled that and re-
turned. At the office he cmptied the hat
OF his desk and went to work.
Tho second day after this his employer
said to him: Robinson, there's man
come to town named Wash Galley. He is
n criminal and II deadbcat who has killed
five or six men. He is now drunk and 60
ing about town destroying the property Of
some Of our best advertisers. just touch
him up tomorrow morning Robinson
wrote ripping item, in which he called
the man u coward, tramp, chicken
thief and so forth and warned him to get
out of town under pain Of further diselo-
sures in the fearless columns Of The Dove
1t was a hot paragraph, and when the
foreman read it he simply remarked,
We'll, | hope the man that takes the city
editorship tomorrow will write a palmer
hand
about 10 O'Clock tho next morning
Robinson was walking quietly along the
main street of tho town with his right
hand resting carelessly in his coat pocket.
Suddenly Mr.. Galley stepped out Of the
door of saloon He reached for his re-
volver. The young man from Yale who
couldn't shoot took his hand out Of his
pocket. In it was an irregular specimen
of lead orc l remember how the local
doctor tried to explain subsequently that
the specimen didn't hit Galley in 'ncces-
sarily vital spot but it was vital enough
for all practical purposes and the next
morning The Dove remarked casually that
when the cutthroats of this town meet
around the hearth tonight there will be one
vacant chair. Wash Galley is no more.
1.-THE fate of Galley ought to have been
enough for the other obnoxious citizens OF
tho neighborhood, but of course it wasn't.
A week later n man came down from
Placer Bench, winged the chief Of police,
shot out the lights in the postoffice and
rode his horse on the sidewalk. The Dove
reprimanded him. He took foolish and
erring shot ut the city editor, who replied
with stone and returned to his Office and
wrote that another old settler has gone
,ut from our midst. Life is indeed uncer-
ain. Now is the time to subscribe
Robinson staid q year before he got
Arod OF the place and went to San Fran
tisco, but l don't think that after the first