The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-04-16

on Jim took off their hats to him and
shook his hand in silence. Then they
wanted TO know about the dead snakes
we had found
oh. the snakes pestered me when
was prospecting, and ] killed them. l
most always kill a snake Wherever l
md it. Jim answered., and then and there
the boys decided TO call him Rattlesnake
But about the Indians he had hemmeJ
in there to starve. While we were holding
council of war 10 decide what we would
do with them they suddenly made charge
on Jim's camp. He had taken the rifles
of all those he had killed, and his camp
was q regular arsenal.
when the redsinks came yelling down
the ravine, Jim put down his pipe, and,
taking up Winchester, began to shoot
just as steady as If he had been firing OF
a target. never saw anything like IT,
/ Every time he fired he brought down an
Apache, and in less time than 1t takes TO
tell 1t the band was wiped out.
Then Jim picked up his pipe, and
remarking that good tobacco was too
precious TO waste he went right to smok-
ms.
"Our march back to Tucson was a sort
of a triumphal procession, with Jim Du-
pree, the tenderfoot, at the head of it. He
was the hero of the town for time, but
somehow he could not understand that he
had done anything extraordinary, and he
was just the same simple tenderfoot 50
far as appearances counted for anything.
But the real interesting part of the
| trip to the hills was that he had found
/ paying ore up there where everybody else
had failed to find it, He staked out
claim and worked it for a time with con-
siderable success. A lot of other fellows
went up there then, hoping to strike the
same sort of luck but very few ever
came back with the price of their grub
stake, while Rattlesnake Jim was making
good money and sailing it down for Il
rainy day.
"A year or more went by and Jim had
not done anything else TO distinguish
himself. He was still the same innocent,
verdant looking youth that he was when
he first struck the town. of course the
boys had stopped playing pranks on him
for time, but when there was any fight
ing going on, Jim would go away to keep
out of It, He rarely took offense at any
thing. For a long time nothing would in
duce him to follow the style Of the coun-
try and carry a gun all the time.
"Of course the story of his killing the
snakes and the Indians made him a hero
for a time but as he never talked of II
himself, the newcomers in the town an
regarded him as a tenderfoot, and he
1 looked IT, He had no beard, and kept his
hair cut short.
1T was almost year before Jim again
distinguished himself. One day a lot of
rustlers and all round thieves and cut
throats rode into town, and down the
main street, firing right and left until
they scared everybody indoors. Then they
went into the principal saloon of the place
for liquor. Jim happened to be in the
saloon at the time, and as usual had no
gun with him. Those fellows caught
sight of him, and as he was the freshest
looking duck they had seen for many
day, they started In to have fun with him.
The leader of the gang was rufiian called
Long Haired Pete. As soon as he saw
Dupree ho pulled his gun and sent bullet
through the door right between Jim's
feet.
Give us a dance, and be - lively
about it,, shouted Pete, while his gang
! gathered around to see the fun.
Jim got up with out a WORD and start
ed in to dancing regular old Kentucky
] hFsfH lid he
was scared almost to death. He danced
around IN a circle, and as he came in
front Of the leader Of the gang his foot
suddenly shot up and caught Long Haired
Pete squarely under the chin. The ruitian
measured his length on the floor.
"Quick as flash Jim leaped forward
and snatched the two pistols carried by
the leader of the gang. Then, with a
smile as innocent as that of boy, he COW
cred the gang and told them all to dance.
They hesitated for a moment. Then
! Jim sent a bullet through the toe of Pete's
boot. and another through the hat of Lon
! SpfVey, member of the gang They
! danced then. and at the first sing of a let
! up Jim would shoot a button OF some
mans coat or clip off lock Of long haif
! with a bullet.
''Without taking his eyes off the gang,
| Jim told the barkee3er to send out and
/ get all The boys to come in and see the fun.
/ They all came quick enough, and Jim
/ kept the gang of outlaws there dancing
until some of them dropped to the floor
1 exhausted.
Then he made every man of them hand
/ over his gun to the barkeeper, after which
I he ordered drinks for the crowd. When
the fun was over he told Pete to take his
gang and get out of the territory as fast
as possible. and never come back That
I gang rode out of town the sickest-looking
! lot of tough men l ever saw, and that was
! the last ever seen Of them in that part OF
the country.
took TO gambling. He had learned how
to play old sledge on the farm down in
Kentucky, and it did not take him long
to learn all the other games played in
the town Jack Otis ran the biggest gam
bling house IN the place, and he was
nervy sport, but It was said that he was
not always on the level.
zone night Jim and Jack sat down to a
game of old sledge for big stakes, and Jim
won all the gamblers money, and on the
last hand won the entire outfit of his place.
Jack was in a rage, and making a charge
of cheating, he started to draw He never
got his gun half way out OF the scabbard
Jim dropped him quick as flash, and
when the body had been removed he took
/ possession of what he had won, the gam
bling house and all the money in it.
He ran the game Tor a inoilt s WIN Ia ar
the town, toughs, every one OF them, and
they set out to do Jim at the first chance
one night there was Dig game OF daro
going on, with Jim behind the table deal
ing. The place was full of the toughest
fellows in the territory, all of them friends
u. a cbs1 known as Broncho Sam was
playing high stakes. He had oeen losing
right along for about an hour. Suddenly
he got up. and. with an oath, charged that
Jim had ruag in a cold deck. That was
signal that had been agreed on by the
gang, for they had decided that in the
fight that was expected TO follow they
would do Rattlesnake Jim.
when Jim looked up dozen of the
gang had drawn their guns, and they had
him covered dead TO rights. For second
Jim faced them with that old Kentucky
farm smile on his face, and then he spoke
very quietly at the same time fixing his
eyes on man al the back Of the room:
Il don't care a -- for you Fellows with
vogr guns out: YOU don't dare shoot not
one OF YOU: but Il that back
there makes a move 10 draw I'll drop him
iu d = tracks"
'.Ii was "A cold bluff, but Il worked Hike
"a charm on the instant every man who
had his gun out turned 10 see who the