The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-01-20
SHOOTING TO KILL.
BOUNDED OK FACT. BY '.voLUsrA."
CCopyrightD

"a York 10 Liverpool. and, as is usual
~. few DAYS out. we in the saloon
-- pretty friendly with each other.
made the particular acquaintance Of
-=- bout s. years of age. whose name
compton. Tall. thin. deeply bronzed.
r-e-ed like one who had seen some
--..-z about. but. any one could see.
.- half an eye. the unmistakable i'm
~ q gentleman.
-- VAS returning home TO England
.-z- -vslve years absence. during which
had made his pile" in silver mine
-sQe-rHg.
r--..rz into his berth one morning just
.-=~ t--akfast I found him busy clean
za Winchester magazine rife. Always
-5 ~ firearms. I examined the weapon
n care. and we fell TO talking about
nous shooting episodes.
rv-the-bye" said he. there is a story
-~.eored with that rifle. which 1 think
III interest YOU. and if you care to hear
Ne viii go on deck and smoke a cigar
raHe tell it to you"
Of course 1 was only too glad. and I
give llt CAtAS HI MS bWAl NOlNSs dS
rsarly as 1 can remember them.
About four years ago. having lent
come money on the security of a cattle
nah IN Wyoming. circumstances arose
(which compelled me to go to the prop
s--v and remain there some months. My
sit was of a character calculated to
rsrhel prejudice me in the eyes of the
rte colony of cowboys and farmers in
-s neishborhood, inasmuch as il was
connected with money difficulties con
sts-riug my mortgage.
i found the proprietor by no means
possessing sort of a man, but he did
best 10 be civil to me. seeing. no
9utt that it was policy to be so, and as
So had so far been very lenient with
Lm
Amongst the hands and more or less
- the position of an under boss. was
Follow called Crockford. a tall heavy
lnau who from the very first showed me
srkea nciviHty, and whom l instinct
r-I- felt would do me harm if he could
Is record was decidedly bad, and not
aa- before that time in another neigh
ilrh10d me had narrowly escaped lynn
-re for horse stealing by flight; in fact,
r was VIGOROUSLY a tough all round.
Every man about the neighborhood
BARRED a heavy revolver. and mostly
Manchester as well. I deemed it BEST. as
matter Of policy, not to carry nny fire.
rms al all Even among those men a
rough code of honor prevailed, and II
was deemed bad form to draw on a
man who hadn't a gun. Again, 1 was a
Very bad shot with the reVOl vera fault
(which ! have since then rectifed. l may
saw however. that l was a rather good
rife shot, but up to that time oddly
enough. I had never used a Winchester
4maV6llously well. and this fellow Crock
f0rd although not reckoned anything
Wonderful. could riddle FL powder canister
at thirty Yards. and OF course. do much
tffsr with the rifle a 200 yards he could
Ilt almost every bullet into the crown of
our h8t
WeI. / had been at the place about a
month when I slipped down to the store
ona saturday afternoon, partly to buy
ONE things I wanted and partly to have
a chat with Daiziel a very intelligent
cot Imam who kept the establishment
out west, as you may know. the store is
place for the sale of everything and also
sort of rendezvous for the
bows around the neighborhood when they
have any spare time. 7 had made my pur-
chases and had been chatting with Dali
1Ial a few minutes when in came seven or
eight of the COW boys with Crockford
amongst them
The man was in a ferocious humor
that was perfectly evident from his coun-
tenance and we soon learnt from the bos-
ferrous chaff of which he was the victim
that he had for wager of the drinks
round. backed himself to ride a particu-
lsrly ugly tempered colt over an awk-
ward Jump and had got a 'cropper for his
pains
Calling for the liquors. he rudey
brushed past me to the counter, and con
tuved 10 upset my drink in doing so. I
said nothing a all to him, but called for
another glass. The banter which had been
lou7 up to the moment died away. as
every one saw that Crockford had tried
10 insult me.
After an awkward silence he turned
70 ola Mottram, the veteran Of the party
and said.
Some peoples mighty meek and for
slEn hke-Ought ter be angels guess
yes and may be sooner than they reckon
On TOO say, mister he continued turn
ing TO me. how long do you intend to
say around these here parts? Take my
eaVoe and git and git quick, faint
healthy for YOU
/ am going to stay about four months
replied quietly, but if necessary, 1 will
sI7N tour years When l am ready to
90. however do you think you could sell
me horse to ride away on?"
burst of laughter greeted this allu-
SION TO CrockfOrds former horsestealing
EXPLOITS and without an instants pause
~ nung his tumbler of whisky full in my
ace Expecting something of the kind
new from my chair and being within a
Hail OF him l struck him a heavy blow
'h me mouth; he reeled back and catch
I,s a seat with his leg fell to the floor.
ne Was on his feet in a second, revolver
~ hand. and I was sure that my last
minute had come; and so it would have,
-a' not Dalziel seized his arm and by a
~I5ho H. torn the weapon from his grasp.
'-"F aust in time too. as a bullet flew
20, ne and buried itself in the wood
For shame, Crockery, said Mottram
you know that the stranger don't carry
~ gun 'twould have been murder. yes.
~ me an the rest of the boys would hev
YOU know of it too A murmur of as
"' warned Crockford that he had trans
sSSsa the unwritten laws of frontier
-v- Inc man was deadly pale with pas
IN, and save where the bloodstains on
IDS showed the severity of the blow.
races of color had left his usually
Boys, he said, with an effort. 7 did
Ing 10 draw my gun and 1 acknowledge