The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1895-10-10
HE COULDN'T SHOOT.
BUT HE HAD SKILL IN ANOTHER Dl-
RECTloN THAT SERVED.

zone Of the best men 1 ever knew at
adapting himself TO circumstances, " OBJ
served Major Hotchkiss, Twas young
Yale man, and, fancy, bit of a black
sheep. He came of good New 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 prosaio for him. After we
left college he went to Cuba for few
months and then come back sild drifted
to Chicago and became a reporter on the
Chicago Times. This was In the old
Storey days, when q Times reporter, in
the event of o man refusing to give him
news, was expected to take the man down
and hammer 1t out of him.
Robinson made a mistake one 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 pastime, like lawn tennis or croquet
In other parts Of the country. Mining and
gambling were the only two recognized
Industries, with tho preference given to
gambling as gentlemanly vocation. Rob.
inson got immediate employment on a
daily paper called by its owner, with fine
irony, The Daily Dove. 1t was the worst
sheet in town, which is saying great
deal. The exciting nature of a connection
with II may be best realized when 1 say
that the papers strong point was abusive
personals In country where all personals
are dangerous.
"When Robinson came to town, he
found the post of city editor vacant and
applied for the place. The owner, not
withstanding his belligerency, was fair
man TO his employees. He slipped his arm
into Robinson's and led him half mile
up the mountain to the 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 Snd tho
fence, answered Robinson, and he took
the position Of city editor.
"But the worst thing about the outlook
for the young man l 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-
diately throw the position,
Why, he explained, they'll get you
inside of o week. Quick and accurate
shooting is the only chance for man on
this paper. I'd rather have n man that
can't write than one that can't shoot
Just let me alone, answered Robin
son. If y l are not satisfied at the end of
a month, I'll resign
Give me the address of the friend you
want notified, please, said the man, whip
ping out q pencil, but Robinon only
laughed, picked up the shears, cut the
lapels 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 the col
lege baseball club. He had been the best
pitcher the club had ever had He could
throw ball harder and straighter (or
orookeder, as the circumstances might re-
quire) 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 self citing stones about
the size Of hens eggs, hard and Jagged. 1
think he picked out galena specimens
largely as being the heaviest and frequent
ly rough and square cornered. He dropped
half dozen nuggets in each side pocket
and took off his hat and filled that and re-
turned. At the Office he emptied the hat
on his desk and went to work.
"Tho second day after this his employer
said to him: Robinson, there's q man
come to town named Wash Galley. He Is
q criminal and deadbeat 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 coward, tramp chicken
thief and so forth and warned him to get
out Of town under pain of further disclo-
sures in the fearless columns of The Dove
1t was hot paragraph, and whe1 the
foreman read 1t he simply rem ked,
We'll, hope the man that takes the city
editorship tomorrow will write palmer
hand.
dAbout 10 o'clock the next morning
Robinson was walking quietly along the
main street Of the town with his righ
hand resting carelessly in his coat pocket.
Suddenly Mr.. Galley stepped out of the
door Of a saloon He reached for his re-
volver. The young man from Yale who
couldn't shoot took his hand out Of his
pocket. In 1t was an irregular specimen
| of lead ore l remember how the local
doctor tried to explain subsequently that
the specimen didn't hit Galley In 'neoes
sarily vital spot, but 1t was vital enough
for all praC tical purposes, and the next
morning The Dove remarked casually that
when the utthroats Of this town meet
around the earth tonight there will be ont
vacant chai Wash Galley is no more
"The fate Of Galley ought to have beer
enough for the other obnoxious citizens o.
the neighborhood, but Of course 1t wasn't
A week later a man came down from
Placer Bench, winged the chief Of police
shot out the lights In the postofflce ant
rode his horse on the sidewalk. The Dow
reprimanded him. He took a foolish ant
erring shot at the city editor, who replied
with stone and returned to his Office ant
wrote that another old settler has gon
out from our midst. Life Is indeed uncer
tain. Now is the time TO subscribe,
"Robinson staid year before he go
tired Of tho place and went to San Fran
cisco, but don't think that after the frs
three months he had any trouble. DurinI
that time ! would not dare to say hov
many he popped over. OF course most @
them he only wounded. But, as he re
marked in his valediotory, far more thai
we intended have gone with less prepara
tion than we could have wished. II shoul
only serve to remind us that in the mids
of life rock may catch us In the jaw.
81 never knew what became OF him, bu
fancy he has continued to take care {
} himself New York Tribune.