Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-09-13
HE COULDN'T SHOOT.
BUT HE HAD SKILL IN ANOTHER Or
REcTION THAT SERVED.
While City Editor Of The Daily Dove Of
Badger Rock. Robinson Taught the
Tough Men Of the Camp . New Trick
In the Art of Self Defense.

Tough Men OF tine camp 0eW Afick
In the Art Of Self Defense.
zone Of the best men I ever knew at
adapting himself to circumstances, OBJ
served Major Hotchkiss, twas a young
fellow that we'll call Robinson. He was a
Yale man, and, fancy, a bit Of q 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 prosaic for him. After we
left college he went to Cuba for few
months and then came back and drifted
to Chicago and became q reporter on the
Chicago Times. This was in the old
Storey days, when Times reporter, in
the event OF a 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. Homlcide
was q pastime like lawn tennis or croquet
in other parts of the country. Mining and
gambling were the only two recognized
gambling 2s gentlemanly vocation. hob
inson got immediate employment on a
daily paper called by it's owner, with fine
irony. The Daily Dove. 1t was the worst
sheet in town, which is saying great
deal. The exciting nature Of connection
with 1t may be best realized when l say
that the papers strong poiut 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 bclligerency, was fair
man to his employees. He slipped his arm
into Roblnson's and led him half mile
M 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 and the
fence answered Robinson, and he took
the position Of city editor.
"But the worst thing about the 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-
diately throw up the position.
"'Why, he explained they'll get you
inside of week. Quick and accurate
shooting Is the only chance for a 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 mo 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. DC had been the best
pitcher tho club had ever had. He could
throw ball harder and straighter Tor
crookeder, as tho circumstances might re-
quire) than almost any man who up to
that time had stood In the center of tho
diamond He had made up his mind to
utiize his talent In this direction. Up
the gulch he began selecting stones about
the size Of hens eggs, hard and Jagged
think no picked out galena specimens
largely as being tho 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.
"The second day after this his employer
said to him. Robinson, there's man
come to town named Wash Galley. He Is
a criminal and q deadbcat who has killed
five or six men. He is now drunk and go
ing about town destroying the property of
some of our best advertisers. Just touch
him up tomorrow morning Robinson
wrote a ripping item, In which he called
tho 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 a hot paragraph and when the
foreman read 1t he simply remarked,
We'll, hope the man that takes the city
editorship tomorrow will write palmer
hand.
About 10 o'clock the 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 q saloon He reached for his re-
volvor Tho young man from Yale who
couldn't shoot took his hand out of his
pocket. In 1t was an irregular specimen
of lead ore. I 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
the neighborhood, but of course it wasn't.
A week later man came down from
Placer Bench, winged the chief of police,
shot out the Nights in the postoffice and
rode his horse on the sidewalk. The Dove
reprimanded him. He took foolish and
erring shot at tho city editor, who replied
with a stone and returned to his Office and
wrote that another old settler has gone
out from our midst. Life Is indeed uncer-
tain. Now is the time to subscribe
Robinson staid year before he got
tired Of the place and went to San Fran
cisco, but don't think TINT after the first
three months he had any trouble. During
that time would not dare to say how
many he popped over. OF course most Of
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