The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1895-11-06
ITWAsAT0UGHToWN
AN ENeiNEERs "REMINISCENCES OF
THE OLD DAYS OUT WEST.

The Famous Grape story-How the Min
istsrs Played Poker and Lost About Ev-
erything They Had with rhem-The
Stranger Who Declined TO Drink.
Coming down through the California
desert, the train was disabled and had TO
at little town that In old times when the
railroad WINS new had accumulated history
fsster than 10 could BIO recorded. The an
gineer entertained some Of the passengers
by telling about To-
~ don't know" said he, whether you
have heard the famous grape story, but
this Is the original station and there is tho
barroo,n," indicating shanty ahead.
"When tho Grand Duke Alexis was over
here, the government paid him good deal
Of attention. They got up big hunts and
detailed troops Of cavalry to guard them
and gave the visitors great send of.
After IL was oil over they separated, and
some Of the big guns came this way. Sd
the story goes, ono Of tho noblcmen wan
dered In here one morning and walked ur
to the bar, where Jimmy Fogarty was sell
Ing red eye whisky, and ordered drinks. It's
q tough place now, and then there wasn't
blade Of grass or green thing in sight
except the man at the bar. Seeing tho
floor Uttered with grapeskins, the visitort
said to Jimmy:
is 1t possible you raise grapes in thia
desert spotp'
mo. your highness,' said Jimmy
Them amt grapes; they're eyes that wa8
gouged out In tho fight at the bah her@
last night
"what the Russian said the story DOM
tell, but they say in book he wrote on
American customs In the far west he mem
TONED gouging as the national method OK
fighting and gave that case as an example
sin the old days every man carried his
life In his hands, and what with jumping
claims and other things there was good
big death rate every day. Every man went
armed, and there was only one word to de-
scribe IL, and that was tough. was Oh
the late run one night and was about go
miles outside of the town when saw b
man on the track signaling with lantern.
l slowed up and jumped down with the
fireman to sec what was the matter.
'Nothing's tho matter, said the man.
Me and my friends merely want to ride
into town. And with That four men step
ped out leading their horses, and began to
tie them with long lariats to the baggage
car Now said the leader, poking a six
shooter into my neck, steam on, and IL
you go fast enough to trip up them broI-
ohos, why, 1t will be q question of planting
you in the sand.
$50 we started ahead at a rate of about
five miles an hour, and every once in
awhile bullet would whiz through the
cab and one of the party would come along
and intimate that we had better give the
horses rest, and once they made us water
them.
meanwhile they had gone into the
sleeper and found there were some minis-
tiers there who were coming from some
convention. They made the porter rout ev-
erybody out and fix up table, and thdn
they forced the ministers to open up
game of poker. Some wouldn't play BIZ
first, but ball fired six inches from your
ear is o good persuader, and soon they
were playing as II they had been at It oil
their days. The boys showed them how
and mnde them bet their money, watches
and other things AS the car got full OF
smoke from tho cigars the boys would pull
out their six shooters and with ono In each
hand fire shots through the roof to leo tho
smoke out. By tho time the train rollbd
into town every minister was dead broke,
and some were rugged out In old corduroys.
The authorities tried to find out who did
the mischief and finally caught one of tho
boys, but when the case came up tho
judge, who was o tough citizon himself,
asked one Of the ministers II it was q
square game. The minister said he sup
posed it was, but he was forced into it.
The judge wouldn't believe that, SO they
failed to convict.
II mover saw tho gang here phased hut
once. There was fandango, and all the
boys from the camps were In, about the
toughest crowd the sun ever set upon.
About half the men were sitting Around
the dancing ring, when in walked small
sized man, thin, but wiry. You could lee
from his dress he was tonderfoot just In
on No. IA that stopped there to water. The
minute he got inside the door q yell of
grass went up, and half dozen of The
boys asked him to drink. For second the
stranger seemed nonplused; then he said:
Much obliged, gents, but 1 don't
drink
What don't drink yelled the boys.
No, he said, jerking away from one
who had him by tho arm.
oh, yes, you will, said ano5her, haul
ing out q shooting iron. 'You drink Wills
ky or lead, and take your choice quick
BY this time the place was In an mp
roar, and Red Jack, who was leader,
sung out;
.Tenderfoot wants to speak Give Him
show, and pushed him into the dancing
ring. The stranger took off his hat and
said.
Gentlemen. you have invited mo to
drink, and have declined, and want to
say right now thnt the man don't live that
can make mo drink II don't want to.
I'm an invalid. seeking health in this
country, and have no shooting irons, but
as some Of you insist on my drinking I'll
mako proposition. Clear the ring and
give me fair show, and If there is any
man with his fists that can mako drink
why, III drink
AS there were dozen or more spelling
for fight the tenderfoot was soon ACCOM-
modated. They formed ring, and Red
Jack claimed tho honor of cleaning the
new man out. The stranger took off his
coat shirt and shoes, turned up his pants
and stood the prettiest looking figure you
ever SEQ, and after minute they came to-
gether Red Jack sailed at him like a mad
bull, but the youngster stepped back,
lodged him quick as beam of light, and
rs Jack went by he sooked 1t TO him right
under the jaw and simply drove him head
FIRST Into the crowd. Then another fellow
jumped In, one of the best fighters In the
country. Ho made feint and tried to
grab tho tenderfoot by the logs, but before
no could move the Httlo man butted him
on tho forehead so hard that he dropped
ike log. Two others he laid out at quick
notice. His fists seemed to glance from
one to another, and they never hit him.
In this way he topped off sir men, and
when no one else entered the ring he asked
II they were satisfied that he didn't want
to drink. You may be sure they were.
Inc Joke OF ib was that he was the cham.
pion middioweight fighter of Australia,
AND u was all practice to him. "-Paaade-
ma Gall Cor New York Sun.
CIarIs Tn m na