Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1895-05-09
Saint MARI Beacon
EARLY DAYS N LzADv1LE.


No man in Leadville in the early
mining days enjoyed more deserv-
ed popularity than little Bob Brier-
ly. lie was 0 bright fellow, genial
and sociable in his disposition, warm
in HE attachments and courteous
and cbliging to everybody. Moth
ing was known Of his antecedents
except that he had been driven West
by domestic diffiulties, had settled
down in Leadville, opened law
Office, and had rapidly acquired
about all the practice that was afloat
in those days. Hank Mclaughlin
lived in an adjoining camp, where
he enjoyed the reputation Of a des-
perado, and was frequent visitor
to Leadyille. He was big, savage
fellow, the very opposite of Bob
Briefly, who was below the medium
size, delicate and gentlemanly.
From the frat the two seemed to
hate each other. There was a ma
tural antipathy between them. In
stinct taught each to see in the
other a deadlyand dangerous enemy.
One day McLaughssn struck the
little mining town IN an ugly humor
and proceeded TO make himself very
numerous, snd people knew before
he had been there two hours that
trouble was brewing between him
and Briefly. They had met up the
country some time before the dis
covery Of rich silver rock in the
Leadville district and came near
having difficulty then. The fact
appeared to be that Mclaughlin,
who was anxious to be thought
fighter, was insanely jealous Of
Brierly's well-established reputation
in that respect. The first night of
his advent into camp he got on
jamboree, flourished his revolver
and swore that no man who wore
chilled" shirt and "plug" hat
could make him take water. AS
Bob was the only one in the camp
who sported such evidences of civil
ization as a white shirt and a high
silk hist, of course all knew that
Hank meant him. But Bob only
smiled on the riotous demonstra-
tons of the big rough, and quietly
walked off and went to bed. From
that hour, however, the town felt
that something serious was going to
happen. Strangely enough, in q
place where shooting scrapes were
of daily occurrence Leadville got
excited all over at the prospect of a
quarrel between Bob Briefly ana
Hank Mclaughlin. The death
dealing merits of the men were dis
cussed freely, and money was wager
ed on the final results. Notwith-
standing McLaughlin's size and
bloodthirsty talk, Briefly was the
popular favorite. The little fellow
had won his spurs in many hard
fought scrimmage, and many OF the
miners were ready to bet that he
would kill his opponent or drive
him ont of camp.
Leadville had among its eosmo-
politan population in those days
quite sprinkling of men who be-
lieved that the right way for gentle
men TO settle their difficulties was
according to the code. Street fights
and barroom encounters were well
enough in their way, but the proper
thing was duel according to the
code of honor. Leadville bore tes-
timony tc the handiwork of these
gentlemen in this respect. Time
and again had her heightened and
pagnacious citizens, actuated by
the true spirit of chivalry gone out
and shot each other in the most APP
proved fashion. Why not arrange
regular affair between McLaugh-
lin and Briefly? With Bob there
was no trouble, aad he at once
cheerfully aequiesced in the propos-
al of his friends to avoid the vulgar
barbarisy of street ARRAY or sa-
loon encounter.
Mclaughlin, however, did not
take the thing kindly, so it was
said, and gave his ofiicious inter.
viewers such stormy reception as
came near starting a riot in the
camp. For this reason, to the sin.
cere regret of not few, the pro.
posed duel had to be abandoned
and the town was left in severisf
condition of expectation, impatient
ly waiting for the fray. Fortunate