Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1896-08-21

ROBINSON'S METHOD.

| 1CODlANoOA\ ~ IVA ~ l. 14ODs
One of the best men that ever knew
for adapting himself to circumstances,
observed Major Hotchkiss was young
fellow that Wen call Robinson. He
was Yale man, and fancy bit Of a
black sheep. He came Of a good New
England family, and after we left COL
lege he went to Cuba for few months.
and then came back and drifted to Chi
cago and became reporter on the Chi
cago Times This was in the old Storey
days, when a Times reporter, in tho
event Of man refusing to give him
news, was expected to take the man
down and hammer it out Of him. Rob-
inson made q mistake one day. He
hammered the city editor and had to
leave town. He promptly came out to
Badger Rock, Mon.
Badger Rock at that time was one of
the hardest towns in the west. Homi-
eide was pastime, like lawn tennis or
croquet in other parts Of the country.
Robinson got immediate employment
on q morning paper called by its owner,
with fine irony, The Daily Dove 1t was
the worst sheet in town, which was say
ing a great deal. Its 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 slipped
his arm into Robinson's and led him
half mile up the mountain to the lit.
tie cemetery. Pointing to three white
wooden headboards, he said, "Young
man, there sleep your three prede-
cessors. "
"There's room for another between
that end and the fence, answered Rob-
inson, and he took the position of city
editor.
But the worst thing about tho out
look for the young man I have not yet
mentioned. He could not shoot. He had
tried to learn many times; but, in his
own words, he "couldn't hit q flock Of
barns" He explained this popularity
to his employer.
"Give me the address Of the friend
you want notified, please" said the
man, whipping out pencil but Rob-
inson only laughed, picked up the
shears, cut the lapels off the side pock-
cts of his coat, walked out and wan
dered away up the gulch.
Now, something the owner of The
Daily Dove didn't know was that Rob-
inson had pitched for three years on the
college baseball club. He could throw q
ball harder and straighter Tor crookeder,
as the circumstances might require)
than almost any man who up to that
time had stood in the center of the dia-
| mOnd.
Up the gulch he began selecting
stones about the size Of hens eggs, hard
and jagged. think he picked out ga
lena specimens largely, as being the
heaviest, and frequently rough and
square cornered. He dropped half a
dozen nuggets in each side pocket and
took off his hat and filled that and re-
turned.
The second day after this his employ
er said to him: Robinson, there's q
man come to town named Wash Galley.
He is q criminal and a deadbeat who
has killed five or six men. He is now
drunk and going about town destroying
the property Of some Of our best adver-
tisers. Just touch him up tomorrow
morning."
Robinson wrote ripping item, in
which he called the man a coward,
tramp, chicken thief and so forth and
! warned him to get out Of town under
pain of further disclosures in the fear
less columns of The Dove.
It was hot paragraph, and when
the foreman read it he simply remarked,
"Well, hope the man that takes the
city editorship tomorrow will write q
palmer hand.
About 10 O'Clock the next morning
Robinson was walking quietly along the
main street of the town with his right
hand resting carelessly in his coat pock-
ct. Suddenly Mr.. Galley stepped out Of
the door Of a saloon.
He reached for his revolver. The
young man from Yale who couldn't
shoot took his hand out Of his pocket
In it was an irregular specimen Of lead
ore.
remember how the local doctor tried
to expalin subsequently that the speci-
men didn't hit Galley in q necessarily
vital spot" but it was vital enough for
all practical purposes, and the next
morning The Dove remarked casually
that when the outthroats of this town
meet around the hearth tonight there
will be one vacant chair. Jim Galley is
no more"
A week later q man came down from
Placer Bench, winged the chief Of po-
lice, shot out the lights in the postof1ce
and rode his horse ON the sidewalk. The
Dove reprimanded him.
He took a foolish and erring shot at
the city editor. who replied with q
stone and returned to his Office and
wrote that "another old settler has gone
out from our midst Life is indeed IN
certain. Now is the time to subscribe. {"
Robinson staid year before he got
tired Of the nlace and went tn San Fran.