The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1897-07-30
ONE KIND OF BAD MEN

UNE KIND OF' BAD M EN-
THOSE WHO ARE DANGEROUS TO
RoWDlES AND ROBBERS.
A Wyoming Catt1eman Who Checked the
Little Game Of Two Chicago Thieves.
How q Millinery Salesman Cowed q Touxh
That Wanted to Shoot at Everything.
What is known as a bad man in the
far west is not necessarily a man of an
unvaryingly evil disposition or of dis
position evil at all. He may be uniform
ly and cussedly bad or bad only in the
sense of being dangerous to those who
offer him unjustifiable provocation. I
have met many varieties of the species
in my 20 years of travel west of the
Mississippi, - said a former commercial
traveller
II was in the train in which it hap
pened, although did not see the occur
renee, when two thieves came to grief
in trying to rob cattleman. It was in
the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy
station in Chicago, or, rather, just be-
yond the station. The thieves evidently
had planned the robbery beforehand,
knowing that the cattleman had large
sum of money with him, and they had
followed him to the train and aboard q
coach. He had seated himself near the
middle Of the car. After the train had
started and got under good headway one
Of the thieves suddenly grabbed him
from behind, pinioning his arms to his
yvrtnr 10 <I,a N$t = L.
book from his inner breast pocket. Then
the thieves ran in opposite ways toward
the car doors with the intention, of
course, CT jumping from the moving
train, but they hadn't reckoned rightly
on the quickness of the cattleman's pis-
tol. Drawing his revolver, he brought
down one Of the thieves half way to the
door, mortally wounded, with bullet
through his back. Turning, he fred at
the other, just dashing out at the door,
shooting him through the heart SO that
he fell dead on the platform.
The whole thing was done so quick
ly that few of the passengers in the
coach were aware that any ything unusual
was going on until the pistol shots rang
out. Then naturally there were jumping
up and confusion and Mysteries. The
cattleman, pistol in hand, went at orco
to the first thief he had shot, searched
him and, not finding his pocketbook,
went back through the car to where the
other thief lay dead on the platform.
The crowd gave him free passage along
the aisle, you can bet. At the door q
brakeman handed him the pocketbook.
which the thief had dropped when he .
fell. The cattleman ran his eye over the
contents. satisfied himself that they
were all right, then went back to his
seat, where he remained quietly until
the next station was reached. Here he
got out, asked the telegraph operator to
notify the police that he was waiting
for them to arrest him and staid until
they came. The coroner's jury exoner-
ated him for the killing. and his case, il
ever it came before court, was quickly
dismissed. met him afterwar1 in Wy
oming, quiet, everyday sort Of man of
no particular reputation as shot, who
had got along with little trouble in q
fighting way before and after his ex-
ploit at Chicago, but he showed him
self great at this one time when nerve
and promptness and good marksmauship
were needed szs:ssz=sEsssszsSsRs4 NJ
-! saw rough fellow taken down bY
man who was not a bit rough to look
at once on a passenger train Of the
Southern Pacific road, west of Deming.
It was in par1or car, and the tough
had arrived at the stage of drunkenness
where he felt it necessary to get out his
pistol and shoot at telegraph poles along
the side Of the track. He got ugly when
the conductor spoke to him and allowed
he'd do pretty much as he pleased and
that the man who interfered with him
wouldn't turn up for his victuals next
day or at any time after. 1t is probable
that the trainhauds eventually would
have brought him to rights. but pas
senger, slim. quiet, refined looking
man, took the business in hand and
saved them the trouble.
"The fun began when the tough's pis-
tol went off in the car, by accident quite
likely. At this the slim man got up and
walked back to him, carrying a slender
walking stick in his hand.
There has been enough of this busi-
ness, he said. Put that pistol up.
"The tough jumped up from his seat.
Damn you'll he shouted. DO you
know who you're talking TOP You git'
HE started to cock his pistol as he
spoke, but the hammer didn't get half
way up. The thing was done too sud-
denly for my eye to follow, but the pis-
tol changed down on the floor between
them. knocked from the fellows hand
by a blow with the stick. The tough
swore and clutched with the other hand
at his hand that had been so smartly
raped. The slim man stopped, picked
up the pistol and threw it out Of the
window.
Now, will you behave yourself?' he
asked, looking the fellow in the eye,
with the expression of wild beast
tanner and holding the stick as a fencing
master holds his foil at ready
"'You bet. was the prompt answer,
and the tough man sat meekly down. He