The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-06-13
RAD MEN, NEW YORK STYLE
.yr WIG HrHAWK WHO LOOKED ron
FIGHT IN THE VEST.

F0N W
,.... in the west-The whiriwind Act
An Encounter Between Nerve and = Gun.
.rbe hest OF everything said the man from
~. Rocky Mountains. Gomez from the West"
"y.s" assented his New York host; at has
~ come; couldn't be expected to stand the sur
standings out there, you know"
The visitor from the West looked uncomfort-
..io and an expression of doubt that had been
rl,t.nF about his face took on a darker shade.
~ mean" no said, that the best OF every
hing is originated in the West"
"Hum," said the New Yorker"
The Rocky Mountain citizen looked peined
.,a shifted about in his chair in an embar-
Yzssed way.
II ain: altogether used to these free and easy
-.v.or yours here In the East" he explained;
~but out in my section. now, etiquette In much
more rigid
Thought 1t was the other way" said the
New Yorker.
r blamed iti i., :" replied the Western man.
-Take that hum Of yours. for instance. I've
Known a little breach of etiquette like that to
lad to an inquest, and the verdict Of the Coro-
psr's Jury was Suicide We are . sensitive
,,ople and our bad men are mighty quick with
their guns"
1--WE usually do the firing ourselves when our
had men don't behsve-nre EN- right out" re-
marked the New Yorker.
Bad meni" exclaimed the representative Of
the Rocky Mountains. why, you haven't any
bad men out here
.of course We have" replied the New Yorker.
.snd the very worst kind Of bad men. You don't
no anything like them in the West. except when
se OF them happens to get out there on . visit.
And then. :" he added. you don't always treat
.m right. I remember q cabman who went out
there some years ago to Denver or some other
place where there were supposed to be tough
men. He was q tough man himself. That was
admitted; and. when n man 10 admitted to DO
tough in New York, he can pass his civil service
examination anywhere. In addition to being n
tough man he was q nighthswk, and the COM
hnation Of tough man and nighthawk IN about
a. ugly as you want to stack up against. There
aren't many men in the world who have moro
fun than he used to get. Some nights he would
be partly sober, and then he would amuse
himself by robbing his passengers and lick
ing them afterward. Other nights he would
be partly drunk, and then times would
DO exciting in his neighborhood. He was
ono Of those men who don't get wholly
drunk. This was not on account Of any tenn
perance principles or any notions about keeping
within certain limits, because he hadn't any
principles of any kind, and whenever he saw
limits Of any kind he couldn't break through
them fast enough. No, II he never got moro
than partly drunk 1t WIS because east side bug
Juice was powerful enough to infame him only
up to a certain point: perhaps he might have
accomplished the rest Of the drunk II no had
tried vitriol. but NO one ever suggested the idea
to him. Well. on the nights when he was partly
drunk he was maddened. insane. He didn't
bother with ordinary passengers, but fought
anything that came along-men, horses, trucks;
10 would have tackled q cable car had there
- - n-- -tAA 49,
IN this condition he was unfortunate
enough to come across o fare. He tool
him to some part of the town where the
guy didn't want to go. and when the guy 70
monstratsd he stole his watch. punched hi,
head, and danced all over him. This would
have been all right under ordinary circum
stances, say when the nighthawk was partl,
sober; but either the skull of this particular pas
ssnger was unusually thin or the niShthawl
was too drunk TO calculate the force of his blows
At any rate. the mans skull was fractured, and
the police started out to arrest the cahman. You
may believe that the nighthavk was popular IN
hin profession. As Boon a. his friends learned
what was going on they set to work b savo him
md bundled him on to the West
-Out in Denver or whervve1 Il Wa WAan b,
tuund himself among men with hggansstRa1De<
TO their waists, and discovered tAas the Wh1shsI
was far worse than any produced On the ess
side, he thought he was In paradise. end staFtet
In TO enjoy himself. he filed himself mp with
whiskey. and then hit q man with o big gun In
holster. The man began to unlimber, but tn
eabman bad him licked before tho gun ever 60
In action
Rocky Mountains. "Our bad men are a. quicl
Is creased lightning with their guns. The.
have to be. There was Wild Bill, now. Il
would jump a gun out. and have at your heat
~quickern you could wink"
Maybe, - said the New Yorker. Anyway
this nighthawk never had the luck to run ~
against Wild Bill, and the other gentlemen b
met weren't up to the mark. II they wer
within reach, he'd lick EN- hands down. Tn,
whole thing would be over in o minute, an
there wouldn't be a bit Of fun in 1t for him. I
they weren't within reach they'd sksdaddle OF
and pop away at him from around the corners
Why. 1t made him feel like sitting down AM
crying. sometimes, the sinful waste of ammuni
uon did. Half a dozen men, maybe. woul
empty a couple Of guns apiece, and when tn
smoke of battle would clear away the only sui
ferer would be q burro half . dozen blocks AVA,
wounded in the hind leg"
The way some of our bad men can shoot 4
wonderful" said the man from the West. NV
seen Alkali Ike shoot q silver half dollar iron
between the fingers at q distance of seventy
Vineyards with a revolver. many q time"
This nighthawk wasn't = silver half dollar
maybe that was the trouble" continued tn
New Yorker. ANYWAY he turned MP In Ne,
York again a month later.
Boys, he said. I'm back. I couldn't stan
out there. Let me have ono good scrap an
hen III take my medicine
They pounded him with their fists an
sAnped on him and drove their cabs over hi
pIoatrate body; and the police came and clubbe
49, al him; and he smiling all the time. An
Nter when four ambulance surgeons wer
Working over him. he gave . sigh Of pleAsur
oh, but It's good to bo back In New York
Ssm almost glad Of what ! went through In tn
,msst, because OF the zest 1t adds by contrast 3
ue Rieasure Of to-night!'
He Is in State prison now; and says he pr,
solt vastly on the whole TO tho West. sur
S %se mats Why you don't see moro Of our ba
when they 90 there"
Inere was a moment Of silence. during who
~ nsous emotions chased themselves threue
sa;n Tame Of the man. from the Rocky Monr
s,hns' such az Incredibly, suspicion that th
Ssnef was making fun Of him, and emhArrAsl
lent caused by uncertainty a. 10 whether Ii
Al uIult1nn