The sun., 1897-06-13
BILLY mULL1sAN,s LAST DAr
= Terror or the PaciHo slope who Made His
TnEInE-O on Memorable.

Nuhuk-uu "cWoThutts
His namc was included in tho little list OF
Nevada dcspcradoes made by Mark Twain in
'Roughing It." said the Nevada pioneer in an
uptown hotel last night. He did not say MARX
Twain by the way. but " Sam Clemens, the
name by which all old Ncvndans and Cali
fornans knew the famous humorist. The pio-
was talking OF men Of his time who had
died with their boots on, and Billy Mulligan
was the character who Just now was to the
front. Some OF the hostile mix.ups and shoot
ing matches in which that young Irishman had
taken n hand had been related. and now tho
narrator had come to the day of his taking-of.
BILLY Mullgan had run n long string, and
lasted n good while for man Of his temper and
practices-for he was tough. out and out" con-
tinucd tho pioneer. His neck was in danger
in the days Of the San Francisco Vigilance Com
mittce, and he ran some narrow chances with
tho law and lynchers aftcrward He was
brave, desperate man, handy with weapons. and
would fight at tho drop of the hat But he
pulled through all trouble until tho timo came,
which seems sooner or later to bofall almost
every desperate, when tho strain OF danger and
the effect Of constant drinking and excitement
got the better OF his nerves and judgment.
When n desperate gets that way there are two
courses that he may take-quit the country.
quit drinking and get to work at an honest call
ing, or stay and get killed. The last was what
Mullgan chose, but he kept the business in his
own hands and forced the pace to tho end.
1T was at Carson City that the end came to
Billy Mulligan The cards had gone against him
all night The liquor he had drunk had made
him ugly as he walked out of tho Esmeralda
saloon one morning. Next door was a laundry.
and Chnaman ironing clothes, lifted his face to
the window just as Muligan was passing. With
out word the desperate drew his pistol and
fired through the glass; blowing the Chinaman's
brains out: then went on to the hotel where he
was staying, and upstairs to his room in the top
story. The door OF his room opened near the
head OF the stairway, and when the Shertf's
officers came to arrest him for killing the China
man he stood them of with his revolvers They
knew it meant certain death to some OF them
to try TO rush up the stairway, and they stopped
at the foot to consider. John Coleman. n par
ticuar friend OF Mulgan. who was with them.
tried to persuade him to surrender.
No use. John said Mulligan. I shan't be
taken alive. This is my last day and the gamel
end end right here. You keep away and don't get
Coleman was working along up the stairway
as he talked. with the object perhaps, otgetting
one step nearer @ and III Kill you. '"'N ~
Musn Shot S Rosh He
mtted the Others to take the body away. keep
ing tnetl covered with MS pistols oil the time. A
crowd gathered ia the hotel and the public
square which it faced. and plans were discussed
for capturing Mulligan; but his character for
were scarce. At last 1t was decided to call out
the militia company and take the desperate in
his stronghold by regular assault.
THE troops were mustered in double line in
the public square. facing the hotel and waiting
the order to advance. Through the window OF
his room in the third story Muligan could be
seen now and then AS he walked to and fro be-
tween the stairway and the window keeping
watch against surprise in either direction.
Then as the face OF the desperate appeared once
more at the window. one of the soldiers fired
with his rifle. killing him instantly. It. was an
unexpected shot which undoubtedly saved sew
| eral lives that would almost certainly have
| been sacrificed in carrying tho room by storm
and was typical representative OF the old time
| California tough gambcr-a class which got
| its tone and manners from the New York OF the
| volunteer fremen and Dead Rabbit days.
| Quick OF motion-some Of them could pick fly
| from the wall with the thumb and finger four
| times out OF hvc-stern and shortspoken except
where II was part of their game to be suavc.
rough-and-tumble fighters, fashonably dressed.
with more OF ornaments than southern gamblers
| often wear. and distinguished by heavy black
| mlstaches-thcy ran their course in San Fran
| cisco. which was headquarters from which they
went to the new mining communities to stay
| while these fiourished or until they were driven
out. They had the day-most Of them were
shot or hanged. or they died in want. Here and
there stranded in some out-Of-the-way Western,
| community some decrepit survivor is found OF
| the old gambler. desperate class of which Billy
| Mulligan was q shining example"