The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1897-07-30
MULLIGAN'SLASTDAY
A TERROR OF THE WEST WHO MADE
HIS TAKING OFF MEMORABLE.


HIS TAKING OFF MEMORABLE.
He Killed . Friend Who Tried tn Pes
suAde Him IL brought Down
by Bullet From = Militisman's Rifle
One Of Mark Twain's DespcrAdoes.
His name was included in the little
list Of Nevada desperadoes made by
Mark Twain in 'Roughing 1t, said
the Nevada pioneer. He did not say
MARX Twain" by the way. but Sam
Clemens. the name by which all old
Nevadans and Californians knew the
famous humorist. The pioneer was talk
ing Of men Of his time who had died
with their boots on. and Billy Mulligan
was the character who just now was 70
the front. Some Of the hostile mix ups
and shooting matches in which that
young Irishman had taken hand had
been related. and now the narrator had
come TO the day Of his taking of.
Billy Mulligan had run long
string and lasted good while for q man
Of his temper and practices. for be was
tough out and out, :" continued the pio-
neer His neck was in danger In the
days of the San Francisco vigilance
committee. and he ran some narrow
chances with the law and lynchers aft
erward. He was brave, desperate man,
handy with weapons, AID would fight
at the drop Of the hat But he pulled
through all trouble until the time came,
which seems sooner or later to befall al
Of danger and the effect Of constant
drinking and excitement got the better
Of his nerves and Judgment When O
desperate gets that way, there are two
courses that he may take-Quit the
country. quit drinking and get to work
at an honest calling or stay and get
killed. The last was what Mulligan
chose. but he kept the business in his
own hands and forced the pace to the
end.
1T was at Carson City that the end
came to Billy Mulligan. The cards had
gone against him all night. The liquor
be had drunk had made him ugly as he
walked out Of the Esmeralda saloon one
morning. Next door was laundry, and
q Chinaman. ironing clothes, lifted his
face to the window just as Mulligan
was passing Without a word the des-
perado drew his pistol and fred Through
the glass. blowing the Chinaman'
brains out then went ON to the hotel
where he was staying. and up stairs to
his room in the top story. The door Of
his room opened near the head Of the
stairway. and when the sheriff's Off
Gers came TO arrest him for killing the
Chinaman 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 70 consider John Coleman, a par
ticular friend Of Mulligan, who was
with them. tried to persuade him to
surrender.
"'No use. John. said Mulligan. i
shan't be taken alive. This 10 my last
day. and the game'll end right here
You keep away and don't get mixed up
In the trouble.
Coleman was working along mp the
stairway - be talked. with the object,
perhaps. Of getting near enough to the
desperate to disarm him.
stop where you are. John. said
Mulligan. One step nearer and I'll kill
you.
Coleman made another step forward.
and Mulligan shot him through the
heart He permitted the others to take
the body away. keeping them covered
with his pistols all the time. A crowd
gathered in ;iss hotel and the public
square which il faced. and plans were
discussed for capturing Mulligan. but
his character for deadly desperation
was such that volunteers were scarce. |
At last il was decided 70 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 ho-
tel and waiting the order to advance. |
the window Of his room in the
third story MulligAn could be seen now
and then a. he walked to and fro be-
tween the stairway and the window,
ASCPsu8 Wo0u AZ uiues buIpIIsc Al
either direction. Then. - the face Of
the desperado appeared once more at the
one Of the soldiers fred with
his rife. killing him instantly. IL was
an unexpected shot which undoubtedly
saved several lives that would almost
have been sacrificed in carry
ing the room by storm.
BILLY Mulligan was q New Yorker
by birth and was q typical representa-
tive Of the old time California tough
gambler class which got its tone and
from the New York Of the VOL
unteer firemen and Dead Rabbit days
Quick Of motion-some Of them could
pick ay from the wall with the thumb
and Anger four times out Of five-stern
and short spoken except where il was
part Of their game TO be suave. rough
and tumble fighters. fashionably
dressed. with more Of ornaments than
gamblers often wear and dis
tinsuished by heavy black mustaches.
they ran their course in San Francisco,
which was headquarters from which
tl..~x A. 4 HI