The evening times., 1897-08-30


where the two marsilais hay erouched in
| the brush. Neither Of them had ever seen
Cunius, tut when they got good look at
| the faceof the driver they knew that he was
their man. They recognized him by a
| rough, Hyid scar OF a wound made by
bowie knife that stretched fron his right
| forehead to mis- { hin down his smooth -shaycn
check The marshals had often been told
| of this scar.
Nasr!" whispered Field to cums0, and
both men rose no1selessly to tneH ieet'
| with gun in eacE hand.
| Cunius.' called cut Field, in strong
| voice. I've got a dead line on your pipe,
make moveand-'
..Field tcIc us that he couldn't see that
| the outlaw was reaching for a gun at ailbe-
fore he heard the report and felt the ball
going through his right breast. He went
down, lat ne didn't lose consciousness, so
that ne sa W the rest of il.
"wheh he fired his shot, Cuniusdropped
backward from the seal into his wagon
like maa going off a precipice, and Cumso
made 4 lighting drop into the brush. Then
there was a lun for a moment. The quiet
palled on Crmso first. He rOse slowly TO
his feet, and, clasping his guns, walked
1 SlfGiSuI tfft Vi tht
| with squared shoulders in the moonlight
fifty feet from the desperado's wagon.
"'Cmirs,' he called out and Field told
us the black mans voice was like trnm'
pet-'I'n a Niger, and you've got InJun
ia you But I'll match my niger agin your
4 inJHn until he'll freezes over solid. III
| ain { hotter Niger than You are al Injun
III eat your mules I'm a. goin' 10 have
| yon. Come out into the open and fight like
| man and like the IrisE that's In you,
YOU damned skull,ing squaw man. for f. tn
! after You, you hear me-
..Cunius answered the challenge with a
shot, and ii was a shot from the open. He
| wasn't "A coward by whole house full,
and the black mans taaiits had precisely
| the effect cumso wanted them To have
| set Cunil;s' Irish to boiling. Cumso hadn't
| finished speaking before the desperado
jumped from behind his wagon, clIGclI.ug
| his 40 guns. and made his first pop at tue
! black marshal.
I" Now you're talkingi shouted Cumso.
The night was as clear as day. aud the men
were only Fifty feet apart. They fired at
| each other with both hands without ad-
| yancing. and t-'th men were expert mar ks
| men. Field told us that a. he lay beside
the trai. watching the fight it set him crazY
wondering why one or both of the uren
didn't go down The balls in the four siX-
shooters weie exhausted at tile same in
stant. When his guns were both ussloadcd
Cunius disappeared behind his wag,a4, and
the click CT his reloading could be heard
'umsO stood right IN his tracks and did his
rel3ading, ana Field said he never saw N
Nan stuff a pair OF guns SO speedily in
his life. The man had no sooner Jammed
the last cartridge into his second gun
than CGnius reappeared from behind his
wagon and tie battle as on again without
another word. When each man had shot
away his twelve cartridges without going
down Field flgnred IL out tilat he was either
dreaming. or that the black marshal and
the desperado lad somehow or another
got hold OF blank cartridges When the
same reloading and firing performance was
gone through witt again, without either
man going down. Field gave IL up But me-
noticed thst AZ the finish of his thir round
Cunso had only six cartridges left in his
beit, which he jalnmed into his right-has
gun, throwing the other one into the brush
When CuniuS appeared for the fourth whirI
Field saw that he, too, had only Que gun
q
each man had exactly thirty cartridges
la his belt wher. the fight began, and this
was 10 be the finish round, as far as the
gun play went.
"'Inlan's shy a gun, too, I see,' NUT
terce u" black man, and at it again they
went again, both firing five shots almost
simultaneously when, after this, Field
saw them standing in their tracks, he said
to himself. IN in pipe daze,' and shut
his eyes. CInius snapped the trigger IN
Ms sixth and last shot in the gun, and it
failed 10 go Off. Cumsps quick eye caugh:
this. He still had hall left in his gun, and
the situation WAS his. lie dropped his gun,
and again and again Cunius snapped the
Trigger on his bad cartridge 1t was OF no
use. Ii ltwoudn't go off. The gro grinned,
and slowly and deliberately raise ell his gun
on direct line with tie tlesperado's heart.
That's yCur finish, Cunius,' said h.
Hands W
"Cunius saw The force of the remar.:,
and his hauds went up.
'Cumso walked over TO where Field was
lying and handed him the pistol
Keep line ON him. until get nippers
over his hands from behind he said. While
Field, weak from tie loss of blood kepr
the outlaw covered. Cumso walked around
MIN and from his rear slipped a pair OF
hdndcuffs over Cunius' hands
Keep him covered until l get the
shackles' said Cumso TO Field Don't
move, Cuhius.' The black man walked over
TO the prairie schooner fl the brush clear
ing and hauled out the shackles, and in less
than minute the desperate was chained
hand and foot
As thc two men who had be en- blazing
away at each other stood together while
this was going on, Field got good look
at them. Their clothes Were in ribbons
Their hats. and even their bootlegs, war.
like Sieves from the bullets Their clothes
looked as If they had en- fringed ut the
SIDES 10 get fancy greaser effect. iG
looked as IL every one or the eighty-two
bullets fired by the two men had passed
through each others wearing apparel Yet
neither Uf them was even grazed: and IL
that wasn't miraculous, when both men
Were shooting to kill, I've never heard Of
any miracle
-Cumsr, brought his prisoner and his
wounded partner, Field back to Fort Smith
within twelve days after his capture. He
had nursed Field the best he sssew how
with the medicines they had carried in che
schooner, and with the experience he had
gathered in the Army but blood poisoning
setin. and Field was dead In a week after
he had been brought back to Fort Smith.
Cunlus Was strung up ia the Fort Smith
prison, with three other desperadoes, a few
months later Cumso, the neryy black
marshal, is running a big farm of his own
m Ii "A mn ic xr-a tI, 4