The sun., 1897-10-24
CAREER OF cuT-MoUTH SHIRLEY.
\ Desperate Character who Made II Unpleas-
ant About California Mining Camps.
From the San Erancisco Meics.Letter.


From the San Francisco NetcsLettcr
The gambling house is as Indispensable to
a, s' ~ r, - - 49,, -,
the mining camps of California as thc saloon.
Wherever the pick strikes pay ore the click Of
tho roulette ball is heard, and tho great King of
EsSpt, fhoraoh' hu once cs'"oiiSi'os oiaiiVH
court. Tho distinction between the profes'
sionol of the gambling camp who ''gambles for
,,,i,t s g. -, to, - ,,,r,tlos tor ,xc;to
hVing anu tho miner VINO gahoics ior cAci'c.
mont has been strongly drawn in several Of
Bret Harte's cnrly SKETCHES. The contrast is
d.. ,-.,, - 49,, ,,. f,,u,,,o., % ,,,,i-
mrs. observable IN ,he dress. uainpi'rs ot M Iali, an
world over, are inclined to be dandies. They
roar toshiana,So n,othos arirS oTncnsi,e yincs
sport valuable jcwelry and in many other ways
show their Indifference to the present and their
,, . A., -,
eonhdcnco IN inc iuture.
Between 1871 and up to about 1850. Phoebe
was one of the livcliest mining camps on the
co's'' Az was WHAT was 'hcn hho"h 10 1t in"h
tor.brcakfast, camp, meaning that rarely
twenty -four hours elapsed without tho bloody
record of at least one man having met ms his
ucath Dy me khlic or tnc pistol: } nc principal
part OF tho town was embodied in one long
street, every second house OF which was u
saloon with a gambling outfit in the rear
There wa. no separation of day Or night
in the operations OF these merry chevaIerJ
OF fortuhc. Tho miners who had the night
watch played during the day, ana those who
ship OF Fortuna. There were not in those
games ialgc sums won or los', there were no
uNca tulnSIu " ~. Sni,s' pu'' VIZ VIZ tto oot.S
was Clrcniatcd 100 freely. the oark ot ,he pistol
ths Pas9f ent IF soe o S rSsEeIs s m
Pioche at this period can be instanced than the
killing Of Tom Brooks by "Cnt-mouth' shirley
in 1873. Brooks was the bad man OF salt
Lake City. lie had quite II respectable number
victims Tim to- to- ms IN nr the Mormon H grars
, nuted TO be the quickest man on inc draw IN
The Territory, and. moreover. had the faculty of
throwing bowie knife with fetal fatal precision; 'I.
one evening IN a roadside house some distance
outside . salt, Salt Lake City. lie was drinking in at a,
ranged up al3ngsido OF him. The desperate
according to the etiquette OF his class, invited
lied sort of person abruptly declined
What said brooks sinernl!i you mean to
say You wont ,dilp drink ,i,h With sr. mel ro,r,o
the stranger with a fiery look in his eye that in
dictated he was no tenderIoot where fighting
with that pcculiarity which attaches itself to
most professional fighters, did not attempt to
the party turned to go he waited up in front OF
| the big man and said: 49,
;, We'll. do, you know what ! think of ,your'
He did not have time TO so any further. FOR the
man struck him with his ccnched fist full in
the face and knocked him down. Casting a
stalked toward the door of the saloon. But he
hadn't taken more than three steps before a
bowie knife, launched with Hnerrling aim by
rolled on the floor in agony the rntilan shot h 5
HE out, ana then, jumping on MS morse, rode
away.
HIS next appearance was in Phoebe, where
"Cut-mouth' Shirley. if possible IA more dan
gcrous character than himself, was dealing n
game on Main street. Shirley had boldly pro'
claimed that no was the worst man in the
camp. At the beginning his title was disputed
by several, but they found, those herctics, their
| resting place in the hospital or the graveyard.
And so it came to pass that he reigne,i by the
| power of the pistol alone.
| There existed n certain sort Of chiyalry
| among those gentlemen which iinpelled Knight