The Goodland republic., 1897-12-31
A FRONTIER DUEL.


T7HE plaques Of the mining camps
in the far west were the builies
and desperadoes who. ignoring honest
industry, lived BY gambling OF even
worse
These fellows always 90 armed, carry
themselves with a swagger and fgura-
lively drag their coat tails On the
ground at all times in the hope that
some one viii give them an excuse to
shoot
Fairplay is very good name for a
town or camp, and Fairplay, Col, is to-
day a thriving, lsw-abiding place, but,
Ike all western towns, IL had 70 pass
through AL the stages Of social evolu-
ton from the absolute barbarity Of its
beginning to the high civilization Of tbs
present.
There are many men not yet beyond
middle life who distinctly remember
the first hut erected in FairpIay, and
who retain . vivid recollection Of the
first hotel, the Great Western, which
was composed Of three rooms, one can
vas, one log and the other unPlaned
boards. Though this establishment
claimed to furnish Accommodations
for man and beast" It had no stable
for horses, and al its dodgers had to
sleep IN hunks in one room, while bread
and bacon constituted the bill Of fare,
with now and then sugarless coffee.
The extras were composed wholly Of
bad cigars, strong chewing tobacco and
whisky Of kind so much viler than the
ordinary fluid that one drink Of it has
been known to produce all the eftrcts
Of delirium tremens on q man upac-
custOmed 70 1t, and It always produced
\ homicida1 mania in those who in
dulged in it as often as once a week.
The bar Of the Great Western was
the rendezvous, the headquarters, for
all the miners and teamsters in the
vicinity, and you may be sure that II
was a constant resort for the gamblers
and desperadoes Who always swarm
about a new mining town like flies
about q sugar hOgsbead in July.
For the accommodation Of the latter
class, with whom he was in full SYM
Pathy, and with an eye to his own gain
he had only one eye-the landlord Of
the Great Western had fitted up place
for playing faro, and a number Of pine
tables on which those 50 inclined-and
1t was surprising how many were so
inchned-could play that alluring but
most uncertain game called poker.
At this time there were only two
women in FairPIay, viz, Mrs. Chamber
lain, the wife Of the principal mine
superintendent, and Lizzy Chamberlain.
her daughter.
Some men, with wives and. daughters
at home in the states, rather blamed
Alr. Chamberlain for subjecting his fam
ily to the hardshiPs inseparabIe from
such a life, but, had they known that
the devoted wife and daughter insisted
on accompanying him and sharing his
trials, they would not have been so hard
in their judgment.
Arthur Lyons, q fine young fellow Of
four and twenty, was Mr.. Chamberlain's
assistant, and as he boarded with bis
employer it was pretty generally ON
ceded that he had ''the inside track so
tar as Lizzy was concerned, and that
their marriage was only a question Of
time
Thfre was, however, in FairpIay, one
maU who emphatically refused to be-
lieve that LizZy Chamberlain looked
kindly On Arthur Lyons, and this man
was known as RED" SniveIy, the first
name being given to designate his CON-
plexion and the sanguine color Of his
hair.
Red SniveIy wished to be known as
The Mountain Terror" and he tried
hard to have the name attach to him
self, but as the majority Of the miners
looked upon him as a nuisance rather
than terror the name did not stick
to any great extent.
Red Snively was a staggering, ever
armed brsggart. He was supposed to be
q silent partner ia the Great Western
hotel, and it was matter Of notoriety
hat al the gambling features Of the
were under his immedi-
ate charge.
He claim ed Missouri as his home, and
when he became deDtial-whieh
was always thecase when the game was
going against him-he would hint that
he was forced to come west "oEFin' TO
little cuttin' scrape" he had over game
of cards.
With the brazeu efrontery Of his
class, Red SniveIy made himself very
Objectionable to Lizzy Chamberlain BY
bis disgusting attentions; so much so,
-ndC-ed, that she dreaded to venture out
" less accompanied by her father or
Arthur Lyons
On one occasion the latter told Red
Snively very emphatically that his con-
duet was disagreea-ble tOAIiss Chamber
lain, and that It must be stopped, and
This was said with such calm emphasis
that the bully was not left IN my
doubt as to the young mans meaning