The White Pine news. [volume] (Treasure City, Nev.) 1868-1906, 1897-09-18
WILD BILLS DEADLY AIM.
His Duel with Dave Tut In the Public
Square at Springfield, Mo.

His Duel with Dave Tut In the Public
Square at Springfield, Mo.
ut was in the spring of 1855 that
Wild Bill and Dave Tut, ex-chief of
| Confederate scouts, tried conclusions
in the public square at Springfield,
No." said DIR. Hogeboom, surgeon
of the A., T. and s. F. railroad.
THE war was over, so far as fight
ing in the field was concerned, but
the peculiar vindictiveness that
characterized all the warfare on
both sides in Missouri still existed
and showed itself in many ways. A
strong force of United States troops
occupied the town, the Kansas regi-
ment to which / was attached among
them. A picturesque and striking
figure among those who had fought
on the Union side was Wild Bill,
whose daring and valuable services
as a Federal scout were fresh in the
minds of men. There were many
ex-Confederate soldiers in town, and
Tut, a brave and desperate man
and a dead shot, was the leader of
that element. They lost no oppor-
tunity to show their i'll will to the
Unionists, and between Tut and
Wild Bill bad feeling was strongly
manifested. 1t came to the point of
an open quarrel one night when
Tut, with his gang, came into a sa-
loon where Wild Bill was seated at
a game of poker. He had been win
ming, and with the pile of money
before him on the table were a gold
watch and chain that some enc had
wagered and lost. Tut had come
for a quarrel. He watched the game
a few minutes, then said suddenly:
bill, l want you to pay me the
money you owe me-.
al have paid you once. Isn't
that enough2' said Wild Bill, look
ing up from the hand of cards he
held.
Tut reached over and took the
gold watch and chain from Wild
Bills pile of winnings.
You owe me that money, he
said. I'll keep this watch to satisfy
the debt
wild Bill looked at him with
perfect oalmness. Better put it
back, Dave he said. You'll be
sorry if you don't
Tut laughed and put the watch
in his pocket, which ended the mat
ter for that night. Next day he sent
word to Wild Bill that on the fol-
lowing Saturday at noon he should
carry the watch and chain across
the public square, entering it at the
northeast corner This was a chal-
lenge which Wild Bill could not ig-
more.
LII be there, he said when the
message was given him, and be went
home and cleaned and oiled his pis-
tolls. He did not show himself much
about town until Saturday noon
came. Then, as Tut appeared at
the northeast corner of the public
square, Wild Bill walked in at the
southwest corner. AS the two men
approached each other, walking
from the corners diagonally oppo-
site, it was seen that a group of
TUFTS friends were gathered at the
corner to the left of Wild Bill, and
nobody present doubted that they
were there to take a hand IN the
shooting if the fight went against
Tut.
1.-THE distance between the two
men at the start was about 140
yards. They walked steadily toward
each other, with pistols in the belts,
, until about so paces separated them.
Then Tut made a motion as if to
draw his pistol. Instantly Wild
Bills pistol came up, and, holding
its butt with both hands, without
sighting he fired at Tut, who
threw up his hands, staggered and
fell dead on his face, shot through
the heart.
with the crack of his pistol Wild
Bill wheeled and faced the group of
TUFTS friends, pistol in hand. Some
of them had drawn their weapons,
but they put them up in a hurry and
declared that the duel had been a
fair one. Wild Bill was king of the
town after that, as he was chief for
many a year afterward on the plains
and in the tough frontier towns."-
| Nauy V0rly ca,