The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-11-14
SOLDIERS AND BAD MEN.
SOME TR0-HANDED ENCOUNTERS IN
FR0N1IER TOWNS,

VINO Douuta - OuhtOFm-A mmNI Win
knivea Between n GAMBLER .,s n eel.
dter-fnd % = Dangerous Csy,iryunns.
WASHINGTON. Nov. 13.-Tho IJn,roa States
Army, soldier andsthe bad man OF tho west have
never got on well together. Ever since the be-
ginning Of frontier soldering the man In blue
aud the man with guns In plain view have boon
engaging in sporadic two.handod nphts. and In
most Of these the soldier has more than held
his own. Nick McCool, a bad man Of Albu-
querquo of tho early eighties. lost his life bo-
cause Of his deficient comprehension of the fight
ing ability Of tho soldier.
McCool belonged to tho type Of bad man with
no apparent occupation save drinking whis-
key and bullyragging men. One afternoon In
the summer of 1884 he was leaning on the bar
OF Fred Wfigley's Albuquerque saloon telling
Wrigloy Just how bad he was and how much
worse he intended to be when occasion served.
Wrigley was q small and somowha tinid man.
and he therefore listened to McCool's talk with
q show Of respectful attention. Thcn a tall.
well.knit man in tho uniform Of a corporal of
cavalry walked In and called for a drink. Tho
soldier was at the other end OF tho bar from
McCool. Wrlgloy started toward the soldiers
end Of the bar to servo him. McCool objected
to the move.
Look n.herc. yc runt,' he J ellcd at wrigley,
II don't stand for your movin' away from me
when I'm a-talkin' TO We, an l don't stand
for your servin' rum, while I'm in here, to no
cheap, hirteen-n-month cayuse.brcakcr. Como
back here"
Wrigley, undecided. stopped midway on his
trip to the soldiers end of tho bar. The cor
poral. who had previously taken no notice of
McCool. now turned and surveyed him from head
to foot with n calm and critical eye. He paid
no moro attention to tho two big guns strapped
in McCool's belt than he did to McCool's boots.
He atnnn1v tnnt tho tphp1a "a In - --.o
and that in the glance Of n second. Then,
Without a word, he approached McCool with
three or four long strides and gave the bad
man two hard slaps on both sides of his face,
one with each hand. Without waiting for
any move on MoCool's part, he then gripped
the bad mans two arms Just above the elbows
and held them as In q wise.
'Barkcep," said the corporal quietly to Wrig-
ley, holding McCool's arms in his stcel-like
grasp all the time. II don't know whether this
FOOLS a friend Of yours or not, but l don't sup
pose he is. or else you'd have taken his part
by this time. Anyhow. I'm entitled to q show
in this. I don't happen to have any guns on
me. II you're q man and u square man, you'll
just put n couple on the bar there within
my reach.'
Wrigley, without q word, reached under
the bar, hauled out a pair of mated forty Fights,
placed them, butts outward, within the SOL
dicr's easy reach. and then very discreetly
Tho sol5ior's too Wa ~ 49, u
McCooI's while mi. wns ho,na ao,a 90 -
der,v ,b. b,a ms, sho, III. 80 - ii.
tho onnorcnt nnrnoso NJ bitinr ~ tha aa,,is.
corroral's nose he had a vs,v ,,ert ~ =,
deal with. however. The soldier jerked his
head back, and, still g~rasping the bad mans
arms, planted his knee In McCool's abdomen.
"McCool, you damned thief" said he, main
had been able IN halo somo ~ tha I'M ~ ~
yorr va, yor,a hnro 49,. ~ 80. A. III
matsnn ,vhon 7 ..no In No.. a., 80 80
nut a connor ~, rou, tonn,,. W. -
lack Thnr,non dovrn 4, Tvoso, o,ah. -
90 49, r.o.-.k.. - I'll, e o"e
ago, !ou Ahe" mat never kliioa no one. not
even a greaser. except when / had to. and then
| only IN q SQUARE fight. l ALWAYS knew VIM n "a N
builv and n trouble bnnter ana vo,, &C.. ~ -
hunt for trouble when I came in here. Now,
you're going to have it."
Quick as a flash the corporal of cavalry 70.
him na't staggering %anpir %"u against sdns "' the q i bap' ' Just 'e ns
| oui,l,v bo orobbod ,v;th hoth ~. a.. -
guns on the bar. The four shots from the two
with two hr,,.ts IN his h..a nv" on u1 =.
WIN Two buiie,s IN als mead. me corporal OF
smoke unscathed. The CORPORAL calmly re-.
p,acea the euns on the bar "nd ast.d Wri.,aU
pho' came me- to ei his S feet sf from uat bs adu at shs ss ~r wheys
ho could find tho Marshal. Marshal Kinrsley
happened to be near the saloon at the time of
the shooting, and he was in the door while the
roldier was finishing his question.
here nc Is now' SAID Wrieley.
vel 1ei0ns 20 you, SAD tho cavalry
. ~ , q.lt'S, e'" NJ M"rsnai'
mats my Joo' noodihg IN the direction VI the
dead bad man.
"And a pooJ one ton +" sa,d K;nos,.v a. o,,o
For the soke of form n iurv NJ srr M, = =
impanclled in the saloon within an hour, and
the corporal was acquitted within ten minutes.
Jack Thurman had quit his wild career, to-
Sotnra wa haS hanan,a - S aUs eisn' ,caiS
He liked the service 30 well that he joiIne sdiItI the
ddI9Sia ar dTn ~; m w. tIrn .ne ~ " was no thor9 scouting
leave Of abscnce from Fort Wingatss no "AS Oh
There was a savage knife fight in 1881 at II
nsmed poitn1yo and NJ ortiiicrss u's y kanao Dc
Hl II nhI HfI HhH EThs