The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1898-02-25

+ GABE TLECKER'S DETECTION +



There were a good many pretty hard
characters among the early-day Kan
sas cowboys, but it is doubtful if there
was S.ce who held any advantage over
fdoe Tucker. Gabe often boasted that
the one consuming ambition of his life
was to become the champion tough and
terror of the cattle range. L drank,
gambled and fought, and was always
ready to engage in a shooting scrape
at moments notice, and on the least
provocation. And swear! Why, he
was simply eloquent in the use of pro-
family.
Gabe had no more respect for religion
than he had for the dirt under his feet.
He derided and scoffed everything, of
d religious nature, and some OF his
remarks were so bold and blasphemOus
that even his cowboy companions
heard them with a creeping sensation
of awe and fear.
One of Gabe's chief Sunday enjoy
ments was to come into town, fill up
on whisky and proceed to break up
religious services. He would charge
up and down in front of the building
where services were being held, yell
ing and curSing in the most horrible
manner, and peppering the side of the
house with bullets or shattering the
glass from the windows. Frequently,
when night services were being held,
he would ride up to the door and pro-
ceed cOolly and calmly to shoot out the
lights, one after another, until the con-
gregation was left in perfect darkness.
Of course the people of the town did
not approve of Gabes style, and they
we're generally agreed that his devil
try ought to be stopped, but when it
came to stopping it, that was another
matter.
Things went along in this way for q
long time, but at last one Sunday new
minister occupied the pulpit. lie was
a young college graduate from some
where east of the Mississippi, rash,
lmpulsive and unacquainted with the
natures of the untamed western cow
boys. In the course of his sermon he
took occasion to speak of Gabe Tuck
er's deyiltry, and he denounced it in
40 uncertain terms. His audience lis
tened in astonishment and trembled
with fear for his safety. Well Gabe
heard about the preachers remarks,
and the next Sunday he rode up to the
church, tied his horse and went in and
took a seat among the congregation,
but we'll back from the pulpit. He
sat quietly while the opening hymns
were sung and a prayer was offered,
but the congregation kept eyeing him
suspiciously. The minister came for
ward, read a passage of Scripture, of
fered a few words of prayer and be-
gan to deliver his sermon. When he
had spoken a dozen sentences Gabe
suddenly arose and drawing his pistol
began to plant bullets in the floor all
around the preachers feet. The audi
ence yelled and screamed and crawled
under the benches while the preacher
hoped and lodged about, scared with
in an inch of his life. 1t was an ey cit
,siRg time and Gahawas the only person
~. Isl csissim and cool
He continued to fire lis pistols until
he had but two balls left and with
those he cut little bunch of hair from
either side of the preachers head just
as a reminder of his proficient marks
manship. Then he went out, mounted
his horse. gave series of whoops and
dashed away across the prairie. The
young minister went back east right
away and for a long while there was
no preaching in the town. Gabe's
fame had spread abroad, and preach
ers were disposed to give him a wide
berth. He boasted that he had broken
up the church and that there would
never be any more services in the town
while he remained there.
In this, however, Gabe was mistaken.
for services were again held in the
town, and Gabe Tucker was one of the
most regular, earnest and devout at
tendants. And it all happened in this
manner About three months after the
episode just mentioned word came that
a woman preacher was coming to the
town to hold a protracted meeting
When Gabe heard this news he vowed
up and down that no woman would
hold any meeting there.
Two or three days later Gahe was
out on the range rounding up some
cattle. He was charging across the
prairie after refractory steer, when
his horse stepped into a prairie dog
hole, pitched over on his head, rolled
Gabe off and fell on top of him, fractur-
ing a leg and severely spraining his
back.
1t was impossible to give the injured
man proper attention at the ranch, so
he was conveyed to town and located
in a room at little hotel. Now ut this
hotel there was a lady boardcr who
had come only the day before. She
was not exactly young and pretty, yet
there was a wholesome freshness and
an expression of goodness about her
that made her very attractive. This
lady took a great interest in Gabe from
the moment when she first saw him,