The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-01-24
Free-and-E Easy Style of Scatter
ing Ammunition.
DRIFTER'S TWO GUN PLAYS
An Old Ranger Tells an Interesting Tale
of Stirring Times on the Panhandle.
Queer Sample of Texas Justice.
A Duel In Bar Room.
From the New York sun.

/ a friend who wanted some pointers
! on ranch life in the Panhandle country,
! but at this distance | feel safe i'm say
! ing that not all Texans are crack shots.
/ There is a free-and-easy style about
| the Texas gun play, however. that Keeps
an outsider interested from start 10 fin
l ish. For instance, while in Alderman
| Billy Wards Elephant saloon nj Fort
| Worth one evening, | saw two Texas
gentlemen settle a dispute in a way that
/ challenged my admiration. A gambler
from Mineral Springs had been up
| against Luke Shorts faro game on
Main street. and had incurred the dis
| pleasure of a sport from Waco. Both
men knew that Luke was quicker ana
| a surer shot with a revolver than any
| other man i'm the state. Although Luke
had killed several mer he objected to
! disorder in his place, where, as he SAID,
he ran gentleman's game. So the
! Waco chap simply cashed in his chips
and quietly said To the sporting man
who had offended him: You're about
fat enough to kill Then he left
About an hour later. as | stood chat
ting with the live stock agent of the
Katy Road in front of the bar at the
Elephant, the Mineral Springs gambler
came in, ordered a drink and had a
little confab with the barkeeper. There
We're about 20 customers in the place.
Suddenly the swinging blind doors
opened and the chap from Waco stood
on the threshold with revolver in his
hand and trouble in his manner.
Come out here. Robertson he said,
i don't want to muss Billy's place
The gambler turned carelessly. eyed
the man at the door and replied:
Go to thunder. I'm busy
In about a second he was exceeding
| ly busy. So was the gentleman from
Waco. Strangely enough none of the
customers or employees interfered with
the principals in that gun play. The
barkeeper may have gone down behind
the bar. AT any rate he knew he wasn't
needed and disappeared. My friend,
the live stock agent, left his liquor in
the glass and | followed his example.
/ also followed him very quickly to a
convenient shelter behind the oyster
counter. | had seen the gambler pro-
duce six-shooter from under his coat
! tails and | felt certain that | could do
nothing better than to Withdraw.
mo time was wasted in preliminaries.
| Those two Texans just fell to shooting
| in the most off-hand manner magma
| BILE. Business in the coffin line was GER
tainly looking up. 1t was all over be-
| fore | could count 10. From the noise
| of shufiing feet and the clinking of
! glasses | knew that II was safe to ven
/ ture out Believe me. the gambler was
I leaning against the bar apparently un-
| hurt. Inc felIOW from W AGO WAS Sldilu-
! ing in the doorway examining "A hole in
I his SLOUGH hat. The city marshal rode
I up just then, diSmounted and came IN.
Well, he said, after taking in the
! situation. Both Of you wasted cat
ridges, didn't you?'
/ sure enough. they had. Out of Il
dozen shots the one that pnged through
/ the Waco mans hat was the only one
! that had carried anything like danger
To the two shooters. There was consid-
I cradle broken glassware on and behind
! the bar one shot had spoiled Bllly's
/ biggest mirror and the customers, who
were gradually picking themselves out
| from under tables. congratulated each
other upon having escaped with whole
/ skins.
Jim. the marshal. eonfiscated the re-
/ volvers. took drink With each of the
/ participants in the gun play, and then
said:
Better step up and see the judge
unless you'd rather sleep in the Gala
boose all night. Send for him? Sho'
I now. He's gentleman, and we'll just
go out together and hunt him up. Come
along. boys
81 was Interested" said Drfter ito
watch the course of justice in a case
where two men, on the pretext of set
Ting a quarrel had so scattered their
| fire as to interrupt business in popu-
! lar saloon. to say nothing of endangering
the lives of 20 of Alderman Billy's best
| customers. So l trailed along with the
others. We found the city judge play
! ing cards with a few eronies at the en-
CINE house. next door to the calabQose.
| He opened court then and there. The
! marshal was the complainant. Said he:
Hen, both our friends here had a
gun play down to Billy's place and shot
! the catsup bottles off the tables. Mighty
poor shots. ] call EN- both The big
gest gun / took from the Waco man.
the other siX-shonter belongs, or did be-
/ long 10 the sporty boy from Mineral
| Springs. | charge both prisoners with
carrying concealed deadly weapons
That young judge didn't waste any
! time, nor did he deem il necessary to
! call any witnesses.
Weapons confiseated,' he said stern
! ly. Then. with Il smile, to the Waco
| man. he said: You'd better see Billy
| Ward and go halves ON the broken glass.
tn cost you s25 for your gun play
The Mineral Springs patron of Luke
Shorts faro bank seemed a triile nerN-
Gus at this adjustment. Say, Jim.' he
drawled to the marshal, it's the Gala
I boose for me. | reckon. I've only got u
/ ten-spot i'm my clothes.
Produce that ten. calculated the
judge. who delivered himself further L
know that YOU spend your money and
/ most Of your time in this city. l guess
Well get YOU up here again before long.
Then wen make it SO. Courts adj
/ journed.'
The city treasury was SO richer.
Justice was appeased. The Waco man
1 said he'd get hunk ON the first Fort
Worthite that came Ia his town, and all
hands returned IL Billys. where | was
RECALLED with tales Of wonderful shoot
ing scrapes. and Of the daring of the
city marshal in quelltng gun plays.
shortly after my introduction 10 Fort
Worth as working editor OF a brave lit
tie populist afternoon paper | was
warned not to antagonize old man
Stoneall, the presden; of one Of the
! banks.
" He's the real thing when il comes
to show down. said young McAdam,
the reporter. Whatever you do as long
as you live here or wish To live I'm Texas.
don't clear your threoat II old Stoneall
IL within hearing. III he hears YOU let
out even one little hawk you're as good
! rs dnah Oh Nes .aN..lA hna,- tr.nr,, T.