Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-06-21
THE MAN HE NEEDED.
BAD ED WANTED THE EDITOR WHO
WROTE HIM UP.

He Lao Three Pistols, q Hunting Knife
and Other Weapons, and the Editor Nat
urally Quaked In His shoes-How the
Bad Mans Character Was Rehabilitated.
One day George lift, who publishes a
very warm paper in a damp basement in
Pooatello, was over in the neighborhood
of Ross Fork when one of the seven men
who had been very i~ntently regarding
him from the front of the saloon across the
way walked over toward him. In that
part OF the country, where, owing to the
frequency of reports of Indian hostilities,
every man went armed, lift would have
PAID no attention to one revolver and a
winchester, but this man had three pis-
tolls, a hunting knife and a thing that
looked like a slunshot, as we'll as the reg
ularly ordained rifle.
Mister he said, addressing lift. "the
boy behind the bar says you print the pa.
per down at Pocatello."
One of them,' lift answered, wishing
ne knew what was about to happen.
"a paper down at Pocatello." said the
walking artillery battery, "some time AGO
alluded to me when l went down there as
q WAOAICbc III Nv OouIu uS HdNll kllleu InrpC
men In Texas an as bein wanted by Pin
kertons for various offenses."
"When was that?" the editor faltered.
"In March of last year."
II came to Pocatello in September,
lift said, much relieved.
The man with the weapons looked dis
appointed.
"%Shucksl' he calculated. "You dom
say. Amt that disapp'intin now? Sur,
you didn't come in February, mister?"
"My dear friend, l assure you that
didn't, and in any event I should no
have published SUCH
Hold on, mister, hold on. Don't talk
SO fast. A man down in Pocatello who
prints a paper said them things about me,
and 1 judge
"But surely you don't hold me RESPONSE
BILE for what a libeler and a perjurer and a
base assassin Of character says, do your"
"Mister," the other said gladly, ''by
them words l know you're just the man I
want. Now don't git skeered. You don't
understand me. I'm Ed Hawkins, an
I've got a reputation as u bad man in these
parts"
81 shouldn't think SO, Mr.. Hawkins.
r.
"Not Mr.. Hawkins, but Ed. Bad Ed,
If you please. Yes, sir, I've got a reputa-
ton fer bein a killer, but betwixt you an
me l amt. Naturally I'm peaceable an
calm, an l wouldn't do nothin serious
ag'in the law If l was paid fer it. But as
longs I'm Bad Ed I'm an honored citizen
an l git free liquor all l please. Things
was gittin a little bit dubious with me, an
folks was wonderin why l didn't do some
shootin awhile ago, but when that Pooa-
tello paper came out an said what I'd did
in Texas respect an esteem come back to
me on a gal]op. That paper statement of
my badness has KEEP me goin fer 18
months, but the boys is kinder worryin
ag'in an intimatin that I never had a
sheriff after me in my life, an that Bill
Pinkerton don't give a ouss where / am
hidin. Now, sir, if you will kindly step
acrost the way IN inform these people that
1 am not only what you said a year ago
last March
"But I didn't write it and
"No, of course not. But, blame it all,
man, can't you p'tend when another mans
happiness is at stake? You say that you
did, an that l am all that you wrote at the
time of that trial, an that I also am the
things you said a few minutes ago. Do
it, mister, an patch up my record as a bad
man. An here's 80 fer your trouble. You
can send me your paper"
So lift went over and rehabilitated Bad
Ed Hawkins character for him, and after
taking n fearful drink with the killer
he broke for his train, which was pulling
In. A few minutes later he looked back
from the rear platform and saw Mr. Haw-
kins violently firing two revolvers and
chasing a very small Chinaman down one
while the townspeople fled for safety,
and he knew that Bad Ed was putting the
finishing touches to a demonstration which
would keep him In honors for at least an
other year .-Chicago Record.