The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-02-21

question Don't clear your throat on
the street if the old mans within a mile
OF you That's ALL.
I was annoyed and somewhat
alarmed, must confess. To learn that
in the Hberty-loving lone star state s
mar should be debarred from exercis-
ing the inalienable right to use his own
throat on penalty of sudden death was
irritating, TO say the least Singularly
enough, seemed possessed by a desire
TO 90 tie very thing forbidden by the
old bank president. found myself fol-
lowing him w and down Main street.
my throat growing dryer and death
nearer every minute. One day I broke
the spell. l took holiday of "a hours,
went over to Dallas. got well pr.med.
and let my throat have free and undis-
Duted sway in all it's functions.
Il lived in Fort Worth long enough
to see old Stoneall's power wrested
from him. His bank got into difficulties
and there were rumors that it wOu d
at the bank when the old man was
awake. My, but that cashier must
have had a grudge against himself He
invited swift death on one summer af-
ternoon by visiting the bank for the
avowed purpose of having il out with
the fire-eating president. Our little Pop
daily was about going to press. Re
porter McAdam had turned in his last
item when suddenly two shots in rapid
succession were heard.
They're off, shouted Mac. Old
Stonealrs at it. There's gun play over
at the bank. Come on
AS we busted up the street I felt
that CORY news stared at me in my ca
Dac;ty as editor, and that a genuine
Texas shooting bee was on the carpet.
A fusillade greeted my ear as we near
cd IA on from ff. hor TrrcT
then the negro bootblack, who could
sleep peacefully through ar earthquake,
dropped from his stool at the baak door
and, on all tours, scrambled across the
street, yelling;
Aim du- fob. shuahl Cap Stone
all's killed met
OF course he wasn't seriously hurt
A stray bullet, winging it's way through
the glass panel, had struck that doing
darkey on top of the head. and had
ploughed furrow along his scalp.
Surely 1 know that shrinking figure,
drawn I'D in the shadow of the door
way, with hands close to his sides and
head jammed tightly in the corner Yes,
it was the valiant city marshal. Evil
IDENTIFY the bloodshed inside was not
over, for again and again shots rang
out. Then quiet reigned. The marshal
relaxed from his attitude of rigidity.
his Daucch and his valOr became APP
parent once more, and as he opened the
door ard entered the bank, Mac and 1
followed. The gun play was over.
AID old Stoneall and the cashier
had shot each other to Dieces?'' asked
the inquirer for facts about life in
Texas.
Well, not exactly replied Drifter.
They had used ID all their ammuni-
ton Old -Stoneall had been shot
through the flowing tails of his old
black frock coat. The cashier had lost
about an eighth of an inch off the tip of
one ear. The furniture was pretty well
shot uD, to be sure, the darby boot
black didn't get over his fright for a
week. ard 1 have always harbored the
suspicion that the marshal was rather
scared himself that day, but the prin-
ciDals, as in the other gun play / told
of. We're none the worse for their little
shooting match
Mac wrote the story of the shooting.
We published Il, and the next time 1
met old Stoneall on the street I took
chances 1 deliberately cleared my
throat. / had made up my mind that
before he could kill me he would have
to use uD more cartridges than a man
ordinarily carries in Texas. Yes, l es-
capped" concluded Drifter. Il think old
StOneall's spirit was broken. He didn't
kill anybody while / was in Texas, and
never mixed in any more gun plays
after the one at the bank"