Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1898-07-30

"I don't haze TO-" said Hickory Sam
ty, and no id Greasers from Buffers
can close up this town when I'm in 1t.
You hear meg Salt Lick's wide open,
and I'm standing in the street to prove
st."
1t was bad enough to have the town
declared open when 10 Of them in a
body had proclaimed it closed, but in
addition TO this to be called Greasers
was an insult not to be borne. A cow
boy despises Mexican almost as much
as he does an Indian. With o soul terri
flying yell the 10 were out of the saloon
and on their horses like Cyclone. They
went down the street like O tornado.
wheeling about some distance below
the temporarily closed bank and charg-
ing up again at full gallop, firing in the
direction of Hickory Sam, who was
crouohing behind an empty whisky bar
rel in front of the saloon with a gun"
in either hand
Sam made good his contention by
nipping the heart of the champion when
opposite the bank, who plunged for
ward ON his face and threw the caval-
cade into confusion. Then Sam stood
up and regardless of the scattering
shots fired with both revolvers, killing
the foremost man of the troop and
Strengthening three horses, which in
stantly changed the charge into rout.
He then retired to Hades and barricad-
ed the door. Mike was nowhere to be
seen
But the boys knew when they had
enough They made no attack ON the
saloon. but picked up their dead, and,
thoroughly sobered. made their way
much more slowly than they came
back to Buffers ranch.
When it was evident that they had
gone, Mike cautiously emerged from
his place OF retirement, as Sam was Wig
orously pounding on the bar, threaten
ing that if a drink were not forthcom-
ing he would go around behind and
help himself.
I'm law and order man, by -"
he explained to Davlin, land I WON'T
have no toughs from Buffers ranch
close up this town and interfere with
commerce. Every man has got to re-
spect the constitution of the United
States as long as my gun can bark, you
bet your life
Mike hurriedly admitted that he was
perfectly right and asked him what he
would have, forgetting in his agitation
that Sam took one thing only and that
one thing straight.
Next day old Butler himself came in
from his ranch to see if anything could
be done about this latest affray. It was
bad enough to lose two of his best
herdsmen In a foolish contest of this
kind, but to have three trained horses
killed as well was disgusting. Butler
had been one of the boys himself in his
younger days, but now, having grown
wealthy in the cattle business he was
anxious to see civilization move west
ward with strides little more rapid
than it was taking. He made the mis-
take of appealing to the sheriff, as if
that worthy man could be expected for
the small salary he received to attempt
to arrest so dead a shot as Hickory SAM
Besides, as the sheriff quite correctly
pointed out, the boys themselves had
been the aggressors In the first place,
and if 10 of them could not take care of
one man behind an empty whisky bar
rel they had better remain peaceably
at home in the future and do their pis-
toll practice in the quiet innocuous re-
tirement of a shooting gallery. They
surely could not expect the strong man
of the law in the person Of peaceably
minded sheriff to reach out and pull
their chestnuts from the FIRE when sew
eral of them had already burned their
fingers, and when the chestnuts shot
and drank as straight as Hickory Sam.
Butler, finding the executive portion
of the law slow and reluctant to move
sought advice from his own lawyer, the
one disciple OK Coke-upon-LittIe in
the place. The lawyer doubted il there
was any legal remedy Ia the then con-
dition of society around Salt Lick. The
safest plan perhaps would behind, he
did not advise but merely suggested
to surround Hickory Sam and wipe him
off the face Of the earth. This might