The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-02-21
GUN PLAYS IN TEXAS.
Old Rangers Interesting Tale of Stir
ring Times On the Panhandle.

| rainier StIlOuS gun pay . Wiltic III l. ca
as" said Drifter to a friend who want
ed some pointers on ranch life in the
Panhandle country, but at this dis
tance l feel safe in saying 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
derman Billy Wards Elephant saloon
at Fort Worth one evening, 1 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 and
a surer shot with a revolver than any
other man in the state. Although Luke
had killed several men he objected to
disorder in his place, where, as he said,
he ran a 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
1 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
were about 20 customers in the place.
Suddenly the swinging blind doors
opened and the chap from Waco stood
on the threshold with a revolver in his
hand and trouble in his manner.
"'Come out here, Robertson he said,
I don't want to muss Billy's place
1.-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 1 followed his example.
1 also followed him very quickly to a
convenient shelter behind the oyster
counter I had seen the gambler pro-
duce a six-shooter from under his coat
tails and I felt certain that 1 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 imagln-
able Business in the coffin line was
certainly looking up. 1t was all over
before l could count ten. From the
noise of shutting feet and the clinking
of glasses 1 knew that it WIS safe to
venture out Believe me, the gambler
was leaning against the bar apparently
unhurt The fellow from Waco was
standing in the doorway examining a
hole in his SLOUGH hat The city mar
shall rode UP just then, dismounted
and came in
"'WeIl,' he said, after taking in the
situation, Both of you wasted ca L
ridges. didn't your
sure enough, they had. Out of
dozen shots, the one that plnged
through the Waco mans hat was the
only one that had carried anything ike
danger to the two shooters There was
considerable broken glassware or and
behind the bar. One shot had spoiled
Billy's biggest mirror, and the custom
ers who were gradually picking them
selves out from under tables, congrat-
ulated each other upon having escaped
with whole skins.
Jim, the marshal, confiscated the
revolvers. 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'.
now He's a gentleman. and We'll just
go out together and hunt him up. Come
along, boys
watch the course of justice in case
where two men, on the pretext OF set
Ting a quarrel, had so scattered their
fire as to interrupt business in a popu-
lar saloon, to say nothing of endanger-
ing the lives of 20 of Alderman Billy's
best customers. So [ Travelled along
with the others. We found the city
judge playing cards with a few cronies
at the engine house, next door to the
calaboose He opened court then and
there The marshal was the complain
ant. Said he:
Hen, both our friends here had
gun play down to Billy's place and shot
the catsup bottles off the tables.
Mighty poor shots, call 'em both. The
biggest gun 1 took from the Waco
man, the other six-shooter belongs. or
did belong, to the sporty boy from Min
eral Springs. l charge both prisoners
with carrying concealed deadly weap-
ons.'
THAT young judge didn't waste any
time, nor did he deem it necessary to
call any witnesses.
Weapons conflscated,' he said
sternly Then, with a 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
1.-The Mineral Springs patron of Luke
Shorts faro bank seemed a trifie merry
Gus at this adjustment. Say JIM
he drawled to the marshal, it's the
calaboose for me, I reckon. I've only
got ten-spot in my clothes
Produce that ten calculated the
judge, who delivered himself further.
I know you spend your money and
most of your time in this city. 1 guess
we'll get up here again before long.
Then Wen make it s25. Courts ad-
journed.'
THE city treasury was sS5 richer.
Justice was appeased. The Waco man
said he'd get hunk on the first Fort
hands returned TO Billy's, where I was
RECALLED with tales of wonderful shoot
ing scrapes, and of the daring of the
city marshal in quelling gun plays.
Shortly after my introduction to
Fort Worth as working editor of a
brave little Populist afternoon paper I
was warned not to antagonize old man
Stoneall, the president of one of the
banks.
Hes the real thing when 1t comes
to a showdown said young McAdam,
the reporter. Whatever you do, as
long as you live here or wish to live
in Texas. don't clear your throat if old
Stonean is within hearing. If he hears
you let out even one little hawk, you're
as good as dead. Oh. yes. everybody
from Texarkana to Santone knows
Stoneall, and nobody but a lunatie or
a stranger would insult him. If he
draws his gun, then take to the woods
and don't stop till you're cut of Texas
Il had great respect for Macs knowl-
edge of men and things in Texas He
lad an intimate acquaintance with such
killers as the cream of the state ran
GERS: he had t'een in on several lynch
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