The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-03-29
HIS AIM WAS ALWAYS TRUE
DIR. GEORGE POWELL AND HIS
FRONTIER PISTOL

the Marquis of Alta villa, Who
Challenged Senator Mason, of
IllinOis-His Brother, DR.. Frank
YER" Says Marquis Would Drop.
IF that italian marquis Is looking
for fight he Is going to get It," said
DR.. Frank Powell last night. II am not
interested to any great extent, for It
was not l that accepted the challenge,
as some Of the newspapers seem to
think. 1t was my brother, DR.. George
Powell, Of La Crosse. and I think
know him we'll enough to say that, If
1t rests with him, the honor Of these
United States and the reputation Of
Senator Mason is in safe hands.
Il haven't seen him shoot at anything
worth killing for some years. but this
I know he will do: He will fire, with g.
s1x-shooter, at a tomato can, or any
thing of that sort, thrown into the air.
and put three out Of the six bullets
through it. I'll bet a Thousand dollars
that he will do it twice out Of every
six shots for a thousand shots"
It has been assumed that 1t was
White Beaver who accepted the chal-
lenge issued by Marquis of Alta Villa
to Senator Mason. Of Illinois. for he Is
the best known one of the three broth
ers Of the same name living at La
Crosse. DIR. George Powell has been a
resident Of La Crosse for twelve years.
Prior to taking up his residence there
he lived on the frontier, 1atterly In the
Indian territory.
He was a scout and Indian fighter
for years-all three Of the brothers hay
ing spent their early manhood ON the
plains. White Beaver says that he
knows little of the incidents of his
ri nlQ1nQ.
II was too busy keeping my own hair
in place in those days to see much OF
my brothers," he said.
DR.. George is practicing medicine at
La Crosse in partnership with the third
brother. Willian-who was also q
plainsman. White Beaver says that ha
knew nothing about the acceptance OF
newspaper dispatches. The acceptance
was written in La Crosse. and when
DR.. George started away from there to
attend the meeting Of the Grand COM
sistory, Of which he is a member, at
Milwaukee, he took 1t with him. It
was sent either from Milwaukee or
some intermediate point. According to
White Beaver, DR.. George Powell is g
diffident sort Of man, and intended to
send the cable accepting the challenge
80 that it would attract the least at
tention. He confded only In his friend,
DR.. Tyson, and he advised him to send
it. Following Is copy Of the cabled
message:
To the Marquis Of Alta villa,
Editor Of Ell Cardo.
Madrid, Spain.
Through the press dispatches ! am IN
formed that you have challenged Senator
Mason to mortal combat for words spoken
in defense of his position as the champion
Of the patriotism and principles Of his ooun-
try. and its people in the United States
vtxh Goa iehc ffrr
lecting your own weapon. Now, as Mason
has spent lifetime in the pursuit OF q
more humane calling, and In the walks OF
civilization. which has but poorly fitted him
to meet bully at arms: as one who be-
ueves that murder in the first degree cam
not be paid for with gold. I hereby accept
the old forty-four. the organ Of civilization,
the instrument with which the American
pioneer measured Justice to assassins; and
viii, while . earnestly assuring you and all your
stand ready to step in my tracks and pick
up my pistol, If ! should fall, sincerely
thank the representative Of thousand years
of barbarism for the opportunity to fire the
first shot in revenge Of the Yankee sailors
who fed the sharks in the bottom Of Ha-
vana bay. George Powell
No reply has yet been received by
DR.. Powell.
brothers proposition his end Is in
sight," said White Beaver. George is
very much in earnest in this matter.
He is not Big Foot Jim the Killer
sort Of person at all. He Is a very
quiet and very determined sort Of man.
He ts fifty years of age, weighs 220
pounds, is in perfect health, never
whisky in his life and spent a good
many years in a service where the
necessity for being able to shoot quick
was only equaled by the need for shoot
ing straight.
'He had none Of the habits of con-
VITALITY, which generally distinguished
the plainsman in early days, and there
fore he never got to be much talked
Of or written about, but he has done
good deal Of effective work in the In
dian country and he doesn't know what
fear is. I didn't have much chance to
talk with him about this affair, but he
did tell me that he would go over and
fight this Spaniard In his own door
yard if necessary.
party, has the choice Of weapons and
he has chosen the weapon with which
he is used to fighting. The marquis
of what-d' ye-call- don't seem to
know much about the code duello or
he would not attempt to dictate the
weapon to the party challenged. If it
comes off pistols will be used and
George will give a good account of
himself.
"And if this Spaniard tries to get out
of it because of any fancied inequality
socially, why that can be fixed to suit
him, for George Powell has as good
blood in his veins, as far as ancestry
affects the color or richness Of it. as
any marquis of them all. His great
grandfather was the great Seneca chief
Nun-Da- Wa-o-No, or Mountain Dwell
err to whom a monument was erected
and stands to this day at Niagara
Falls. The blood of the Tompkins, Of
Tompkins county, whose most notable
member was twice vice president of the
United States, mingles with that of the
Crawfords and the Dusenburys in the
veins of the Powells, and I expect we
can show an escutcheon with as many
Quarterings as any little Spanish mar
quis.
eff George fights, I'll go over with
him, Of course. And 1t won't be nee
essary to bring him back in a box"
George Powell and his brother WILL
lam went into the Pawnee country, at
Eagle Island, near Lone Tree, Neb,
just about the close Of the war and
went into ranching. White Beaver had
been in the army during the war and
he was sent up into that country after
wards. In those days 1t took nerve to
raise cattle on the confines Of the Paw
nee reservation, for when the reds were
not raising hair they were raising cat
tie, and it kept the ranchmen busy
looking after their stock and their
hirsute. Both Of the brothers became
very familiar with Indian warfare, and
Gaoree went through the fea rfII1 cam