The sun., 1898-01-02
.DRIFTER,S TwOGUN PLAYS.
lsoME SHOOTING soRlPEs IN TEXAS
IyTEREST OUTsIDERs.

20 HnEEnDul-OlM
How Ris Osoe Freud Spirit was hums'ee.
|. Eyes, I saw few rather serious gun plays
while in Texas" said Drifter TO q friend who
wanted some pointers on ranch life In the Pan
handle country. '.but at this distance feel safe
IN sayine that not all Texans arc crack shots.
ssThere 10 free-and-easy style Gbout the
Texas gun play, however. that keeps an outsider
interested from start to finish. For instance,
while In Alderman Billy Wards Elephant
Saloon at Fort Worth ono evening, saw two
Texas gentlemen settle dispute In way that
challenged my admiration. A gambler from
Mineral Springs had been up against Luke
Shorts faro game on Main street and had IN
CURED the displeasuro Of q sport from Waco.
Both men knew that Luke was quicker and
uurcr shot with revolver than any other man
In the State. Although Luke had killed several
nen he objected to disorder In his place, where.
a. he said, he ran a gentleman's game. SO the
Waco chap simply cashed In his chips ana
quietly said to tho sporting man who had
offended him, You're about fat enough to KILL
Then he left
.About an hour later. as I stood chatting
with the live stock agent Of tho Katy road In
front Of the bar at the Elephant, the Mineral
f3prinrs gambler came in ordered drink and
ma a little confab with the barkeeper. There
were about twenty customers in tho place.
suddenly the swinging blind doors opened and
the chap from Waco stood on tho threshold
with n revolver In his hand and trouble In his
manner.
Come out hero, Robertson ho said. I don't
want TO muss Billy's place.
.sThe gambler turned carelossly, eyed tho
man ct the door and replied:
go to thunder. I'm busy
.sIn about a second he was exceedingly busy.
80 was tho gentleman from Waco Strangely
- o tkA atom mr. N
terfered with the principals in that gun play.
The barkeeper may have gone down through
trap door behind tho 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 followed his example. l also followed
him very quickly to o convenient shelter be-
hind tho oyster counter. had seen the
rambler produce q six-shooter from under his
coat tails and felt certain that could do moth
ing better than to withdraw.
'No time was wasted in preliminaries. Those
two Texans just fell to shooting in the most on
hand manner imaginable. Business In tho
comm line was certainly looking up. 1t was
noise Of shufing feet and the blinking of glasses
iieve me. the gambler was leaning against tho
bar apparently unhurt. The fellow from Waco
hat the fSs Gyy Eodo
Just then, dismounted and came In; .,.,,.,,
Both Of you wasted your cartridges. didn't
ssure enough, they. had. Out Of dozen
phots the one that pinged through the Waco
man,s hat was the only one that had carried
anything like danger to the two shooters. There
Sind The bar. One shot had spoiled Billy's big
gest mirror. and the customers. who were grad
ossr escpsd
WI" ."Jim, % the Marshal, oonHscated the revolvers,
d,inl xvit aac 0f the narffcinanta in
Better step. up and SOC the Judge unless
sSd ven Just 60 out together and hunt him up.
was Interested. said Drifter. ito watch
the Of usscs in case where SoG two
lives s slIS " s%snsy e AdeT%aD shys best
few cronies et tho engine house, next door to the
The SISs Marshal was S'i1 the complainant Said he:
Hen, both our friends here had q gun play
teS o aS Me6ty ha6 snPs '
both The Sn ro% hs
] charge both prisoners with carrying concealed
~os That yo9ng Judge didn't waste any time,
nor did he deem it necessary to call any wit
hesssS weapons oonnscated.. he said stsrnly.
Then. with a smile, to the W CO man, he said.
You'd bettor see BiIiS, Ward and 90 halves on
the broken slass It'll cost you $25 for your
@rRe Mineral Springs patron Of Luke Shorts
faro bank seemed a trtfe nervous at this ad-
only got a ten.spot in my clothes,
who dsSfsd S9 SpaSt eSst
you spend your money and most OF your time
R ss fs 1 make sas
"The city treasury was ss5 richer Justice
hunk on the first Fort Worthite that ca came S to
his town. and all hands, returned to Bnly's,
shooting scrapes, and of the daring of tho city
marsnal in quelling gun plays.
rs working editor of a brave little Populist af-
Old man stoneall. the President Of ono Of the
down, said W yoanG MeAda%. 0s the r reporter. oS@
wish i've don't % clear Your throet
II old Stoneall is within hearing. II he hears
ss dead. oh, yes, everybody from TexarEana
70 santone knows stoneall and nobody but
draws his gun then take to the woods and don't At
II had great respect for Macs knowledge of
scquaintance with such killers as the cream Of
the State Rangers; he had been in on several
Deputy City Marshal. However. ventured
TO ask:
he came here from Galvcstonl
MAC, strangely enough, evaded my question.
Don't clear your throat on the street II the old
mans within a mile OF you. That's ALL
i II was annoyed and somewhat alarmed,
Enust confess. TO learn that in the liberty-lov:
tng Lone Star State man should be debarred
from exercising the inalienable right to use his
own throat on penalty OF sudden death was
Irritating to say the least. Singulary enough
! seemed possessed by desire to do the very
thing forbidden by the old bank President.
found myself following HIM up and down Main
street. my throut growing dryer and death
nearer every minute. One day l broke the SPELL
to9k 2 holiday of twenty four hours. went over
TO Dallas got well primed and let my throat
have free and undsputod sway in all Its func
tions.
II lived In Fort Worth long enough to see old
6tonealls power wrested from him. His bank
got into difficulties and there were rumors that
II would not be safe for tho cashier to show up
At the bank whom the old man was awake. MY
but that cashier must have had u grudge against
himself. He invited swift death on one sum
mer afternoon by visiting tho bank for the
avowed purpose OF having 1t out with the fire
eating President Our iittio Pop daily was
AhanF fat