The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-04-03
NEW HAVEN MORNING JOURNAL COURIER MONDAY APRI

with letters of introduction, and he was
simply wild with delight when he found
that he could go along and see the rust
lers done for, but, when the rustlers got
the best of it and cooped up the whole
outfit, the Englishman's nerve oozed out
until he hadn't single strand of it left
he was simply limp with fear. Then
came the rescue from fear of assassina-
ton, but with it the certainty of a long,
wearisome imprisonment. Weeks and
even months passed with the poor devil
| lying on his cot and counting the flies
to pass away the time. At last after
about three months of utter WEAKNESS
| he got out on bail. Hagard and I'M
shaver and covered with dirt he left
! the court house and fastened to the
| telegraph office and wrote a message to
friends in England 1t contained just
| one word:
Free
Then he disappeared for three hours,
| when back he came to the telegraph Of
| flee, with new trousers rolled up at the
bottom, a new white shirt open at the
throat and a new silk hat on the north
west corner of his head. There was a
roll to his gait and an unsteady look in
his eyes, but, taking a pen in his hand,
he braced himself and wrote another
message, as brief and to the point as
the former one. 1t said:
Drunk -
by the way, adverting to Tootpick
Davis do any Of you gentlemen know
what finally became of him?" asked a
man from Missouri, with an air of in
terest.
ooh, he got killed finally" answered
the man from the southwest. 1T was
somewhere up in Gunnison county, I
believe, over in what they call the Tin
cup mining district. Toothpick was play
ing faro bank one night. and went
broke. He turned to mild-eyed little
man, who was sitting on his left, and
said: Stick fifty on the queen for me,
pard' The mild little man did as re-
quested and the queen lost He borrow
ed another fifty and lost it the same
way. Following these two defeats Day.
is strolled out, but after being away
half an hour, returned with 500. He
went against the game again, and soon
had his twenty UP to five or six hum
dred By this time the meek little man
who had lent him the 500 was broke
:" I'm broke, Davis said he: sup
pose you pay me that hundred
Go away from me now said loot
pick, savagely; L don't want to be |
bothered now
" But / didn't talk like that when / |
advanced it to YOU demonstrated the
little man.
You keep on bothering me about
that hundred said Davis, with a dark
frown, and I'll do something that will
make YOU sick
''At Tootpick's second retort to the
meek little man, the dealer pointed
steady finger at Davis and said:
You cash in what chips you have;
you can't set down another bet on this
ayout.'
g oh, yes, think I cam asserted
rootpick, I can gamble against this
oank all l like
I'll be hanged If you can retorted
he dealer. You cash in your chips, and
get move on you, or you won't get
5our money
Davis wanted his money. He showed
,ver his chips with a scowl The dealer
,ashed them. After he had the money
n his pocket, Tootpick arose and left
he room. 1t was about an hour later
when he suddenly entered at the rear
loor armed with a butcher knife about
IS large as a cavalry sabre. There were
dozen men in the room, including the
neck little man over whom the row was
tarted. Everybody was expecting trou-
lie. Presently Tootpick bent red eye
lpon the dealer, who was now behind
he bar, and remarked generally for the |
,enefit Of the crowd:
Everybody takes a drink here ex-
ept you, you horse thief! pointing at
he dealer.
1.-THE moment the round of drinks had
'een disposed of the faro man took his
urn, and, mimicking Davis in tone and
esture said:
" Now then, everybody here take a
rink, except you you horse thief!'
ointing al Tootpick.
THAT was Tootpick's cue. He came
t the faro wit ha wild rush, butcher
nife to the front But he tackled the
'rong man. H1 had hardly started
hen, bang! went the card sharp's pls-
81, and bullet went through his brain
nd he pitched headlong to the floor.
hat was the end of Tootpick Davis
lew York Sun.