The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-03-26
A CHEROKEE STRIP MATCH.
COL MARTIN HALET'S STORY OF A
DIAMOND WITH 4 LAW
Lost II with His Money In Kansas City When
He Was Snndclubbed-Got 1t Back To-
gethcr with ~ Nice scrap and an Irish In-
dim BriIe-Mhen Thinga Lookch Dirk.

i've been very much Interested in reading
about them former alcoholic digencrates in
THE Sun" remarked Col. Martin Haley Of the
Cherokee Strip. at present soJourning in Brook
lvn for the reason that habit has accustomed
him to sleep only when surrounded 10y the soft
silence of the prairie. and he finds too sharp u
contrast in the street noises OF Manhattan.
Not that I'm an alcoholic degenerate neselt.'
he continued, Tor in the first place never
drink more than | can carry. and in the second
/ cant reconcile mrsclf to allyin' such u word
as degenerate with good whiskey, But |
once found mcself in much tho same
position as some Of them fellers. barrln' the
Jag. only much worse off than any of them.
What would 20 say To Il man with ~ cents in
his pocket. Il broken head and 10000 miles
away from a soul that knew him. Well, that's
the way was fixed. but | won out. and ut the
present time l have money in the bank. fifteen
hundred acres Of decent land and God knows
how many head Of cattle. Let any OF them
former digeneratcs beat that If they can.
THE way it happened was this. | run away
from Dublin when I was II lad OF II. for the
reason that me father was a hard man. and the
fist OF him was no softer than the rest OF his
makeup. ] got n job as a cabin boy on an Aus
tralian trader and settled down near Sydney.
where l stayed for ten years and saved up E3pO:
not bad for II lad. Ell? The sheep business was
a good one in them days. Then | pulled up
stakes and started for the United States. My
idea was to invest my small bit of money in Il
ranch somewhere and become a landed gentle
man. / heard about Kansas bein' "A decent
spot. and came to Kansas City. / didn't know
q soul In the place. or In the country for that
matter. barrin' a few travellin' acquaintances
I'd met.
We'll. the day I struck Kansas City the gas
house was blown up. That night It was darker
than blazes. and ye can imagine that none but
an 1rishman would start out to see n town I'M
der them circumstances Before I'd gone far
saw more light than a million gas houses could
make In a month. and then l saw nothin' at
all. Some coyote had cracked me over the head
with n stocking filed with sand. so they told
me at the hospital a week later. and all he'd
left me was seventy-two cents and the keys to
my trunk. His little trick had netted him two
thousand dollars in bills and a diamond stud
with a funny little flaw in it. l told the police
/ would know that stone anywhere. and they
started to trace up the fellow that soaked me
hv that clue. They never found him nor the
diamond neither. and meanwhile l got fired
from my hotel. for I'd lodged out the value Of
my trunk. There I was. ms l told ye, thousands
Of miles from any one ] knew and without n
cent to my name. Don't that beat your retired
digenefates in q canterE
started to hOof ii through Kansas. loOkin'
for any old, kind of a job. The place was full
of trqmps1,I was no better than that, mind We
/ In get 'a any giG1t re- a PFs armsrr w Situ driSIn eo ths
whole bunch OF hoboes along with guns. me
called ~CoNeyyille. There wasn't any, tramps
there; mos, likely bScanss it was such a bum
by the Indian Territory line. / got a Job there
in q livery stable at 50 a week and my grub.
one day. Martin he says, I've got a good
FIhfS Ia Ts f5 ys' w i yen xo, TAKE b,v it. down in
t" get on better than here. What tdhoainn"';S,
sny,sl. Ranch hand on a big place says he.
E Mns' ,tH ms % %Sns i but an a t lRiqo T. s iTiSei for |
could hold land in tn" Strip-thnt was long be-
fore TnSIe SAN !w PnoqE = it and opened it up f?r
Sl5 q month and yer keer. and It's steady.
says he. Miother6oii MSSsesrSTf says. the hhsG saIT CT
{ fr HSai na Gf a s'@ sHs's TG no, so i rsd ss va q f iRIn cd
says the boss. Hes as irish Fri h'a as ~ yef rs hf"t oniy;
he married a sguaw. and SO became a Cherokee
ne "W ALL th5s od drish I IN RIro come ne to town the
I pub IfnE toaE How. Has 'ss yo SS%s Wl n,'n fq says on from G|r
way way S SSy son 70 she ranch ar Has She's dead. heaven
saSS "dI'c% athoi,e. me ;syifT, f$shht Sic wa @" o!! I@a a 1bI%aite.
OF course. that made a difference.
dr %ibt was a il9e Zig place he had, fifteen hun
and Ms flnc,a house as yed want on il. After
IL helned him unhitch we went to the house.
door, She had biz black eyes and hair I"
match: That's nv daughter. ,Dovitl,' says
lnJun, bqrrin' the, straightne less Of her hair and
her back bone. for in the first place she wasclean
not to be wondered at, seein' that shn was half
colleen and only a quarter s1uaw. Wanting TO
she only turns up her nose and begins taikin'
10 her papa. shown me that she consiierei me
man. My pride was hurt, but went right to work
and mGdenp my mind that some day | would
her nat 70 me, SO TO sreak B.in' brought up
n the saddle. ! could ride anything that wora
while / was hayin a b%oautiful argument With a
little divil OF a bronco from Texas. Miss Doyita
w syss T sS5 { b1ss me mS With na t thg kind u s q a liFnt in her
! went to Dustin broncos. l managed to do it
R Ros s, s2d lsr c " s irom ,b the onn ho%fr Ia #, th"tthsmas
IIrrlishmsn viii fight So hard for dr as -om nSthin IN
time for, a 'eSent word from N tho iady " who
nssdp't have beer so lnm proud over the ma
Well. in two or three months. or may he il
Was toar: down CONES q ijns iooki&' fsliIs,ir witt,
wanted a Chance to Isarna the Gnsiness a'1W d%u,iiii
Tor tsxperi%nceF otcoHrse" lSPI aEu ire taxes taxes KIM,
on, gives him the biz spare room and doesn't
$i%' " ao a as"f Re' HAM, hSs he p G%"s me- r 4Hs l tslicr,
Johnson Was his name. took to the cattle
foot and a poor rider, But after awhile
noticed that he spent considerable more time
in the house with Miss Dovita than out on the
range with the cattle. Things went on lik"
this Tor a few weeks. when one day I noticed
on ,Dovita's finger a diamond ring. One look
at it showed me that il was my own jewel. with
the funny little flaw, in It, that I'd had taken
from, me- that night in Kansas City.
What's the matter, MARTINI says she
have ye seen a HhostE Not unless diamonds
have immortal souls | says. but | have seen
that stone before With that she blushed. for
she wasn't so darS, but that rose could show
in her cheeks. Might | ask We where We rot
Il says She looked mad and said sons
me own business l says. Hunt like. for that
dlam2nd happens to helong to me- fshe was
mad before she was ragin' now. She called mo
n liar to me face AMI said that Mr.. Johnson
had given II to her. SO you're goin' to marry
himFl says, and she blurtS out that Mr.. John,
son and her papa was goin' into partnership in
a WAY. and that she was in tn" bargain.
81 IN down to the stable. and ther" was Ma
grtr" and Johnson. | Sc" Johnson take out a
pocketboOk and pick n memorandum out OF it.
II was my pockatbOOk. | walks up to him and
SAYS | congratulate YOU On your engagement
TO Miss Dovita. says The divil ye do he
saws. lOOkin' nt Ina like vaa n ,,uar a.,