The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-09-03
OVERLAND DOC HAD NERVE
CAREER OF GRITTY MAN MISSING ON
A KLONDIKE TEAL.

Durango, CoL-Hls Love Feast With Al
Enemy On the Streets Of La Junta
WARRINGTON. Sept az noticed the othe
day, In a Seattle newspaper. tho name Of Over
land Doc Hughes among tho missing mel
who started over that vicious Edmonston trai
for tho Klondiko last spring" said an Inspecto
Of Indian Agencies who dropped into Washington
Last vcok IF Hughes has succumbed 70 the fros
and tho scurvy, I'll bot poncho he gave then
both q run for their auburn chip. When know
him, back In the early eighties. and later when
tho Cpoede excitement was putting tho hectic flush
into the checks Of all the old timers he 80
dauntlcss that used 70 think IL would take moth
ing short Of bolt Of lightning 10 got the breath
OUT Of him. Hughes wasn't afraid Of anybody.
He stuck up some good men in his day. at the
point Of his old sawedon irons-not In tho way
Of dopiving them Of their dust or any thing like
that but Just because he wanted 70 indicate that
he was on hand, right there. and in the game
Hughes must be Looping towards fifty years OF
ago II hos alive lie began nosing around
in Colorado. Nevada, New Mexico and Arizona
for pay rock when no young fellow, and he
struck Il right three times. But he always sold
cut before developing. Just because he needed tho
money, and then no had to sit around, without
white chip his person. and watch tho fellows
who had bought his claims for few thousands
take hundreds Of thousands out Of the ground
He never made any kick about the financial end
Of II, though.
IAN tho fun get out Of II is in finding IL. any
how he used 10 say, with the true spirit Of tho
quartzchaser
Hughes was pretty bad man. He had a lot
Of notches on his gun stock before ever met him,
and lots Of things happened to him after knew
him His nickname, Overland Doc sounds as
II he had been sawbones He wasn't The
name was fastened To him because, one time when
he was shot twice in tho shoulder by a prospecting
pardner Of his. down in New Mexico he straddled
his cayuse and rode IS miles between sunset and
sunrise 10 get medical attention at the nearest
settlement He was In daze from loss Of blood
when the cayusc stumbled into the settlement
and then rolled dead incidentally rolling
on Hughes some-and after that the boys dubbed
him Overland Doc
"He did ono Of tho nerviest Jobs Of his life in
Durango. Col. In 'S5 He had brother living
thorc, young fellow In his twenties Hughes
looked upon his brother as a good deal Of dude
and didn't have much commerce with him. One
day Overland Doc got a letter from this young
brother Of his, saying that he d been abused In
Frank Brattons brace faro bank in Durango
The young man stated in his letter that he'd gone |
up against Bratton's game, and that after the |
phony bank had got all Of his gilt, some 500.
Bratton and his bunch had dropped him out OF a |
second story window and broken his leg
Hughes was in Leadville when he got this let |
Ter but he made bee line for Durango ten minutes
after he got it Now, this Frank Bratton man |
was pretty evil gezebu for anybody TO play tag |
with He'd been running a brace game all over
the Southwest and tho Rocky country for years,
and he'd mover been known TO blanch when the |
toughest and hottest Of his victims had started in
10 puncture the fixtures after dropping their money
He'd always stayed right along until the shooting
was over and then, II any trouble over dead peo
pie doomed up in front OF him. he'd Just fold UP
his layout and move on to the next stand He was
, gun4anner, knife fighter and Hercules all
in one, and up TO the time Of the incident m going
10 tell you about he'd never been called
"Bratton ran four tables at his Durango outfit,
and hed picked everyone OF the four lookouts for
sheir quickness on the trigger and their shrewd-
ness in sizing up in advance the fellows who looked
like they were going to shoot Hughes knew |
Bratton, and he knew all about those four sud.
don guys who sat in the lookouts' chairs. too |
All the Same, at 10 o'clock tho night after he'd
gotten that letter from his younger brother he |
turned up at the entrance to Bratton's layout |
he hadn't been to see his broken-legged brother
at all. He Just wanted to SEQ Brattoan There
was greaser on the door, and this greaser tried
to tell Hughes that he couldn't get in-for Brat
ton. fancying that Hughes the elder, might be
eiong' had 80 instructed his doorman. Hughes
gave tho Greaser slap in the face and then the
Inside the layout, waving both Of his chopped off
forty lives from side to side to not only cover
bratton. who sat at desk and the four lookouts |
but the whole bunch OF fellows who sat playinp |
at the four tables
Now. 1t would have been tho simplest thing in
life for any one of those four look outs to have
poked his hand into the drawer of the dealer near
est him and to have got the ready to hand gun
out for action. II would have been taking a
chance n fnr II |
to DO the limited mail when 1t came to getting
next to quick moves of this kind but II It had been
done Bratton and the rest OF EN- would have been |
spaced some humiliation Not man Of EN- made |
q move except that the players screwed their
heads around to see what was going 10 happen.
"Bratton. said Hughes to the boss of the plant
who sat at his desk like carved man. come over |
here TO me-runnin''
"Bratton got up from the desk in a hurry and
walked over close to Hughes at pretty nifty pace
That's near enough said Hughes still fan
ming those two sawedoffs 30 as to keen the look |
outs IN order What's this hear about your |
putin II on that dude brother o. mine2'
lie lost his coin and made hollar said Brat |
ton' with vicious look out Of his eyes Then |
he was dropped out of window
Who done the droppn2' inquired Hughes,
not looking at Bratton but watching every move
OF the iook-o with regulations for sudden plays
heSi"Nu uuul luRneS n blOOdSlOt. |
nre-spittng eyes pinned him tag o second.
81 did, he replied then
That's what figured said Hughes, quietly.
Then, In voice that could be heard a block. he
Eavo the command ,
All hands shassay to the corner over there
indicating with nod Of his head the corner of the
room "hero there was the most space The men 4
In front OF and behind those tables knew that
overland Docs guns weren't at half cock, and I
that II was whole lot too much OF a lottery as
70 who'd get 1t first II no wasn't obeyed instantly
ihey roso as one man. dealers. look outs, and
players and gided to the corner Of the room indi
Gated by Hughes with the bloodshot dead angry I
Dyes
You can stay where you stand Hughes said
70 bratton' who turned as II TO Join the crowd
over In the corner.
II would have been so perfectly easy for one
oi me group OF look outs and dealers over in that
corner to have plugged Hughes where he stood
waving his guns that it seems peculiar non. Of