Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1899-03-08
a3tisee1laneons 8sading.
BAD MAN AND HIS MASTER.
Clay Allison of New Mexico Meets Quiet
Citizen.

from Ine NeW 1oTh Sun'
"In a recent number of The Sun /
read an account of the killing of the
desperate Chunk by Clay Allison at
Red River Station in New Mexico" "
said a man who lived several years in
that territory. 1.-THE story of the
event, as it was told me on the spot
where the shooting took place, was
that Chunk had come to New Mexico
from the Indian Territory to kill Alli-
son, who had shot his uncle. He was
known as bad man with a reputation
for quick shooting to match Allison's.
The two men met at Red River Sta
ton, where the overland stage had
stopped for dinner, and they sat at the
dining table opposite each other, each
watching his chance to get the drop on
the other. Presently Chunk dropped
his knife on the floor and reached his
hand down below the table as if to
pick it up. Instantly Allison pulled
his pistol and shot him between the
eyes. Chunk fell forward, dead, against
the table, and Allison went on with his
dinner as if nothing had happened.
The occurrence naturally disturbed
the appetites of the other guests, but
Allison cautioned them to remain seat
ed until he had finished his dinner, and
they all took his advice. After dinner
he mounted his horse and rode away
and the affair ended with that.
"There was long list of casualties
to the account of Clay Alison's pistol,
but they all occurred in face-to-face
encounters, with no working up of the
drop or any unfair advantage on his
part. He was in good repute as a
cattleman, and when free from liquor
his behavior was that of a free-hearted,
good fellow. When drunk the vic.
lent, homicidal side of his character
asserted itself. / saw an exhibition OF
this trait soon after my coming to
New Mexico. 1t was at Cimarron,
the county seat of Colfax county, on
the occasion of an exciting election,
and Allison had been at the polls all
day. After the polls were closed AL.
lison stood drinking among group OF
men lined up at the counter in Lam,
bert's barroom. Next him a man
named Cation stood waiting to be serV.
ed. Happening to turn his head and
see him. Allison, without word,
pulled his heavy revolver and Knocked
Cation down with savage blow in the
head. 1t was supposed that he mis-
took Cation for another man whom be
disliked, but no explanations were ask
ed or offered; the man was taken
away, half stunned and bleeding, and
the drinking went on with no break
in the previous conversation.
"In 1878 I saw in corner OF the
same barroom two splashes of red
against the wall which marked the
place where Pancho, a Mexican des.
perado, fell by Allison's pistol. The
two men were hunting each other and
came together there. Pancho stood in
the corner and as he talked with Ali,
son held his sombrero before his body
as cover to his right hand, which he
was working down toward his pistol
when Allison fired twice. The lights
went out in the shooting and Lambert
closed the barroom without relighting
them. Allison had gone out and rid
den away, but Pancho could not be
found. The next morning when Lam
bert opened his bar he saw Pancho,
asleep as be supposed, in chair in the
corner of the room and tried to wake
him. The Mexican was dead, shot
through the head and the heart.
"In the period when Las Animas.
CAL, was terminus of the Kansas
Pacific railroad branch from Kit Car.
son, and the New Mexico beef herds
were driven up there to be shipped
east, Allison made things lively at that
town every season. One night when
he and his friends had started in to run
the town the city marshal, by way 'ot
remonstrance, came to the door of a
dance hall where they were and fired
in on them with shotgun, dropping
Allison's brother to the floor badly
wounded. Allison at the time was
dancing; but before the marshal could
dodge back he had drawn his pistol
and shot him dead. Running to the
door he caught the dead man by the
collar and pulled him to where his
brother lay bleeding on the floor
Here's the fellow that shot you,' be
said.
"During the year that Allison was
on the warpath in New Mexico his
doings occupied a good deal of public
attention. But while his name was
one to conjure by, and his courage was
never questioned, there were quiet
men in New Mexico but little heard Of
who were as brave and as quick on
the trigger as he, and who would &c
no great lengths to avoid trouble with
him. Pete Buleso, the sheriff of Col.
fax county, was of these. Mace Bow,
man, who was at one time deputy
sheriff in Colfax county, was another
Clay Allison had reason to remember
call down that he once got from
Bowman 1t occurred as Las Animas
where Allison had killed the city mar
shall. He came into dance hall one
night whirling his revolver round his
forefnger, announcing that he was
Clay Allison and that everybody pres
ent must take off his hat. Bowman
who was in the crowd, wouldn't have
it so, and said that all the Allisons
that ever came from Tennessee couldn't
make him take his hat off. The men
looked at each other and Allison in.
vited him to drink. They drank to.