The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-01-20

Fort Bridges, 120 miles away, through a
rough and unbroken wilderness. They
Travelled day and night stopping only TO
battle Jesse's wounds at the stream they
had to cross They ate as they travelled
and on the afternoon of the third day they
reached Fort Bridges with their wounded
charge. On all that remarkable journey
Jesse never once complained either of his
sufferlngs or the hardships. | was at the
fort when the three men arrived No ex-
plantations were asked or given until Jesse
had been placed safely in the hospital.
Then the commandant said 10 Arkansas
Bill:
Indians?
'Naw' replied Bill, contemptuously.
'Bearsn
THE surgeon told Bill that Jesse could
not possibly survive his injuries. But he
did, and was out within month perma-
nently disfgured. but the same tough and
intrepid mountaineer that he was before
his experience with the bear. That was
the sort of nerve Jesse Bell had.
THE Widow McCools exhibition of
nerve began at Dry Cheyenne, and al
though she was widow she wasn't IS
years old yet. She hadn't wanted to take
the name of McCool a little bit, but Sam
McCool had plenty of money and her folks
didn't have any and wanted some Sam
wanted her, and so her folks insisted that
she should marry him, and she had the
nerve to do it, for it required nerve for
any girl TO marry Sam McCool. But she
was the Widow McCool in less than six
months. Sam got into a muss down at
Douglas and the other fellow was the
quicker with his gun. Not long after she
became the Widow McCool the stage route
company made her its agent at Dry Chey-
enne. The widow was trim and snappy,
dark as a Mexican almost, and pretty as
a picture. A dozen of the boys fell in
love with her on the go in, but she kept
EN- at distance By and by Mart Hun
toon, the rich ranchman, saw the widow
one day, and he wasn't in the habit of let
ting anything get away that he wanted,
and the upshot of the matter was that the
Widow McCool at last consented TO marry
him and help him to get rid of some of his
dollars. Mart was tough one and about
the handiest man with a gun there was in
that region, and he had a bad gang of
rustlers al his back. Mart and the widow
were to be married early in May, and
about the first of the month who should
drop into Dry Cheyenne but Jim Kidd.
Jim was a quiet sort of chap, but he
was game. He sold goods out through the
country for a house in the East. The min
ute he got his eyes on the Widow McCool
he was gone, and the fun of it was that
the widow fell in love with him on first
sight too. There was to be a dance at
Sheffield couple of nights after jam
struck Dry Cheyenne, and he asked the
Widow McCool if she would go with him
and take it in. She said she would, but
at the same time told Jim that if Mart
Huntoon got wind of 1t the chances were
first rate for their both coming back to
Dry Cheyenne feet first. But she and
Jim sneaked away and went to the dance.
Sheffield was twenty miles from Dry Chey-
enne. 1t wasn't long before some of the
boys missed Jim and the widow They
suspected that they had gone to the
dance. and word was sent to Mart He
came down from his ranch, crazy mad.
and got together half a dozen or so OF
his gang, and away they went for Shet-
field and the dance. When they got there
they found Jim and the Widow McCool
in the midst of the festive throng. The
widow discovered the new arrivals at once,
and quietly asked Jim if he had pistol,
jim said he had two.
"'All right said the widow. Keep 'em
handy. You'll need em befGSe long
'"Tnen she and Jim took their places for
the next dance Before this was over
Mart's gang started a row, and began TO
close in on Jim Kidd. He backed up
against a door at one side of the ball room
and whipped out his two six-shooters. The
Mart's foreman and another of Marts
mon dead in their track. In the excite
ment that followed the lights were put
out. A second later Jim felt the door open
behind him. and he was yanked through at
so quick he didn't know where he was I'M
fiji he heard the door bolted and heard the
voice of the Widow McCool The merry
widow knew the house, and she had seen
thar the door Jim backed up against led
bat had q window on the
other side. She had slipped out OF doors,
got into the bed room through the wan
dow opened the door. yanked jim into
the room and bolted the door again before
anvone in the darkness and excitement
Of the bali room knew what had become
of him But for that Jim would nave
be,u a dead man in less than ten SECONDS.
Just as quickly as she had yahkeo Jun
into the bed room by the door she hustled
bjr, ont Of il by the window. They mount
n5 the first two horses they found tied IN
+ha ward and before Mart Huntoon ara
his Gang knew what was going on jim
and the Widow McCool were streakng IL
quay on the road to Douglas. Jim had
pistol shot through his left forearm ana
one through the ieshy part OF ms iel.
shoulder but the fueitives rode all that
NIGHT and all the next day ana got 20
Douglas on Sunday night. There they ieIS
tbeir exhausted horses, hired team ana
headed for Chadron, Neb BY the time
Nart Huntoon got the trail at Douglas
linn and the widow had left Chadron TOT
me East, only the widow wasn't the
widow McCool any more, but Mrs. james
Kidd. Mart lost the trail and never iounu
If and society at Dry Cheyenne ana there
ahonts wondered for years what had be-
come of jim and the widow who had
nerve enough to steal herself from Mart
IT,,ntoon aud his gang and to take jim
Kidd with her, and maybe they are won
dering yet.
"1t was down In New Mexico in the
no1rov davs of the cheerful pastimes the
citi1ens Of that region were wont to IN
d,Iqe IN that Joe Lathrop was called upon
~ evercise nerve of a peculiar brand. joe
So como into that delectabe country
with $500 in gold, which he was very So
Iici,ons about. for it was his intention TO
r,ai,e a fortune with it by investing II
in a gold mine a friend Of his said he
bad discovered a few miles from Pueblo.
Toe and his friend. with other travellers
,vera on their way to Pueblo in the coach
mat carried the mail, and it was suddenly
D