The Portland daily press., 1899-02-02
BULLETS INSTEAD OF COOS.
One of Sam weIIer's Song. ParaIiered
in Actual Lifc in New Mexico.

In the song ofsBold Turpin and the
Bishop, which Sam Weller sang on an
occasion described in the "Pickwick
Papers" IL Is told how the Bishop having
rashly exclaimed at the first sight of Tur-
pin; "As sure rs eggs Is eggs, this It the
bold Turpini" the highwayman resented
the woris to the extent Of compelling the
Bi shop to eat them, with sarse of leaden
bullet" Then he followed up the reproof
by putting "a couple Of balls in the mob"
of the coschman who tried to run away.
This tale Of two lives snuffed out over
matter of eggs has been regarded rather
In the light OF poetical license than as
serious statement Of facts: but two men
were killed once in Las Vegas. n. M, as
the result of dispute over the ordering
Of eggs at a hotel breakfast
at was In the winter of 10 and 80.
the winter after the Acthison road was
built to Las Vegas that l saw the com
mercial traveller shot by the waiter in
the Occidental Hotel there for asking for
eggs at break IA Il" said former resident
of New Mexico now stay ing In New York.
The Territory was wild one then and
Las Vsgas was the toughest town lin 1t.
All the tough characters In the South
west made 1t their stamping sroun5, and
every barkeeper and waiter and BARRIERS
app entice was filed up with the doings
of Clay Allison and Doc Holiday and
hilly the Kid, and carried gun and Law
for an easy mark to get man and make
himself name. These foolish youngsters
were far more dangerous in the com
munity than the genuine desperadoes
who saw no fun in killing an unarmed
man. and did most OF their shooting
among themselves.
I'm the dining room of the Occidental
Hotel where had taken my breakfast
on the morning Of the shooting, the wait
ers were made up of about equal proper
tons of saucy, slaDgy girls. ana inde-
pendent, tough young fellows, who swag-
gered and damned Things, put In their
word In conversations among guests. and
were more concerned in making the ten
de rfoot visitor feel his unimportanoe
than in providing for the wants OF his
appetite had left the dining room and
was sitting In the Office when the com
mercial traveller. who had risen late,
went in for his breakfast. / was still In
the Office when be came out from the
dining room in bad temper because he
could get no eggs at the table. DE had
had words with the waiter who had re-
fused 90 serve him-a young man, named
Patterson, who had come from Lawrence,
Kan. to New Mexico. Presently Phtter-
son came out into the office. Who began
the controversy again / did not notice,
but soon they were having words over the
matter of the eggs, and then, without
warning, Patters on pulled revolver ana
shot the commercial traveller In the body.
XIV cry body sitting or standing round
Jumped and people came running In from
the street at the sound Of the snot The
City Marshal and Lutte WILCOX, SIN
editor OF the Denver tield-he was then
"A reporter on the Las Vegas Optic--were
among the first to arrive on the scene.
While the City Marshal arrested ard dis
armed Patterson, the hotel clerk and
Wilcox got the wounded man upstairs to
his room and TO bed. When the doctor
came the seriouness of his wound was dis
covered and ne died next day.
Patterson was in Jail awaiting trial
when | went away from Las Vegas IA few
days later. There was talk that he would
be lynched, but the man he killed was
not "a citizen of the town, and the Nigilan-
ties lay low and let matters square them
selves another way. Public sentiment was
against the prisoner. and the murdered
man had friends in the great commission
houses in Las Vegas with whom he had
dealt. 1t was Gilliet Otero, now Governor
of New Mexico, the son of the grand old
Senior Don Miguel Otero, who told me the
sequel of this tragedy. Patterson got lhe
running cinch, which means everything
left open for a prisoners escape from jail
and men stationed outside to see that he
does not get away. He took the chance
offered him, broke Jail, and was killed
running at the Puertecito six miles be-
low the plaza"