The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-03-13

ooZed out until he hadn't single strand
OF 1t left-he was simply limp with fear
Then came the rescue from fear OF as.
sassinatlon. but with the certainty OF a
long. wearisome Imprisonment. Weeks
and even months passed with the poor
devil lying on his cot and counting the
files to pass away the time. At last
after about three months Of utter weari.
ness he got out on bail. Haggard and
unshaved and covered with dirt he left
the court house and FASTENED to the
telegraph office and wrote the message
to friends In England. 1t contained jus,
one word: lI
Free"
Then he disappeared for three hours,
When he came back to the telegraph
office. with new trousers rolled up at
the bottom, q new white shirt open at
the throat and new silk hat on the
northwest corner OF his head. There
was roll TO his gait and an unsteady
look In his eyes and wrote another
message as brief and to the point as the
former one. 1t said:
Drunk
by the way, adverting to Tooth
pick Davis. do any OF you gentlemen
know what finally become OF him %
asked man from Missouri, with an
air OF interest.
"Oh. he got killed finally" answered
the man from the southwest. "It was
somewhere up In Gunn!son county, !
believe, over In what they call the Tin
cup mining dictrict ToothpIck was
playing faro bank one night. and went
broke. He turned to mIld-eyed little
man, who was sitting on his left, and
said: Stick fifty on the queen for me
pard.' The mild little man did as re-
quested and the queen lost He bcr-
rowed another fifty and lost It the same
way Following these two defeats
Davis strolled out. but after being away
half an hour. returned with $50. He
went against the game again. and soor
had his twenty up to five OF six hun
dred. By this time the meek little man
who had lent him the 500 was broke.
Tn broke Dav!s.' said he: Suppose
you pay me that hundred.
Go away from me now, said Tooth
pick savagely; I don't want to be both
cred now
but didn't talk like when I ad-
vanced 1t to you.' demonstrated the lit.
tie man.
"'You keep on ootheriIg me abou.
that hundred said Davis. with a dark
frown, and I'll do something that will
make You sick
AT Toothpick's second retort to the
meek little man, the dealer pointed q
steady finger at Davis and. said:
| You cash in what chips You have;
you can't set down another bet on this
| layout
"'Oh. yes I think can, asserted
Toothpick. I can gamble against this
bank all l like
"I'll be hanged II you cam retorted
the dealer. You cash In your chips
and get move on YOU, or you won,
| get your money Stf. ~
Davis wanted his money. He shoy ed
over his chips with a scowl. and tbs
| dealer cashed them. After he had the
money In. his, pocket, Toothpick arose
and left the room. 1t was about ar
hour later when he suddenly entered q
the rear door armed with butcher
knife about as large as cavalry sabre
There were a dozen men in the room
| including the meek little man over
whom the row started Everybody wa!
| expecting trouble. Presently Toothpicl
bent a red eye upon the dealer. wht
was now behind the bar, and remarked
| Se!iSAa'AS AoI tiie peHeil VI INC CIOWu
Everybody takes drink here bu
you. you horsethlef. pointing to tbs
dealer.
The moment the round OF drink.
had been disposed OF the faro man tool
his turn. and, mimlckIng Davis In Ton.
and gesture, said:
Now then. everybody here takes {
drink except you, you horsethIcf.
| pointing at Toothpick.
That was ToothpIck's cue. He came
at the fnro sharp with a Wild rush
butcher knife TO the front. But he hat
tackled the wrong man. He had hardly
started when. bang! went the care
sharp'S pistol. and n bullet went
through his brain and he pitched a
headlong to the floor. That was the
end OF Toothpick Davis"