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

Luck Against a bad Man = Caused q
Drowning Debtor to be Rescued
and Lost $1,000 by the Operation.
An Improbable Deal In Texas
stccrs-His Last Attempt to Play a
Butcher Knife Against n Faro Deal.
cr's Pistol. e
one evening at hotel In Denver one
CT party of men happened to read
aloud an article relative to John Wesley
Hardin. now in the Texas penltentlary.
Thea he remarked:
Speaking OF Hardin and bad men In
general reminds me OF Jim Davis.
"Toothplck" Davis, as he was more
Familiarity called. in whom4I used to
take n great deal OF interest when he
was in Austin. Tex. Afterward used
TO see him great deal In Galveston.
where he ran G faro game and general
gambling house. Davis was the hard
est man I ever met, and have seen q
few. He was a giant OF man, over
six feet In height, broad and burly as
Ing, possibly mile or two. from shore,
when noticed "Toothplck" and another
man cruising about at little distance
from me. Suddenly ''Toothpick's" part
ner, who was stepping gayly about In
the boat, fell into the water. In q wild
endeavor to save his friend. Davis fell
after him. The boat. which was sailing
n Bit free at. the time went something
like 100 yards, and then got her head
into the wind and stood there Tapping
ter sails. When the first man hit the
water my boatman. without waiting for
orders, at once headed to the rescue.
When Davis fell into the water he was,
ifanything. nearer to US than his friend.
We pointed for him to pick him up. but
as we approached he waved his hand
and yelled:
".'Don't stop for me. Save my friend.
He can't swim q lick and he owes me
$500
"of course we kept on and captured
his friend, who had about n tub Of water
In him. and didn't have anything to say
for an hour "Toothpick." who could
sustain himself. we recovered safe and
sound II was perhaps three days later
when I CHANGED to meet ''Toothpick"
Davis in the barroom Of the hotel, and,
after thanking me for saving his life,
he said:
"'gut about my friend. You know
that | yelled TO YOU that he owed me
1880. Well. that's straight; but what
does the fellow do? AS soon as he re-
covered his breath he lands on me and
says tina; he must be In n streak OF good
luck because ne didn't drown. and that
Il I'd stake. him against faro bank he
would win 100000. The worst OF it is
that he actually made me believe 1t.
Well, coughed up $1,000. and now he
owes me $500. see? 1t would have
been better for me financially II he had
drowned, so I'm not so grateful as l
was"
II think" said a man from the south
west, that I used to see something of
your friend Davis out in Texas. too. 1t
was when the NJ, X. & T. railway was
extended in 1872. from Parson. Kas.. to
Dennison. 1t went through-a section
practically pre-empted by the maraud-
Ing half-breeds, the rustlers and crimi-
nails who subsequently had to emigrate
10 No-Man's Land. While the road was
In construction the monte men and as
fine a gang OF criminals as ever went
unhung swarmed about the tent towns
to rrey upon the railway laborers.
Shooting was common. and the saying
was that It was exceptional II q man
wasn't served for breakfast, The off,
ciais lived In ,cabooses with extra tim
berad sides. sort of fortresses on wheels.
Col. Edward Lynde had the contract for
the road. not an .enviable one, consider
ing the country from which he had to
secure his supplies. He was q tine-iook-
ing man, tall, 1.-THE. alert, and u stran-
ger to fear. He made an engagement
no, &c trap no
plies. c"Toothpick"prom by con-
tract to bring 100 yoke of oxen to the
present city OF Eufaula to carry sup
plies 4outh; but what does "Toothpick"
do? He simply went out and rounded
up some Texas steers, and, yoking these
up with difficulty. started out. The
novelty wore off for the beasts after the
first two days out. and there was a
grand stampede. in which wagons were
overturned and the steers broke away.
"Toothpick" made not the least attemp.
TO rectffy matters, and rode away
south.
''Lynde soon heard OF the confusion
and started after Davis with a big
muleteer named Jim. a fifty-mile chase
brought them up with Davis. who was
accompanied by Mexican. Tooth
rick" reached for his guns. but was
covered by Big Jim. The Mexican. who
attempted TO throw knife, dropped it
with an oath when he got bullet In
the wrist. 'Toothpick" was tied up
like n trussed chicken, thrown In n
wagon and carried back to the end OF
the line where he was made to square
accounts. Davis didn't relish this. and
swore that Lyrde's life should pay for
the Inconvenience Of that long ride, and
made n promissory notch for Big Jim.
One night, about month after this.
Col Lynde drove into the hamlet OF
Avoca, and. jumping from the buck
board. fastened into the hotel. The
harroom was redolent OF smoke and full
OF border men and r the midst OF the
largest group stood Davis. Every mar
vas accounted man OF experience and
all had heard OF Toothpicks boast.
Lynde. for reasons best known TO him
SELF. had never carried a gun, but he
had one th!ns-?erve-and plenty OF II.
He walked over 10 Toothpick Davis
AID pushed him aside. remarklng In a
loud voice that he would kill him on
sight II he crossed his path again. He
then proceeded upstairs and to bed; this
YVES not pleasant, and the gang pro-
CeedeC 10 liquor up making things
lively. and a man was shot In 4 room
beneath Col. Lynde. Early the next
morning Lynde went into the office,
which was long narrow room. with n
railing at one end. Suddenly there was
. cJmmotion In the street. Davis burst
il the Goor. raeled In with revolver
In each hand. and with an oath. asked
!of Col. Lynde. The latter leaped over
the railing and. drawing his huge old
;ashl0Hcd pocketbook from his hip
pocket, started for Davis, shouting I've
got you now! and Toothpick fled as II
spnrred by the devil himself"
Speaking OF the time when parts OF
the country were practically pre-empted
by marautigg half-breeds and rustlers,