The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-05-13
SHOOTING DAYS IN TEXAS.
QUICK WORK WITH 4 PISTOL DONE
ny MARSHAL THOMPSON.
Died. Though. at the Hands Of the Friends Of
a Man lie Klied-A woman Who Kept a
Hotel and Could shoot-Fste Of . silk Hat
RI. Murdrrers In jail at Fort Smith.

Hotel and Could Shoot -Fase OF . SILK Hat
The hurderers In jail st Fort smith.
"rher. has been a great change In Texas
since | began travelling that way" said the
gray headed RUNNER with the dyed mus
tache. as he lit a fresh cigar.
ct reco,l the first tine | ever went through
Texas said the smootl-faced man. Il had
heard . great deal about the reckless way they
carried their guns down there. and l took a
seven-shootcr with me, but although ] was in
the state for ten years never had occasion to
draw IT,"
Probably If Won had the other fellow would
have dropped you before you could have pulled
it from your pocket. No man has u chance
viii those people unless he has been prnc-
Using at a mark all his liza.
The third day after ! reached San Antoine"
continued the smooth-faced man. i was walk
ing along the street where the Mexlcans have
their night lunch wagons forget It's natae
now. Several of the biggest saloons IN the
place were in this part Of the town. l henrd
a report and the next minute "A man 5 FORM
appeared in an open doorway a coupe OF rods
away. and fell over the threshold TWO or
three policemen rushed mp ana carried nm
of TO the station, which was near by l went
along with the crowd and saw that he had
been shot through the head. In a few minutes
two officers came w with the man who did
the shooting. He was q DEPUTY marshal named
Thompson and the dead man was a desperate he
was looking for on the charge OF stealing horses.
l believe. II was a case OF kill or be- killed,
and the marshal didn't wait. All had heard
about Texas | believed. | expected TO see
or hear Of some one being shot every day. but
that was the only case when | was around dur
ip,y tI, .ptirn tim, u-ls in fha State
Il ran give You the rest o! that story, said
the man with the gray mu>tache aud the pipe,
al the other end ~ the table. Il was in north
ern Texas at the time aud heard about the shoot
Ing. Some Of the mans friends followed up
the marshal and within a year shot him also.
He had the reputation of being about aS nervy
n man a. there was in the state and could
actually drive tacks into a wall with his
bullets. You have heard about such things
being done, but Jaw II with my own eyes,
| have also seen him stand MP at a di.tance
of forty feet. and while some one held an
open knife with the edge Of the blade
toward him. he would -plit six bullets on it in
succession. lie had q big reputation and was
the means Of putting an end 10 many a horse
thief and outlaw. The way be was killed was
like this. He went up 20 Lampassas for some
ore. Several friends Of the mar whom he
shot NJ san Antoine heard he was in the town
ard lay for him, a they say in kentucky. lie
ard a local official we're sitting NJ a table in
a saloon near the front window and were fired
upon BY the fellow, Thompson was shot
twice, once in the arm and ono, in the chest.
The last bullet was fatal. but before he died
he had hi, gun out and dropped one of the men
VINO did the firing. The other man was hit in
the leg and recovered. Thompson wa very
wei! thought O' aud the shooting attracted a
crowd Of people who caught the two men who
vrrn trying to sc, away. ! believe they were
all hanged a month later, Us the man he had shot
recovered sufficiently 10 be tried ana was sem
fenced with the ret,
"Sreaking aboHt TampaSsas. were either OF
Won ever ~ the Hotel Lawrence asked the
drummer with the mustache,
You mean the one kept by the woman whose
husband wa in the harness business? ! should
say | was, " said the emooth-taced mar. ono"
wa euouEh tur me. In those days II was HE
Only lodging house IN the place, | went III,
dr2pred my ample p.eG'' on the moor ana aoEed
Reckon 20 can, laid she
Cen you give me a sample room
"'Cert'nly, | eau Tx yr ny all right on that
She was bar Dotted and | should say would
have weighed lgily $50 pounds; A ,c4ool desk
covered with OIlcloth contained the old account
book used for "A register. NV name was the
frs, which had been put IN 1t for a week. On the
cred with 4 turkey rei cloth and the other bare.
This was The dining room. She told me 10 follow
her lntO M tath Ndta, NItTt ! " iSItG NY lace
and hands in a TIN basin on a wooden bench. I
had used ny handkerchief for u towel. Then |
went out front and IL a cigar unit! she called ne
in and said supper was ready, II was Il pretty
lar meal, spread out on the table with the
cloth. | had Mexican coffee 10 drink and aC-
tudlly ice water, although | never knew, where
she got the ice. When was about half through
eating two or three cowboys came in and ordered
sl,per. She put them over AZ the other table
and set out some cold meat. fried potatoes, bread
and butter and a pitcher Of water. They began
a. eat, and enc fellow u.lled a Hhiskey fiu,k from
his pocket. poured some into each glass and
filed it up With water, They looked into the
pitcher and then one OF them called out
Haven't you got any !ce''
''rhe old woman never laid q word He waited
amlnu;e, then called out again She was behind
the desk and apparently did not hear him,
Then he pounded 80 the table, swore a little
and asked again, She came over to the table,
looked the man in the 'ace a minute and said
Dye EXPECT I'm goin' TO give SIGH a. ye are
ice water when only gifts rs cents a head IRON
ye7 IL don't like il, git out That settled II.
and they never said q word,
nv samples. She led the way into her own
bedroom. where n big piece of ,~oilcloth had
been sIread out on the bed, and told me J could
bureau, stood n Remington rereating rife. and
on the bureau itself We're two bug navy revoi,
vers, loaded. l%alterward heard that she could
Use these weapons A. we'll as any man around
the place, and She had the reputation Of being
able 20 keen order and collect her bills without
the aid Of her husband. He had a little shop on
lHF E'S ~ " INV Nv ~ ANA,At tAANA
made brides for the country around.
"We had TO he particular about the way we
dressed down there In those day. said the
man viththa dyed mn .tache. throwing away the
stump ~ hi cignr and pulling ont n fresh one.
Il remember a fellow by the name of Mckee
We called him Mac for short. He made his
first trip along the Northwestern road for q
New York house and wore a silk hat, ] sup
pose nine out Of ten people In that part Of the
was going the ,ame way a | was and when he
left Galveston ! advised him To buy a SLOUGH
hat. but he knew all about II and said the tile
would holp him 10 get business and that ne
could take the risk II was slow travelling
at that time and going out TO Austin took a
dav. When We were about Atty miles from
the town a gang Of cowboys came into the
smoker. They had all taken something before
starring and were evidently going up TO the
capital to spend Saturday night and have a
good time. Macs hat took them at once,
from a six-footer In one corner. Wonder
how much hair there is inside H. =
Hes one of those Eastern chaps come
down here TO put on airs. said another. Tets
see who cnu hit II first
ITS a fact that two or three pulled their
revolvers out and shot through the top of IL.
Mac got up and ran ont Of the car. while the
crowd fairly yelled after him. They did not pay
much attention 10 me as I was wearing ordinary
clothes, although they took me for a drummer
at once. A. loon "a ! could get UP without at
and found Mac very much broken UP. lie
wished he had taken my advice. His hat was
ruined and looked like n sieve a. three bullet ;
had passed clear through the top, making six
hole alone and tearing out big pieces Of the fur
Il think the best thing You could do l. to get