The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1901-11-02
TELLS QUEER TALE
JOHN MANNING SHOCKS ONE OF
ELS ACQUAINTANCES.
WIFE EXPIRES FROM POISON.
Another Victim of Mans Wiles, Driven
To Drink, Becomes An Outcast
In the Lowest Society
Of Butte.

top of his tall silk tile to the tips of his
patent feathers of the latest mode,
stopped in front of jewelry store at
Park and Main streets this morning
and gazed intently across to the further
side
A friend, catching the direction of his
glance, stole up behind. whence he
vainly tried to discover the object on
which Manning's eyes were centered.
After a moment he said:
We'll, you seem to be very much in
terested: what is it?'
Manning turned quickly, and. recog-
nizing his friend, answered with
smile:
DO you see that fellow in front of the
saloon across the street there? There.
the one who has stopped to pick up
cigar butt from the gutter.
Only a Tramp.
The man to whom attention had thus
been drawn was a bum of the worst
type. Dressed in the shabbiest of at
tire. he wore a short. stubby beard. ana
his hair was long, thick and matted.
An old SLOUGH hat set rakishly on the
top of his head. His face was the Or
binary bloated visage of the common
drunk" who had made intoxication
life study from a personal point of view.
The man was a sot, Enthusiastically, and
poverty-stricken to the last degree.
Mannings friend nodded his head in
assent.
WELL" said Manning. twelve years
ago or so that fellow and myself stood
equal chances Of gaining fortune and
a woman; if anything, he had the bet
ter chance of the two.
LAS the case stood fortune had to go
with the woman. 1 guess Bittner, the
fellow over there was after thu woman
all right, and didn't give rap for the
fortune but anyway got both"
Tell us about it.
Exception in This Case.
II don't usually tell the story, but this
fellow brings it SO wildly to my mind.
that I guess I'll make an exception in
your case. 1t happened about in this
way, according to my recollection:
Several years ago Bittner and my
self rode the range together down
around San Antonio. Tex. We had both
been in the employ of the same cattle
man for some time, and for quick rop-
ing up of the bovines there were very
few Whereabouts who could hold cam
die to us.
In gun play, too, we were both ex-
peFlS, Cue UOyS OAlcl uSSu ~ SCI u1
shooting at mark against each other,
and in these bouts one would Win and
then the other.
Now, the owner of the ranch, old
Jack Eastman, had a daughter that
there's no use in telling you was verit-
a BILE peach. In the first place she was as
pretty as any girl you ever saw, and in
the next place there wasn't as good a
horse-woman in the state. Why, she
would bust broncho with any man in
the business, eand shoot! Say. she could
pick anything she swung her gun at.
Sweet on Bittner.
"She used to be sweet on Bittner,
there's no use denying that, and Bit
ner wasn't any less in love with her
more so, for that matter.
But, as the fellow says, I needed the
money, and 1 knew that the lucky man
who got Lucy would get likewise
dowry that he would have to pack
away in a good sized farm wagon, as
Eastman was worth millions all right.
so I laid my plans pretty smooth
when I made up my mind to go after
the money, and the first thing l did was
to work my way into the good graces
of the old man.
'This wasn't very difficult matter,
as Bittner even then was sometimes
pretty we'll in his cups, and by giving
the old gentleman a few judicious tips
on the love-making of Bttner and the
daughter now and then, enlarging, of
course, upon Bittners inord:nate de-
sire for the coin of the realm, the old
man began finally to be on the lay for
him.
Old Man Angry.
dow no md tho
girl dead to rights making love in the
| arbor behind the house. There's where
Bittner's finish began.
1.-The old man told him if he saw him
| around the ranch again he'd shoot him
so full of lead he wouldn't be able to
walk for weight. Lucy. of course. put
| in plea for the fellow, but it was of no
use, and Bittner had to go.
After that 1 began to lay plans in
| another way. and finally, by little side
play, succeeded in getting the old dufrer
in my power; got him just where
| wanted him.
How? Oh, you wouldn't be inter-
ested in that, hut anyway, he told the
girl she was expected to hitch up with
( me. and that any balk on her part
wouldn't go for a minute.
! LAS I had the reins in my own hand,
| l, u COuISc, udu Tie u the
dowry, and drove the old man to a pref
| ty figure Everything went merry as a
marriage bell and that is why yours
truly hasn't got a thing to do at pres
ent, thank you, save devise ways and
means of keeping time from hanging too
heavily upon my hands.
| Crying Over Picture.
| '"rhe girl" Oh, came home one night
| and found her crying over a picture OF
that fool Bittner. What do you think OF
| that? And she married woman, too.
| II promptly tore it up and then pro.
| ceeded to hand her all that was coming
to her. l admit l did hurt her feelings
pretty badly, but, then. she deserved it
The next day she took morphine OF
something or other, and before nigh
had ended passed over the bar. But it,!
all right; Johnny's got the coin just tn,
same. Come in and have a drink.
| "Whatt YOu don't care to? That