The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1901-04-05

InelT TlHeS, Couu get SlEHt ana pun
the trigger. The fame of that shot
quickly spread all over that region
and am regarded today in the Black
Hills as a dead sure shot. 1t is need
less to say that have never done any
shooting there since"
May he Running Yet.
What sort of man was the bully,
Jim Jones', With whom old man East!
man offered to fight with knives?"
He was an overgrown fellow, strong
as an OK, braggar+ who was always
telling Of the murders he had commit
ted, always in alleged SELF defense. un-
til people really believed he was a bold,
bad man, as he represented himself to
be. He had a quarrel once with a
young lawyer, in his office at Yanton,
and was incontinently fired out at the
toe Of a boot. A week later he caught
that same young lawyer in a square
store room, with no exit but the door,
and rushing at him with big knife
in his hand. exclaimed: I've got you
now where l want YOU The lawyer
pulled small revolver from his
pocket, fired and struck Jones over the
heart. The bullet merely glanced
around his ribs, and Jones ran away
yelling bloody murder. AS he ran the.
young lawyer fired twice and hit both
times. He was not seriously injured,
solely because the revolver was harm
less. They say in Dakota that Jones is
running yet. He has never since been
seen, for he left the country the follow
| ing week. He could not face the people
again as bully, and it is said that he
went into Montana.
| THAT trip to the Hills was an event.
full one to me-" continued the senator.
''The night after our arrival Dead
| wood burned to the ground. l was
asleep In a little hotel, and right across
the hall from my room Major Reno,
of Custer massacre fame, slept.
Burned His Wniskers ON.
was awakened about l O'clock In
the morning by the cry Of fire. Hastily
donning my clothes. 1 opened the door
into the hall, where a blaze came in
which nearly burned my whiskers off,
hastily closed the door and locked 1t,
but in that momentary glance saw
two mem in the flame dragging anoth-
er. 1t proved to be Major Reno as
afterwards learned that he was taken
out In an unconscious condition.
opened the window, jumped upon the
roof near by and escaped. I went
through blazing streets to the residence
Of Judge, lately Senator G. c. Moody,
on a side hill. From his front yard T.
with couple Of friends, stood and
watched the frontier city below us dis
appear in flame and smoke. The houses
were nearly all Of pitch pine. They siz-
zled with the heat and finally famed
up and disappeared, one after another,
| like tinder boxes. Before the sun arose
every vestige of human habitation all
along the gulch was in ashes. Town
lots were jumbled together and 1t took
a long time to mark their lines again.
But by o'clock that morning tables
| were rugged up on the ruined streets
and gamblers were at work with their
games. BY night temporary counters
| were set up and saloons were doing
business. In one year new city had
been built and 1t is prospecting today.
"One of my companions on that trip
| to the Black Hills was an ex-member
| OF congress who had been largely in
strumental in securing the bill which
opened the Black Hills to settlement.
He was not personally known to many,
put MS name was household word.
The people Of the Hills were ready to
! worship him. Well, when we entered
the town of Deadwood, the night be-
\ fore the fire, this ex-congressman who
had weakness for liquor entered the
handsomest barroom in the town. He
had been drinking considerable and l
followed him to take care OF him. He
| marched up to the bar and shouted in
a tone loud enough for all in the crowd
ed room to hear him: Give me some
rot gut. I amt asking for whisky, but
! I'm asking you for what you've got !
| want rot gut
i All Drank Champagne.
4 The barkeeper, an athletic and fierce
looking young fellow, was insulted, and
came around from behind the bar to as
sault my friend with club. Just as I
/ stepped between them to demonstrate
my inebriated friend shouted: I'm
Judge Blank, an the Hills are mine. |
want rot gut, an I'm going to have It,
AS soon as he mentioned his name
the barkeeper stopped and asked me If
that were indeed Judge Blank. L told
MIN that 1t was, and he rushed back to
ms place behind the bar, exclaiming:
4 Here, all you buffers! Stop your games
and come right up to the bar and drink
at the expense of the house. Here is to
the health of our guest, Judge Blank.
who owns the Hills Or course they ali
came up, and the judge had to shake
hands all around. Then, turning to the
barkeeper he shouted: Where is my
pulling champagne corks and they
i popped at a lively rate. Every man in
the immense room had champagne. and
It was OF tile finest quality, too AS he
drained his first glass Judge Blank
roared: I knew I'd ga what called
for. That Is the weakest whisky ]
1 ever tasted - -
"By that time the crowd was as iolly
a good natured and harmless as Won
would be likely to find anywhere on
earth in place of that kind. They had
lots of fun with the judge, and told hin
that the champagne was apollinaris
water. He stood there and drank until
he was carried away to bed He slept
all through the night of the fire, al
though he was carried out and driven
about five miles In wagon to place
OF safety. Later, when Informed Of the
A narrow escape which he had experi-
j enced, he stopped drinking and re-
NAMED temperance man as long as
he lived. He always said that the
4 Deadwood temperance lecture cured
him. 1t was fiery lecture"