The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1901-06-11
VIE eILL,s flRsT eATrLE.


OtOIJ " OnS " tis MOST remarkable
Conflicts in Border Annals.
e, c. Little. in Everybody's Magazine.
Forty years ago, in December, ten men
on bay horses gallopcd across the dry hei
OF Rock creek, skirted little camn OF
cottonwoods and drew rein before the bars
of the Overland Stage companys horse cor.
raj on the California trail Jew miles
north Of Manhattan. Biu McKanllas
jumping from his horse put his hand on
the top bar. A tall slender Young man
stepped TO the door Of the dugout Il rev
yards away with a gun in n S hnnd ana
eyed the Mckandlas gang with darN ais,
favor. He called out with some emphasis
lhat he would shoot the nrst man wuo
took down bur, and made some com.
ments on their parentagc
Few hours heioro they had gone by his
Quarters Jerking an old preacher Mt The
end OF lnriat AS they pissed they an.
bounced that they would come back FOR
the stage horses In the corrnl at y O'clock
In the afternoon. Tho young man with INC
when they came BACK He Was paid to
Ieeu, harness and protect the companies
property, and Intended TO earn his lnoncg
The ten visiting gentlemen tied their nc rsts
70 the corral ana turned Ia the more chcpr.
ful duty of eNtermiuating the mprudent
and forward Young Waterman. lie retired
into his dugout domlcie. blurred the door,
ana STOOD waiting with riae in his hanu
Even then he mad the habit of n sue
Ing until the occasion really Demanded II
Inc hlghwaymen hunted up log trotn
among the cottonwoUds ana with pra
WORTHY industry proceeded to batter down
the door.
Jim McKandias. with revolver, n bowie
kuite, n whoop aud n yell leaned ACROSS
the threshold and into eternity As the
others rushed through the door the m n
inside fred three shots. with that accu.
rlcy OF aim for which he was so much ad.
mired In the years that were to come 1he
six somewhat startled horse thieves mo
remained alive SwarIled across tho durout
hoor, and piled upon the Young station
Que beat him over tue head with gun
hnd h4i Mchandlas struck with a how g
khiIe' only TO bury u In the table ami
win a bullet In his heart TO suddenly
terminate career which had furnished an
minute variety Of Interest for the sheriHs
and vlglnnts Of several counties 1rhe
rusty stove fell from its iusccme folndi.
tlon across the surging c0mhatants, mixed
In ineNtrcable and fsanguiuary conflixru
outside horse broke his hitcbmg str p
ana galidped away..s nhp little table broke
down beneath the weight of thousAnd
pounds OF shooting, stahblng, swearing
irontlersmen The fattcst bhpdlt rolled
toward the door, and catching n glimpse -
the brown prairie outside winch 70 X 4
good to him. suddenly reached the couctu
slon that he did not really n6fd any stage
company horses in his business aud hollcn
ny this time the AFFAIR had ceased IN
have for the other four horse fnncie a
t mat e,ntlelng Interest which had drawn
IL. the young man IN charge Of the stag
station had gone Wild" Covered win
wounds and freckled with bullet holes h.
had lost every thought aud instinct cxccpt
INC Inst OF death ana victory As they
tcught he struck the sixth man In tbe
throat with the bowie, aud the man feli
across the little pile of BANKERS The
three who were now ON their feet re.
treated through the door aud toward their
horses, their host staggering after them
with the CLEAN of battfe still In his bh,s
eye. That morning his associates In Tho
conipanys service had gone hunting 10 re
turn on the run barely In time Ia Witness
tlle close Of the tragedy, Doc Mills tho
nsSGciate, had lost golden opportunity.
While he was ont shooting quail, Fane had
Knocked at the dug-pnt door handed a
lDurel TO James Butlef Hickok, and passed
on Htckok wrested the gun from Milrs
hand and killed another Of his deeing foes
before they we're nifty yards away. One
hadlt. wounded, sped down the little creek,
Within two days, The ninth. more for.
tunste, mounted a horse, and followed The
fat deserter across the prairie.
When the stage from the East came
rumbling In, half an hour later, they found
this hero Of the most savage anu the most
remarkable conflict IN horder annals In.
sensible and at the point of death The
floor OF his dug-out looked like the deck
Of a vikings warShip after n glorious
triumph. SIX months elapsed hefnre he
recovered He had beaten Ten men IN ri |
fair fight, killing eight Of them, but he had
Won his fight, saved his cmpioyer's prop
erty, aud henceforth he was wild Eli"
for all time.