The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1901-02-13
WERE GOOD FELLOWS
WESTERN FRONTIER BAD MEN SHOWN
IN A NEW LIGHT.

IN A NEW LIGHT.
a Aan who Claims to Have Known
Them Says They Were Not Bu:ueE
and DID Not SyvaEger Around Min-
ing Camps Looking For Fight.
A little group Of hotel guests, most OF
whom had lived In the west mt one time
or another. were talking about the
passing Of the professional "bad man."
Il knew most cf the famous frontier
desnerndoes Of 20 years age" said one
OF the party. land almost without ex.
ception they were good fellows when
they weren't out for blood. None OF
them were bullies: in fact, they had
the best reasons for not being. When
q man made reputation us killer in
that country, he immedia tply hpcpme
mark for numerous nspirants for the
same kind Of fame. They watched him
like hawks, looking for some decent
preteXt to pick quarrel and shoot him
unawares. each anxious to be pointed
out us the man who killed So-nnd-so.'
The create" his celebrity the moro
glory there would be In giving him his
Quietus, and this ever present danger
was fully appreciated hy ;heiu :!.. This
noted bad man knew that almost any,
body could murder him, with fair
chance Of going scot free, but II, on the
contrary, he added another homicide to
his own record he would have to estab-
lish an absolutely fiawless case of self
defense.
Such handicap as that had a mighty
COOLING nfTQNt or hn
man think several times before he
did anything that might put his head
In halter. The story book idea that
the famous desperadoes of the west
used 70 swdgger around the mining
camps with chips on their shoulders,
shooting holes through peoples hats,
making 'tenderfeet' dance and spoil
ing for any kind of n fight is ridicu-
lousy wide Of the truth. They may
have done 80 In their carly days, but
after they acquired bloody celebrity
they ceased to hunt trouble and were
kept busy avoiding 1t. or course there
were exceptions. and I remember one
ruft1an with q record who ran amuck
through little Colorado town and shot
a few dozen window lights en- route.
but he was crazy drunk. and the ma
jority Of his clan were sober, serious,
extremely quiet individuals who were
q great deal more apt to swallow an
afrOnt than they were to give one. In
fact, the batting Of bad men became q
favorite diversion among certain
class Of ambitious citizens, and 1t was
one OF the most curious pi,c ses Of d life
that is now rapidly passing into mere
tradition.
"On more than one OCCASION" the
speaker went on, II have seen some
foolhardy tough nerve himself with
whisky and start out with the deliber-
ate intention Of doing up this or that
celebrity. One night in u gambling
house at Dodge City cattleman nam
ed Coulson made desperate effort to
draw Luke Short into an alteration
and finally slapped his face. Short
had killed several men and wns not
ed character. and Coulson had boasted
to his cowboys that he would put out
his light the first time he got chance.
When the blow was struck, n dead ST.
lence fell upon the place, and the bar
tenders and faro dealers dropped out
OF sight as suddenly as so many mario
nettes all on one string. Short looked
the cattleman straight in the eye.
You're drunk, Jim,' he said quietly,
and won't fight man that don't
know what he's doing. Get out ana don't
come In here again until you come in
sober Coulsons hand had been how
cring about his pistol, but the others
calmness cowed him, and he turned
around and walked away without q
word.
in the west blow was generally
considered sufficient Justification for q
shot. but what Short said about tho
cnttlcman's condition was perfectly
true, and he knew 1t would be used
against .iim in n trial. L could have
killed him easily before he drew he
remarked afterward. but his friends
would have all claimed that took ad.
vantage Of him. They would have said
that Luke Short shot poor, harmless
dfunkard.' 1 could multiply such in
stances almost by the dozen. In tho
early eighties Doc Holiday was one
of the most noted nan killers in tho
west. One night In Leadville 1 s.,,y
him submit In silence to q frightful
cursing from consumptive bartender
who was eager to get his scalp and
become a bad man himself Later on
Holiday was absolutely forced to draw
to defend himself. but he took pains to
shoot the inspiring drink mixer
through the arm and not the body. Il
didn't want to hurt the fool he said
apologetically. Most Of the border des-
M
GERS and made good ones too. They
were glad to drift into such employ
ment. It put them on the side OF the
dreaded law