Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1901-06-09


There don't seem to be much of a
doubt but that you've got me dead to
rights, jim he said. But I never
thought you were the man to. shoot
without giving the other fellow a show.
Amt you going to give me any chance
at all?'
MOT a chance shouted the lumber
man. whose named | afterward learned
was Mason. Did you give my brother
a chance when he caught you cheating
at cards? And did you give me a
chance when | was up in the woods
and you came sneaking like a dog
around NY
Il expected, of course, as everybody
else in the room did, that the sentence
would finish with a pistol shot. 1t was
plain enough that Mason was only re-
lieving himself by telling his grievance
before shooting, and that the shot was
coming. 1t came all right, but it miss
ed its mark and the sentence was new
er finished.
while Mason was still speaking,
Small threw his elbow up violently.
catching Mason in the pit of the stom-
ach, and ducking his head, so that the
bullet which Mason fired at the same
instant went through his hat, knocking
that off his head, but not even grazing
his skin.
"The next woment he was on his feet
and had grabbed the smoking pistol, SO
that both men GeId it and it was use
less for either. Mason was half dou-
bled up with the blow but he was not
injured, and there was a mix-up in
stantly in which it was hard to say just
what was happening. / had no desire
to interfere, and no one else made a
move to do so, but Small spoke imme-
diately.
Lets settle this thing right now, but
let's do it right. Break loose and
stand back, and I'll fight you any way
you like, just so we're even
"'All right said Mason.
"He was fairly mad with rage by this
time, and | fancy his idea was that if
Small would let go of the revolver he
could fire again before Small could
draw. At all events, that's what he
tried to do when they both sprang back,
but as Small let go he gave Mason's
arm a swing downward that. must have
been unexpected. for it threw the re-
volver out of range, and as Mason
brought it up again Small drew his own
gun and the two fired together and
both fell. Neither man was killed. but
i heard that Mason died not long after
as a result of his wound. Small was
tried, so they told me. and acquitted on
the plea of self-defence, though 1t was
discovered that he had really killed Ma
sons brother in a previous quarrel and
had run away with Mason's wife.
1T was two or three years after that
then, as before, he was playing cards.
1t was in the main saloon OF a Missis-
sippi steamboat not more than a week
after a similar boat had caught fire and
burned to the waters edge near Mem
phis. There had been several lives lost
in that disaster. and l think everybody
who was travelling the river was more
or less nervous about fire. The fimsy
construction Of the river boats rs thor
oughly we'll understood. and it is Known
that if they get burning it Is always a
question, not of whether anybody will
be killed, but of how many will escape.
The recent accident was on every
body's mind, and as l said. there was a
general condition of nervousness I
know could not bring myself to think
of going to sleep and l was sitting in a
chair in the main saloon as were a good
many other passengers. prepared to
rush for the decks at a moments notice.
There were two or three games of poker
going on and Small was playing in one
OF them.
lit must have been about 2 O'Clock
in the morning when somebody just
outside the saloon door yelled Fire
1t proved afterward to be false alarm,
or rather an unnecessary one. A lot
of waste in the engine room had really
caught fire, but it was promptly
thrown overheard before any damage
was done. Someone. however, who
was probably as nervous as I was. saw
the blaze, and having no common
sense. gave the alarm before investigat-
ing.
The effect was electrical. Every
man in the saloon sprang 10 his feet,
and in an instant there was a mad
rush for the doors. vas % far from
the forward one, but as ! started for it
someone bumped into me from behind.
and / last nv footing and Ten. wss