Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1901-06-17
AN EXTRAORDINARY KILLING.
The Story of an Arizona Sheriff and a
Merry Desperate.

Merry Desperate.
''One of the nerviest shootings that
ever came off in the West occurred
some years ago in Arizona said
Denver man at the Hotel Victoria. Il
think it was at Tombstone that it hap
pened, but of that l am not certain.
1t seemed that a certain road agent
and all around desperate character
had turned up in the town. OF course,
he was travelling strictly incog., but he
was recognized, and the news of his
arrival soon reached the ears of the
sheriff, who straightway started out to
land him. The bad men of the West
travel with their lives in their hands
and know it. They are always pre-
pared for the possibility of capture or
an attempt which may be made to do
SO, and they try to take every precau-
ton to render such action abortive.
Then, too, as a rule these men prefer
death to capture. In most cases cap
ture means that they will ultimately
dance the jig Of death at the end OF
the hempen thread after having been
duly tried and sentenced. But even
when they have nothing worse to face
than a term of years in the pen they
will put up as stubborn a resistance
as if they were wanted for murder,
for their love of freedom causes them
to prefer death in a fight to being i'm
prisoned for a term of years. The
desperate l am telling you Of, how
ever, had committed every crime
known to the criminal calendar, and
there were a dozen rewards offered
for him, dead or alive.
Capture, with him, meant certain
and ignominious death, and it was a
surety that he would fight to the bit
ter end and sell his life as dearly as
possible. The sheriff knew this, but,
himself a desperately courageous man,
nevertheless resolved on his capture.
But he was as careful as possible
about it and placed his man by care-
fully guarded inquiries in order that
the quarry might not take fright and
escape him. Finally the sheriff found
out that the road agent was in a
gambling joint and went there after
him. The robber in the meantime had
sized the room up carefully, and while
not expecting trouble he took what
precaution he could to avoid it should
it arise.
"The sheriff's most intimate friend,
man named Driscoll. was playing
faro, and the desperate took the seat
beside him which faced the door. Sud-
denly the door was flung open with
crash, and the sheriff, revolver in
either hand, appeared in the portal.
Men dived for places of safety, tables
and chairs were upset, and in the
Driscolls back and swung him be-
tween him and the sheriff. The rob-
Der was the stronger man, but Dris-
coll put up a good fight, and while he
could not shake him off or turn him
towards the sheriff he nevertheless
could prevent him from drawing his
gun, which the road agent was des-
perately trying to do. Around and
around they swung, the sheriff ex
citedly dancing around the men, afraid
to shoot on account Of the fear of in
juring his friend.
For the lands sake, Danny, hold
STILL he cried, till get shot at the
divil.'
How can L? gasped Driscoll. The
spalpeens stronger than I am
For a few seconds longer the strug
gle went on, and then Driscoll spread