Sunday Washington globe., 1902-04-06

week when three or four men were discus
sing a case in which man was said to have
died of fright.
Il can easily believe that fear can kill
perfectly healthy man. / witnessed a case
some years ago where two men nearly died
from the effects Of intense excitement and
fear of a deathstroke in tie dark. II was in
mining town in Colorado. don't want
20 be too particular about the location, be-
cause some of the participants in the affair
live there yet and are good citizens now.
1t was a rough lot that assembled every
night at Ches Ludlam's three-story frame
hotel, the biggest dwelling in town, aud
taey were attracted by the bright bsrroom
and the bank and wheel in the back room
more than they were by the diuingroom
or the barbedwire mattresses In fact, /
don't recollect that anybody not in a stupor
ever got any rest at night in Ches Lud-
lam's. The games ran from in the after
noon until daybreak next day and gathered
around them some Of the toughest char
lacters I've ever met There were cowmeu
from the ranges miners from the hills,
pikers from Chicago and St. Louis, pros
pectors, spectators real estate men short
card men, grafters, sugar.beet farmers
dope 6euds, mine owners, sheepmeu, half
AAANAH
and Greasers, both Of those breeds being
barred
There was never any guuplay there in
my time Ches wouldn't stand for it, His
cousin was the marshal and held that Ches
ought to help him preserve order. 1t was
sort of a model camp in this respect, and
any rustlers who happened to come along
got early notice about the brand of behavior
they had to put up 1t was a remarkable
fact that the greatest menace to quiet and
order existed in the new arrivals from the
East Big husky young fellows just off
the football field, fresh out of school, butted
into town with their heads full Of border
stories and their hip pockets full of pistols.
They were looking for trouble while the old
hands were trying their hardest 70 avoid IT,
They were generally taken aside in a quiet
manner by Ches or his cousin Tom Nc
Lutyre aud iuducted into the ethics of our
form Of civilization, but some of them were
too full of book romance and stage nonsense
to believe that our good people were not
trying to con them into a defeuseless con-
ditiou, and they cluug TO the habit Of bulg-
ing out their back pockets with bulldog pis-
tolls of the largest caliber.
There was one fellow in particular who
had the border drama ideas so deep in his
brain that it was impossible to disabuse him
Of the belief that he should always be pro-
pared to resent an insult with a forty.fve
His name was RyersOu and his boast was
that he had Jersey Indian blood in his
veins. He was six feet tall, broad-should-
cred and dark He had driven truck in
New York and had made couple of trips
abroad in cattle ships before he fell heir to
little bundle of money and drifted to the
mines. RysOn was fond Of playing bank
and drank rather more than was good for
him, although we never saw him full.
When perfectly sober he had his head about
him, and aside from propensity to strut
and swagger, he was a pretty good sort of a
fellow and we all believed that he was dead
game
Another man of about his build and
stripe was DOlph Steldiuger, who drifted
in from St. Louis. The two were so much
alike that it was quite natural they did not
get very chummy, but they never had any
words until they got mixed up one night
about the ownership of a stack of whites
heeled from the ace to the queen with a
copper on the tail. As near as / could
make it out Ryerson's coat sleeve knocked
the copper of the checks as he was reach
ing for bet on the three and the ace lost.
The house would not stand for the bet, and
a wrangled ensued between Dolph and
Ryerson. Dolph said that Ryersou ought
to make good for the stack and Ryersou re-
fused. Hard words followed. and both
men went back to draw their guns.
They we're both standing back Of the
chairs, and before they could draw Tom
Mcintyre and his brother JACK jumped
them and got their guns. Others joined
IN. and while the two big fellows were re-
Wiling each other they were kept apart
The doors Of the room were closed and the
pair declared they couldn't get along with
out blood. Ches Ludlam said THAI there
must be no shooting in his house, but
agreed 10 a fist 6ght on the spot and
seemed a little anxious to see H. but neither
Ryersou nor Steldiuger was satisfied with
that. They wanted gore and after a wran-
gle Bill Mercer said; Lex them 6ght with
knives in dark roOm; thar ougttto satisfy
them
''The romance Of tni5 proposition seemed
20 hit both OF these stacy o,g fellows Just
about right and Mercer and Jack McIntyre
had a little whisper lbOu- tt and agreed 20
act as outside seconds THE men were kept
apart while McIutYre aui Mercer went up
TO prepare a room Du tue second door, and
when everything was ready -he -Wo men
were stripped 20 Lhetr uuu-r1nfrt7 and
trousers ahd TWO huuting kptves just alike
we're given them They dr=w lots to see
who was TO 90 up stairs Grst and Ryersou
lost Jack M-lur7re led him up 20 the
room. put htm IN a coru=r and told him -ot
90 NOV. uuti he whtstled SleLdinger was
theu led upstairs by Mercer and thrust
throuhg q door which was quickly closed
upon htm ani locked
"McInsyre Whtstled aud -hen everybody
in the iIttle party gathered ia the hall held
his breath and listened Two minutes
passed and not q souud was heard Then
stealthy footsteps and heavy breathing
broke the silence Il was evident that the
duelsts we're deeply excited aud were
cropping tor each other 1 the dark They
could be beard rustling against the wooden
walls az they moved asouzd. but no sound
Of a cliuch ensued the miuutes slowly
creUt On McIutyre aad Mercer were the
only cool men 30 the party Of listeners.
Myself and an tbe rest were intensely
moved
'I.pictured in ny mind these two blood
thirsty big fellows feeling for each other