The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-12-31

day it struck him that he'd better get
his shirt washed after three months of
hard usage. He borrows an old shirt
of somebody and takes his own up TO
Sing Lees wash house and hands it in.
There was nuthin' in his appearance to
lead one to doubt his financial ability.
but that squint-eyed heather looked
from him to the shirt and says cash in
advance.
This court amt sayin' that Tom Da-
Wis has got the fine feelins Of a wilder
woman, but it do contend that he's got
feelin's enough to know when a blow
is struck through him at the bulwarks
of American liberty. When told that
he must pay in advance to get a shirt
washed all the sentiment and manhood
in his soul rig up and he took the
heather by the neck.
THAT was it should be, and as this
court would have advised, but alas, what
spectacle presented itself to the eyes of
US patriots 1--WE minutes later. Sing Lee
not only refused to be ehoked, but he in
sisted on doing a little of the chokin'
himself. In other words he was too much
runnin him right through the town and
into the bushes.
Sandy Bend. A cry Of indignashun went
up at sight of a heather chasin white
first to offer Tom Davis a gun to retrieve
his reputashun. It amt in the statoots
of Wyoming that he should have taken
a gun and walked back to that wash
house and make that heather lick his
boots and beg a thousand pardons, but
we've cot to let law slide now and then
and 60 bv custom. Tom didn't ACCEPT a
gun. He didn't go back to the wash
house, even to claim the shirt still lyin
at the door. He comes Skuixln' around
to me. and in a voice that was plaintive
ne yells out fur jestice.
Great snakes, but think of It'll Run out
of town by a heather, and then, come
sneakin' back to ask fur warrant tur
assault and battery! Is thar man IN
grave if dead and hearin' of SIGH a Smirch
on the manhood of this town? If Chris
TOPPER Columbus was still Twin kin any
of you doubt that he'd be ashamed of
ever diskiverin' SIGH a kentry?
Excuse this emoshun, but / can't con-
ceal it. When Tom Davis called fur jes-
tice I had to give it to him. | amt sayin
what my feeiin's was towards him. but l
went ahead and issued the warrant and
called the case Most of you attended the
trial and heard and saw what happened.
in, in self-defense, and Tom Davis even
admitted that he was the first to lay
on hands. When it come to his bein' run
out of town he hadn t any better excuse
than to say that he lost his sand all to
once.
to law, and Tom had no case accordin to
law, but had l let matters end thar it
would have been diggin' the grave OF
manhood fur a hundred years to come.
limited to the heather that he'd better
pay the costs and go back to his wash
him to jail fur a year. l don't say it was
law, and I'm not askin anybody else to
say SO, but do say that if I'd done any
other way the ghosts of them who fell at
Lexington would have been as thick as
flies around the back door of my saloon.
The sentence pleased everybody, even
Tom hisself
And now comes the higher court and
reverses my decision and orders new
trial Jestice ar set aside and law must
prevail. Right we're in this court room
I've got to chaw my words and let Tom
Davis loose to be run out of other towns
by other heathens. It's got to be done
and I'm goin' to do it, and it's needless
to say that I'm expectin your sympathy
and wantin' to feel that it hurts you as
much it hurts me.
Il am now sayin' to Tom, who sits over
thar lookin' like a sheep thief, that he 5
turned loose and clear of the law, and L N
also addin' that if he's spry on his feet
he kin git beyond the town limits in 10
minutes. If he's found among us after
that time then thar will be circus in
Sandy Bend. and he'll do most of the
performin'.
I'VE will now adjourn and git up a dog
fight to aSSuage our SorrerS. ~ Copyright,
1903, by G. B. LeWis.)
My dear" said the sick man, you
know I ordered a spalSkin Sacuup for