Durango semi-weekly herald., 1903-05-21

STREET
DUEL
Frank Hartman and Dave Day
Exchange I3 Shots Hart
man Slightly Wounded.

From Tuesdays Daily;
1t is remarkable thing that two
men facing each other and at dis
lance of ten or fifteen feet. can eA
change thirteen shots with deadly In
tent and both live to walk the streets
thereafter. but such an instance hap
pened in Durango last night when Da-
vid f. Day of the Durango Democrat
and Frank Hartman, of general news
paper fame. came together. The facts
are about as follows, as near as we
can obtain them. About $50 Frank
Hartman and Dan Meuser We're stand
ing in front of the FL Mora saloon,
talking with two or three bystanders.
Mr.. Day came down the street. He
opened the door of the FL Mora and
looked in. Turning around he remark
cd to Meuser: Are You connected
with. the Durango Trades Journal?"
and Meuser replied: Not this even
Ing. Colonel" Day then said: Any
one who is is a s-of a b."
And then the cannonading began.
Hartman says Day had his hands
in his pants pocket. and he knew that
was where he carried his guns. and
he Immediately pulled his revolver.
but not in time to get in the first shot.
In his paper this morning Day says
Hartman pulled his gun from inside
vest pocket and fired first and that
he returned the compliment. Meuser
says he is in doubt who fred first
Another witness informed the writer
that Hartman fired first, If anything
At any rate there was not much dif-
ference in time between the two
shots. and firing kept up in rapid sue
cession until both had emptied their
guns, and Day had drawn on a re
serve gun for an extra shot The
men backed up as they fired and were
probably IS or 20 feet apart when
the last shots were exchanged. Day
backed into the street in order to
have an open field. as he claims, and
not endanger the lives of others. and
claims that he had to fire downward
In order not to have bullets enter
buildings We haven't any doubt,
however that both shot to kill. but
their craftsmanship was decidedly
poor, and It is well that 1t was so.
In the melee Day did not receive a
scratch, while one bullet made a
flesh wound across the front of the
leg just below the hip on Hartman.
1t did not cause Hartman to leave the
field and he was up and around antil
late hour and again this morning.
Marshal Wickline was the first to
take Day in tow and turned him over
to Under Sheriff Thompson. who in
turn placed him in charge of d. w
Smith for the night, Day continuing
his work on the Democrat.
1t is the greatest wonder in the
world that some innocent person was
not injured or killed. or half a dozen
for that matter. The El Mora pat
rons felt their time was at hand,
Some made a bee line for the back
door, others hugged the floor and got
behind the ice chest. while those who
happened to be on the street lost no
time in disappearing Naturally the
shooting caused much excitement
and groups of people stood about dis
cussing the affair until a late hour
and then again this morning about all
one heard was the Day-Hartman meet.
ing. Concerning the shooting. Days
paper this morning contained the fol
lowing;
Yesterday evening about $3.50 as
Dave Day was walking up the street
after his usual rounds, when trouble
is on. he met cluster of printers
and asked Dan Meuser If he was in
any way connected with the last Issue
of the Trades Journal. Dan answer
ewered No" We then replied that
anyone who was was d dirty s
OF b. Frank Hartman at once
pulled a gun from inside pocket and
opened fire He got in the first, a
wild shot, and Dave Day opened al
once with 3s S. & W. The thing
was weak, or else We We're excited
and jumping into the street we open
ed with fresh gun. We seem to
have struck him in the leg. and We
are somewhat disgusted that II was
not in a more vital SPOT, as We shot
to do business II he was not n COW
ard he should have rushed into the
street, instead Of shooting up the
sidewalk; II he was not ratified he
would have hit us the irst shot. as
we we're not five feet apart The sher-
In at anco. after Billy Wicl1line had
got in his work sad Billy plays no
favorites. took charge, and we shall
be In charge OF u. w Smith until this
morning We did not inquire as to
nature OF Hartmsu's wounds, as we
did not care
The shooting last night may clear
the newspaper atmosphere, but from
the tone of Days paper this morning
We can hardly see how this can be, as
he issues direct challenge TO John
G. Higgins to have II out the first
time they meet on the street. which
is taken that one or the other must
kill-possibly both. The newspaper
war that has been going on in the
Telegraph and Democrat columns
cannot 20 on forever without those
engaged coming together. But The
Herald again desires TO remark that II
is bad business Some may say Let
them 20 and kill each other. but we
say, let the friends of the two see
that the matter Is adjusted and secure
solemn pledge that hereafter under