Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1903-03-14
Of the settlement Of Texas must 6
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down in blood.
But the men who started In to do
this work were not Of the quitting
kind. They were of the Tory-hating
Indian-fghting stock that obstacles
did not daunt nor dangers quail. And
they set their teeth hard and swore
they would stay. To guard their From
tier thoroughly and effectively they or
sanized bands or companies of rangers
under officers who could not only fight
Indians and Mexicans, but control and
discipline their own men.
among the ablest Of these COM
manders Colonel Hays, better known
as Jack Hays, was incontestibly the
ablest. He was a born leader Of men,
lust such men as were peopling that
great southwestern frontier. In stat
ure he was about five feet eight and
never weighed over $50 pounds. His
hair was Of a dark brown, inclined to
be red, and his eyes were Of several
colors, according to his moods. In his
>~N~
friends they were of dark gray, with
a hue of hazel. In excitement, and es-
pecially in fight, they were Of a color
indescribable. They simply seemed to
blaze.
Some time in the latter thirtfes Col
onel Hays was directed by the presi-
dent of Texas to go to New York and
purchase suitable arms to equip his
troops. He had then about $50 men,
but they were not uniformly armed and
lacked equipment suitable for mount
ed command. They needed to be equip
ped alike with the very best weapons
available at that time.
$50 In obedience to his orders and
with a letter of credit on the treasu-
rer of the Texan republic, Hays took
passage in a schooner that was bound
for New York. He was month In
making the trip, for he started In Sep
tember, when the gulf is usually
stormy and the prevailing winds are
from the southwest and everywhere
else. They were blown into nearly ev-
cry port from Galveston northward be-
fore they got in sight Of the island OF
Manhattan. Colonel Hays went the
rounds Of the firearms dealers Of New
York. It was not a difficult undertake
ing, for there were, but four or five OF
them. But he did not find anything
that he had not seen before in the way
Of firearms.
Zone day, however, a dealer said:
There Is a man living over In New
Jersey at present who has just invent
ed a pistol which 1 would like to have
you see."
What is there about it that makes 1t
different from other pistols?'" asked
Colonel Hays.
"'Well, this for one thing. 1t shoots
six times without reloading.'
Colonel Hays's interest was imme-
diately aroused. Indeed, I'd like very
much to see it, said he.
livery well, then, I'll have him in
here with it tomorrow about this time,
responded the dealer. So the next day
about 1 or o'clock, the man came IN.
He was about 80 years old and chiefly
a gunsmith by trade, though he did all
sorts Of work in fine steel. He said ne
had just concluded an order of sabres
for officers Of the regiment Of dragons
Just then being raised.
"'This is my pistol, colonel said he,
opening a case and handing the weap-
on to the Texas colonel. The instant I
looked at it I said it was just what I
wanted said Hays to his brother, Gen.
Harry Hays, of New Orleans. There
was a sixty-foot gallery in the rear or
the store for the testing Of arms. They
took the model. pistol, which was
about like the Colts pocket arm Of to-
day in. size, calibre and weight, and
the expert fired vail six barrels or IN
less than a minute. The penetration
was good, as was the accuracy.
"'Now, I want pistol Of this pat
tern, but with a longer cylinder, an
eight-inch long barrel, taking a bullet
Of about fifty grains weight, made as
soon as you can make it. I will ad-
vance you $50 on it now to enable you
to purchase the material and have the
barrels rifled. If the pistol shoots as
we'll as I think it will I will talk to
you about a contract for 100 Of them
and also about a rifle on the same prin-
ciple.'
I'm two weeks the pistol was ready
to be tested. It shot very we'll, with
sufficient force to kill If it hit man
at from 100 to $50 yards distance. AT
the same time a rifle was constructed
on the same principle. It was about
O.44 calibre, with a cylinder that would
contain about 80 grains Of powder and
carried q round and an oblong bullet.
The arm came up to Hays expectation
in all respects. He took the model to
Texas with him and submitted it to his
Rangers. When it had been thorough
ly tested they ordered 100 Of the pis-
tolls and SO of the rifles. The latter
was so constructed that when the CYL
inder was fired it could be slipped out
and another cylinder, already loaded,
put into the arm in one time and two
motions; that is, in thirty seconds.
Shortly after the troop had been
armed with these new weapons they
were tried in a sharp fight that settled
the question Of their superiority over
those Of their Indian and Mexican an
tagonists once and for all. About 600
or 700 Mexicans and Comanches and
Lipan Indians crossed over into Texas,
under the leadership Of Canales, a not
ed raider from the other side Of the
Rio Grande, and with a herd Of about