The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-09-20
TANNING OF WYATT carp
A FIVE-FOOT COCKNEY POLICEMAN
AT DAWSON DID IT.
The Ex-Bad Man of the Far West
Struck a Snag i'm the Land of Gold
The Cop Was Little, but Oh, My!
New York Sun.

Since Wyatt carp, once famous
gun fighter In Arizona and California, went
up into the Klondike very little has been
heard of him by the outside world. The
last exploit that brought him into prom
inence was his decision in the Sharkey-
Fitzsimmons prize fight i'm San Francisco,
when he gave the fight to Sharkey on an
alleged foul. For some years before that
he had been quite orderly citizen for
one of his reputation as a gun fighter.
From the stories that have drifted down
from the I<londike in the last few weeks,
it appears that carp has resumed ia
vorite trick of his, known i'm the West as
shooting up the town. He was much ad-
dicted to it in the old lawless days of
Arizona and California.
carp was never 4 man who could easily
be tanned consequently story told of his
suppression a few weeks ago by a diminu-
tive cockney member of the Canada mount
ed police will be interesting to some of his
friends here.
carp drifted into Dawson several
months ago full of a determination to get
action" said a San Francisco man to some
of Earp's old Western friends the other
night. Civilization, policemen and prog
ress generally knocked out Earp's gun
fighting game in the States some years ago
and, like Bat Masterson and a few other
relics of the old days, he had been quite
orderly and well behaved for some years.
But when he got to Dawson he found a
settlement like the places I'm which he made
his reputation as bad man many years
ago. He found men carrying guns around
in their belts and getting drunk and shoot
ing people who happened to displease them
and it gave him the fever to get back into
the game in which he was an adept in the
days gone by.
HE DRESSED THE PART.
So carp discarded his store clothes. got
himself flannel shirt. a pair of leather
trousers and a sombrero stuck gun in his
belt loaded up bad whisky and went
around the saloons and faro banks bullyrag-
ging everybody who would stand for his
game. and taking a few shots at some men
who resented 1t. There were number of
bad men in Dawson who were sufficiently
awed by Earp's reputation to stand for
him, and for a week he had things pretty
much his own way. Well, the fact that
carp was hitting it up got to the ears of
a little five-foot cockney member of the
Canada mounted police, one of whose duties
it was to see that Dawson behaved itself
Now carp didn't know much about the
Canada mounted police and the manner of
men who compose IL.
Therefore, when he was interrupted in
the gentle amusement of cleaning out a
faro bank in Dawson one night by this little
chap coming up to him with a request that
he give him his gun, he opened his mouth
and his eyes very wide. swore mighty
round of oaths and asked the little fellow
in riding boots and cap il he wanted to
visit hades at once or wait n few hours.
carp was somewhat surprised when the
little fellow simply smiled politely and
said:
You must give me the gun bury it
sir, and extended his hand for the weapon.
'Erp swore some more. but not quite so
eloquently, for all the while the little man
was smiling calmly in his face. Finally,
carp, clean fiustered by the situation. pulled
his gun from his belt and fired II three
times into the ceiling, whereupon the little
man, still smiling, said:
Now you'll have to bury IL or I'll have
to take ii away from you, sir.
Take my gun away from me! roared
Exactly said the little man. Maybe
you doubt I'll do il, sir?''
1.-The witnesses of this colloquy didn't
know what to expect from carp but they
knew what would happen pretty soon IL
carp became defiant, because in Dawson
people know what to except from the Ca
madam mounted police. They knew, too,
that this little cockney had squelched
Dawson, and they didn't doubt that he
would attend To carp.
However, a crisis was averted by Earp's
putting his gun back into his belt and
starting to leave the place. Just as he got TO
the door the policeman walked over and
tapped MIN on the shoulder
~ beg your pardon sir he said, but If
you come out with a gun in sight to-mor-
row L shall have to take it away from you
carp TURNED PURPLE.
carp turned purple with rage, but he
had no nerve left when he confronted that
politely smiling face. He roared few
oaths back at the amused crowd i'm the
gambling house and then went to the Gold
en- Lion saloon, where he took a few drinks
and proceeded to tell what he would do the
next day when the cockney tried to take
his gun
why, I'll blow him full Of holes he
said.
"'Yes, said a listener. but when you put
a hole in him you put hole in the British
empire, which IL will fill with two men.
If you kill them, four will take their
places. In the end. carp, you will have
the whole British army here, IL necessary,
just TO put you out. Better let him alone
1.-The next day. carp, very sober and
of Dawson In the store clothes he came to
town with Almost the first person he
struck was the cockney, who had evidently
been waiting for him. prepared to take his
gun away IL he showed IL. AS soon as he
carp he stepped up very politely and
said
Thank you. sir. and then turned on
his heel.
carp hasn't been deuce high as a bad
man I'm Dawson since that incident. In
cidentally. L might say. II he had elected
TO mix IL up with the cockney he'd be
sleeping under an epitaph tonight: for of