The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1903-10-28

| "On entering we found four of our
men in game of cards at the very
first table, while Officer was reported
as being in the gamblng room in the
rear. The only vacant table in the
barroom wss the last one in the far
corner, and calling for q deck of cards.
we occupied it,
| I'VE had been playing along for an
hour, with people passing in and out
OF the gambling room, and expected
shortly TO start for camp, when Priests
long-haired adversary came IN at the
front door, and, walking through tho
room, passed into the gambling depart.
ment.
| John Officer, after winning a few
dollars in the card room, was standing
Alongside watching our game. and as
| the stranger passed by, Priest gave
him the wink, on which Officer fol.
| lowed the stranger and a heavy-set
/ companion who was with him into the
rear room. We had played only few
| hands when the heavy-set man came
back to the bar, took a drink and
walked over to watch a game of cards
at the second table from the front door.
Officer came back shortly afterward,
ard whispered that there were four of
them to look out for, as he had seen
them comforting together. Priest
| seemed the least concerned Of any of
us, but l noticed he eased the holster on
his belt forward, where it would be
ready to his hand. We had called for
round of drinks. Officer taking one
with us, when two men came out of the
gambling hell. and halting at the bar,
| pretended to divide some money which
they wished to have it appear they
had won in the card room. Their con-
versation was loud and intended to at.
tract attention, but Officer gave us tho
wink and their ruse was perfectly
understood. After taking a drink and
attracting as much attention as possi-
bic over the division of the money,
they separated, but remained in the
room.
Il was dealing the cards few min.
utes later. when the long-haired man
emerged from the gambling hell, imi.
tatins the maudlin, sauntered up TO
the bar and asked for a drink.
A BAD MANS CHALLENGE"
"After being served, he walked about
halfway 20 the door, then whirling sud-
denly. stepped to the end of the bar,
placed his hands upon it, sprang up
and stood upright on it. He whipped
out two .siX-shooters, let out yell
which caused a commotion throughout
the room and walked very deliberately
the length Of the counter, his attention
centered upon the occupants Of our
table. Not attracting the notice he ex.
pa'ted in our quarter, he turned and
slowly repaced the bar. hurling anath-
emas on Texas and Texans in gem
crSl.
Il saw The Rebels eyes, steeled to
intensity. meet Floods across the table,
and in that glance of our foreman he
evidently read approval, for he rose
rlgidly with the stealth of tiger,
and for the first time that day his hand
went to the handle of his siX-shooter.
One of the two pretended winners at
cards saw the movement In our quar-
ter, and sang out as a warning, 'Cuid- !
ado mucho.' The man on the bar
whirled on the word OF warning, and |
blazed away with his two guns into |
our corner. I had risen at the word |
and was pinned against the wall, !
where on the first fire rain of dirt fell |
from the chinking in the wall over |
my head. AS soon as the others sprapg |
away from the table, l kicked it over |
in clearing myself, and came to my |
feet just as The Rebel fired his second |
shot. / hard the satisfaction Of seeing |
his long-haired adversary reel back
ward, firing his guns into the ceiling |
as he went, and in falling crash heav-
lily into the glassware on the back
bar.
WHEN THE SMOKE CLEARED.
"The smoke which filled the room |
left nothing visible for few moments. !
Meantime Priest. satisfied that his aim
had gone true, turned, passed through |
the rear room, gained his horse and |
was galloping away to the herd before |
any semblance of order was restored.
As the smoke cleared away and we
passed forward through the room, John
Officer had one of the three partners
standing with his hands to the wall,
while his siX-shooter lay on the floor
under Officers foot. He had made
but one shot into our corner, when tho
muzzlc Of gun was pushed against
his ear with an imperative order to
drop his arms, which he had
promptly done. The two others, who
had been under the surveillance of our
men at the forward table, never made
a move or offered to bring gun into
action. and after the killing of their
picturesque partner passed together
out of the house. There had been five
or six shots fired into our corner, but
the first double shot, fired when three
of us were still sitting, went too high
for effect, while the remainder We're
scattering. though Red Wheat got a
bullet through his coat, close enough
TO burn the skin on his shoulder.
"The dead man was laid out on tho
fn)or Of the saloon, and through curios-
ity, for it could hardly have been
much of novelty to the inhabitants OF
Erenchman's Ford, hundreds came to
gaze on the corpse and examine the
wounds, one above the other through
his vitals, either of which would have
been fatal"
The Two Kinds of Labor.