Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1903-10-20
THE TANNING OF A BAD MAN.
LAST ESTATE OF WYATT carp
FAMOUS AS A GUN FIGHTER.


Discarded His Store Clothes anc
Started in for Authenticated to the
kIondke, Where He Had an Expe
rience Which Made Him Polite.
Since Wyatt carp, once famous as
a gun fighter in Arizona and Califor
MA, went up into the Klondike very
little has been heard of him by the
outside world. The last exploit thai
brought him into prominence was hi.
decision in the Sharl1ey- Fitzsimmon.
prize fight in San Francisco when he
gave the fight to Sharkey on an al
legged foul. For some years before he
had been quite an orderly citizen fol
one of his reputation as a gun fighter
From the stories that have drifteC
down from the Klondike in the las
few weeks it appears that carp has
resumed favorite trick of his, knowr
in the West as shooting up the town
He was much addicted to it IN the
old, lawless days of Arizona ana Cal
ifornia.
carp vas never a man who coulj
easily be tanned; consequently a story
told of his suppression a few weeks
ago by diminutiye cockney member
of the Canada mounted police will be
interesting to some of his friends here
carp drifted into Dawson several
month 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 progress 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 in
which he made his reputation as a
bad man many years ago. He found
men carrying guns around in their
belts and getting drunk and shooting
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
$50 carp discarded his store
clothes, got himself a flannel shirt, a
pair of leather trousers, and a som.
brero, stuck a gun in belt, loaded up
on bad whiskey, and went around the
saloons and faro banks bullragging
everybody who would stand for his
game, and taking a few shots at some
men who resented it. There were a
number of bad men in Dawson who
were sufficiently awed by Earp's rep.
utation to stand for him, and for a
week ne hal things pretty much his
own way.
We'll, the fact that carp was hit
ting it up got to the ears of little
fivefoot cockney member of the
mounted police, one of whose duties
it WIS to see that Dawson behaved
itself Now. carp didn't know much
about the Canada mounted police and
the manner of men who compose it.
Therefore, when he was interrupt.
ed in the gentle amusement of clean
ing out 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 a mighty
round of oaths, and asked the little
fellow in riding boots and cap if he
wanted to visit hades at once or wait
few hours.
carp was somewhat surprised
when the little fellow simply smiled
politely and said:
"'You must give me the gun or
bury it, sir, and extended his hand
for the weapon.
carp swore some more. but not
quite so eloquently, for all the while
the little man was smiling calmly in
his face. Finally carp, clean auster-
ed by the situation, pulled his gun
from his belt and fired it three times
into the ceiling, whereupon the little
man, still smiling, said
Now, you'll have to bury it. or
I'll have to take it away from you,
sir
Take my gun away from mel"
roared carp.
Exactly said the little man.
Maybe you doubt. I'll do it. STRIP
The witnesses of this colloquy
didn't know what to expect from carp.
but they knew what would happen
pretty soon if carp became defiant
because in Dawson people know what
to expect from the Canadian mounted
police. They knew, too, that this little
cockney had squelched every bad man
who had ever come into Dawson. and
they didn't doubt that he would at
tend to carp
However. a crisis was ave-ted by
Earp's putting his gun back into his
belt and starting to leave the place.
Just as he got to the door the police
man walked over and tapped him on
the shoulder
beg your pardon. sir. he said
but if you come out with a gun in
sight tomorrow l shall have to take
it away from you
carp turned purple with rage. but
he had no nerve left when he con
fronted that politely smiling face. He
roared a few oaths back at the
amused crowd in the gambling house.
and then went to the Golden 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 a hole
in the British Empire, which it will
I'll with two men. If you kill them.
four wiz take their places In the
end carp, you viii have the whole
British army here if necessary just
to put you out Better let him alone
The next day carp. very sober and
very thoughtful, appeared on the