West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1903-11-05
ARIZONA K|CKLETS.
The Editor or the Famous Arizona
Kicker Makes Statement ms 10
Ills Graveyard.

lished in this paper, we received
letter from person in Montana,
signing himself "Bloody BILL" In
that letter he stated that he felt /;
his duty to remove us from this
cold world and that as soon as tie
snowdrifts melted and the walking
got good he intended TO show up
at GIveadam Gulch and perforatc
our anatomy with hot lead.
William of the Carmine did not
advance any special reasons why.
he intended to cut short our days,
and his letter was tossed aside as
having no great bearing on our fu
ture, The writer and the missive
we're forgotten in one hour, and VIC
watched the snow melt away and
the crocuses rear their yellow heads
without the slightest feeling OF un-
easiness.
Sunday last dawned bright and
beautiful. We got up to find the
birds singing, the saloons open for
business, dreamy haze settling
down over Big Bob mountain. 1t
was day to make man glad that
he was alive. We hadn't wandered
a quarter of a mile before we had
forgiven all our enc mics and wish
ed every human being in the world
good luck.
There was a shadow over us, but
we felt 1t not. There was grim
spectre on our trail, but echo of his
footsteps did no; reech our ears.
We had just passed the "Square
Deal" poker parlors when we met
Major White, who was wiping his
mouth with the back of his hand.
He informed us that beetle brown
ed man with two guns Oh him had
just asked him where we could be
found, and whether Arizona would
miss us much if we were to be laid
away. 1t was the majors opinion
that the man meant business, and
he advised us to return to the office
and get our guns before starring
for church service. The advice
was needed. When we next APP
peared on the avenue we were heel
ed.
AS is known TO all our local read
ers, we lead the church choir.
That is, we come in on the basso
profundo in a way TO awaken the
conscience of every sinner under
the roof. We were making our way
toward the sacred edifice, and won--
dering whether old Jim Hewson
would get drunk and disturb the
service, when stranger turned in
from Coyote street and stopped us
in our tracks. 1t was the beetle
Drowned man, and his face wore a
smile. He softly inquired if our
name was Jim HelIso, and when we
replied in the affirmative his smile
broadened and he observed:
"Then you are the critter /
am looking for and you can get
ready to diel am Bloody Bill
of Montana. You must have got
my letter some time ago."
We started to ask William why
we shouldn't keep right on living,
but both his hands went back to his
guns and we could read 'shoot' in
his eye. That he meant to whizz
from to IL bullets into us at close
range there could be no doubt. We
acted upon instinct. He was two
or three seconds ahead of us, but
the four guns came out at once.
Where we got the advantage was
on the trigger, but ii was only by
hairs breadth As William went
down his bullet passed through the
rim Of orr hat.
Only the two shots were fired.
William was not killed outright,
but lived for about half an hour.
DR.. Johnson was sent for. bu, said
from the first that j, was a hopeless
case. William was conscious to
the last. Ia the presence Of several
witnesses he stated that he had
come a distance of over zoo miles
to remove US, and had just arrived
that morning. AS to his motive he
had decided to kill five great men
during the year 1908, and we were
first on the list lie had nothing
against US personally, and was
constant reader of the "Kicker. /"
II was simply that We run the Unit
ed States in a way that marked us
for victim.
According to our weli.known
custom, We gave orders to the IN
dertaker to spare no expense, and
on Monday afternoon the man was
buried and we rode at the head of
the funeral procession. a grave
was made for him in our private