The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1902-1905, 1904-07-01
THE WEAPON
OF DAVID
tOriginal.l


You bet"
What we goin to do that for? He
won't Farm nOthin' except how to play
games: Them athletics takes all the
students time nowadays"
There are wus things n athletics.
Seems to me I'd ruther have my boy
git strong than git rarnin', though
they're both good. | knowcd Teller
Onct that got his start in the world
from baseball practice. While he was
In college he KEEP up his Parnn', but
KEEP up the athletics too. When he got
out into the world he found himself IN
fix whore the paFnin' wouldn't "a
been no use without the athletics.
This was the way of 1T:
"When | lived out In Nevada 1t was
a mighty rough country. Gamblin'
gamblin' bcin' considered the more re-
spectublc of the two. There was two
or three lawyers, doctors an sich like
In the place an Il few editors. Mike
Gallagher was runnin' the Diamond
Drill newspaper an tryin' to establish
1t by fearless course. He was al
ways HttaCkln' the wO'thiess an this
way he got the support of the thrifty.
But he had to do good deal of tightin'
an wouldn't have nobody In his en-
plOy that couldn't shoot. One day n
young man Just out o college came
along and asked for Il position.
Young man. snid Gallagher, the
positions ore all vacant just now. The
managing editor was killed last week,
an the local will be buried tomorrow,
For the next few weeks there'll be
pretty hot work for any one that takes
hold on the paper. for we're bound to
run the men that shot EN- out O. the
town. Can you shOOtF
NO said the young Teller. 4 never
had any practice
"'Well then, reckon | Il have to
give the position to the next appli-
cant
'"rhc young Teller thought a spell,
then he said 1 can throw straight
enough. | was pitcher for the univer-
sity team and was counted the best
PITCHER the nine ever had
"The young man had the edication,
though the next applicant knew how to
fan the hammer and all quick shoot
In tricks, but rarnin' was out of his
line. Gallagher TUX the college man
! 10 nt
THE next mornin' there was a siz-
zlin' article referrin to q certain man
who had shot the local editor, goln'
over his past history like harrow
over a field. Blackleg, vagabond.
dTunkard, murderer, was the terms
used. Soon as the Teller saw the arti-
Gle he went to the Drill office. climbed
the stairs, and the first thing the new
employee saw was the muZzle OF a
cooked revolver comm through the
door The next thing was an arm and
the next mans body. OF course they
was comm mighty quick, but not too
quick for the editor. He caught up an
iron inkstnnd and, Jest as the mans
]
takin' him plumb in the temple.
well, the next mornin' there was an
obituary IN the paper recountin' the cir
cumstance and warnIn' the man who
had killed the managin' editor that
enough of his record was known at the
Drill office to land him In jail When
the new editor met him on the street
that afternoon the Teller was a-cOmin'
out of the Metropolitan gamblln' So
loon with two rcvOlvers strapped to
his hips. The editor had his pockets
full of stones and, seem his enemy
reachin for his gun, got out q two
FOUNDER rock and landed 1t In the mid
die of his forehead. The Teller dropped
like lead but got off with conclusion
of the brain When he got well he was
warned by the committee to light out,
and he lit.
But the end hadn't come yet. The
toughs didn't like the idea Of a new
Teller comm In with what they consid'
cred u barbarous way Of tightin, SO
one of 'em-the meanGst, low lived cuss
In the terrltory-give out that he was
goin' to down the editor with the old
fashioned wcnpon-the revolver The
next day the newspaper man was walk
in along the street when he heard
sharp cry, Look outp He had to dc
a pretty quick Job Of thinkin', which
was this way: Not seein' an enemy In
front he concluded there was one be-
hind and bullet was comm right off
He wheeled like fash. takin' stone
from his pocket as he turned, got his
eve on q man bringin' revolver tC
bear on him and put a stone righ'
agin the weapon, knOckin' 1t twenty
feet away. Before the Teller could
draw ag'ln the editor sent another
stone that broke his jaw. This ended
the scrimmRge.
1.-THE fact that the editor set an eX
ample of goln' about unarmed-stoneS
wasn't considered arms-hHd fine eff
feet on the community. The best citi
zens declared that carryin' of weapons
wasn't necessary or civilized, and the
committee posted notice for all L
disarm. Any man that was caught
with weapons on him would be sho
down In his tracks. The Diamond
Drills circulation increased, and us thu
town became safe and respectable trad
ers came In and advertisements flooded
the paper.
"That wns the way the young gradu
nd I
that when q man has got his star
the better his education the more dttet
he is to occupy important positions
The youngster became part owner o
the paper, and when the territory wal
admitted as a state he went to con
gross. The reason why I've told tn
story without brlngin' In his name Il