Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1905-11-14
Atistsllaneous Rmding.
DEFIED BAD MEN WITH GUNS.
Record Of Dave Banks, Victim Of
Yaouj Indians.

Record Of Dave Banks, Victim Of
Yaqui Indians.
Dave Banks. who with five Ameri-
can mining men for whom he was act
ing as guide was killed by the Yaqui
Indians in Mexico a couple Of weeks
ago, had the record down In the Pecos
country, and pretty generally through
out the southwest in fact Of never hav-
gun in his life" said the sun dried
Texan with the wide brimmed hat. ut
wasn't that they didn't often try to
stick Dave up. either.
HE looked into the wrong end Of a
gun a lot Of times, but his hands new
er went up. Dave had a theory that
1t was unnatural and monkeylike for
a man to raise his hands above his
head urless he was reaching for some
hing that he wanted.
"One of the closest calls that Dave
ever had to being sure enough stuck
up was the time he had his run-in with
Lafe Landon, the day marshal Of La
Jurta. Lafe got the drop on Dave all
right, and yet when the thing was all
over Dave had so completely messed
up the day marshars reputation that
Landoa had to mosey out of La Junta
between two days to duck the gibes
and jeers of the gang that had been
afraid Of him up to that time.
THAT run-in occurred because Mar
shall Landon had shot up one Of Banks's
Texas friends in a honkatonk melee in
La Junta. The man killed by the mar
sha! had been a bull skinner along
with Dave, and Dave was a lot dis
turbed in his mind when he heard Of
how his bunk mate had met his pipe
out at :he hands Of the marshsl Of La
Junta.
"Some O. these days Dave was
heard to mutter, half to himself
shore am a-goin' t. scramble out O. tn
Pecos long enough t hike up t. La
Ju7ta an lead that law murderin' shore
thi~g gunpoker aroun' tn La Junta
public p'rade groun' by both O. his ears.
That's what shore am
The Pecos people who overheard
this remark of Dawes hadn't the least
doubt in life that sooner or later he
would go up against this very job, for
Dawes gun was notched up like the
nigh side bar Of an old time whatnot,
and he wouldn't have known what the
white feather symbolized II somebody
had sent him a ton of white feathers
by wagon freight.
| "A busybody who had heard Of
Dawes threat and who went up to La
Ju" ia from the Pecos country told
Marshal Lafe Landon about 1t. Lam
don wasn't any cave hunter. La Junta
was asserting in those days, and Lafe
had worn the day marshars badge for
two years without ever having to go
into the discard after a mix-up.
when he was told Of what Dave
Banks whom he knew by reputation,
had It in mird to do to him. he replied
that he expected to be moving around
La Junta for quite a bit longer, and
that he'd just as soon take his end In
trouble that zephyred out Of the Pecos'
country as any other kind.
| 1.-TWO months to a day after Dave
Banks had heard Of the death OF his
former >bunkma.e In La Junta he ar
rived In La Junta himself. He reached
La Junta sober, and he stayed sober.
| He didn't know that Marshal Lafe
Landon had heard anything Of the
threat he had made, IL, indeed, he even
remembered having made that threat.
But he was there for business, and so
he strolled around the saloons, lean
ing up with old friends that he ran
into and saying very little.
| along toward sundown he sat down
at a table in the saloon Of Cole Tate
to sort Of rest up, for he had been
prow.i e around for some hours. Two
minutes after Dave had sat down the
front swing door popped open and
L.afe Landon, with one Of his guns on
line with Banks's head, walked over
to the table.
| "Ombrey,' remarked Landon, quiet
| like, i've been a-hearin' that you had
some dizzy kind of a idea O leadin' me
aroun' La Junta a hull lot by my flap
DC rs and Landon rested his left palm
on the table while he kept his right
hand gun pointed at Banks's breast
"BaHks looked up into Landon's face
with a we'll feigned expression Of mys-
tifcation.
Your name bein'? he said to Lam
don in an inquiring tone.
1T was true that Banks had never
ser n Landon before, but there isn't the
slightest doubt that he knew who the
marshal was when he saw the gun
point g his way.
"'Landon's my name,' said the
marshal. You're Dave Banks. I've
done heard a heap about you, an tn
asst thing l heard was this yere prop
osition Of yours t lead me aroun' La
luna plaza by these tabs at the side
of my head. Was them remarks or
c'rectly quoted"
We'll" replied Banks, coolly spittlng
at a crack in the floor, you can't be-
lieve all you hear, podner, but, since
you show signs o. bein' a somewhat
inquisitive caquse, why
Quick as the dab Of a cats paw,
Banks reached over and caught the
wrist of Landon's hand that held the
gun. Then Banks, man Of immense
strength, leaped over the table and
twisted that wrist of Landon's until
the marshal had to drop the gun to
the floor and gasp with the pain Of the
wrenching his arm was getting.
Banks kicked the gun into corner
and snatched the other gun out OF
Landon's belt Landon was complete
" disarmed and at the mercy Of the
man from the Pecos.
LAS was a-sayin',' continued
Banks, since you all show signs Of
Banks, since you all show signs OF
bein' a some inquisitive cayuse, wy
yes, l did say that I was a-goin' t
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