The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1905-07-06
A REAL BAD MAN.

YER wire jim tOrDy. famous COlo-
RADIO character of the boom days. had
biped out peacefully In his bunk up
ut Nome" said an Official from Colo
RADIO In one OF the departments. Jim
was the last man I'd ever figure on Ia
make finish between blankets. He
was as game n man as ever accepted
q grub stake to hunt for pay rock.
When l knew him back I'm the early
eighties. and later when the Creole ex :
element was putting the hectic flush
Into the cheeks OF all the time
prospectors. Jim was so dauntless q
chance takeg that used To think that
nothing short OF "A real busy bolt OF
lightning would ever get the breath
out Of him. He wasn't afraid or any
body. He stuck up some good men In
his day at the points OF his old sawed
OF guns. just TO indicate that he was
right there and In the game. but he
never took n mean advantage nor
flashed a gun until his minute To do IL
had arrived. The nickname Silver
Wire Jim was fastened on To Corby
because once down I'm Arizona. after
he had been cut up lot In bowie
light. he sat down and very carefully
sewed up the torn places on his person
with silver wire. the sawbones OF the
camp having been absent at the time.
Il happened TO be In Durango. Cox.
when this famous prospector and tam
er OF pizen bad men did one OF the
nervlest jobs OF his life. Jim had a
brother living In Durango. a young
fellow In hts twenties. Jim looked up
on this brother as good deal OF a
dude and didn't have much commerce
with him.
''one day. though. while Jim was In
Lcadville. he got a letter from this kid
brother OF his. saying that he'd been
abused In Tom Fleets faro bank In
Durango. He'd gone up against Fleets
b:ace game, and after the brace bank
had got all OF his money. some $1,000.
Fleet and his under-strappers had
dropped the yolth out or second
story window, and the fall had broken
one OF his legs.
silver Wire Jim Corby made bee
line for Durango ten minutes after he
got that letter In Lendvillc.
Now, this Tom Fleet man was a
pretty evil ombrey for anybody To play
tag with. He'd been running flyer faro
layouts all over the southwest and the
Rocky mountain country for years. and
he'd never been known to duck or
blanch when the toughest OF his vic
Tins had started I'm TO puncture the fix
lures after dropping their rolls. lie was
gun tanner and knife fghteS
proper. and up TO the time OF this Sill
yer Wire Jim incident nobody had ever
called him and got by with II.
Fleet ran four faro tables at his
Durango plant. and he'd picked every
one OF the four lookouts for his quick
ness On the trigger. Corby knew Fleet,
and he knew all about those four sud-
den propositions who sat In the look
outs chairs. too.
"All the same. at 10 o'clock on the
night after he'd got that letter from his
brother he showed up Mt the entrance
To Fleets layout. He hadn't been TO
see his broken-leggsd brother ut all.
He just wanted To- see Fleet.
There was n half Greaser on the
door, and this Greaser. under instruc-
tions. tried 10 tell Corby that he
couldn't get In. Carby gave the half
breed slap In the face and then the
foot. The next instant he was In the
layout, gently waving his forty fives
from side To side. so nv not only TO
cover Fleet, who sat at desk. and the
four lookouts, but the whole bunch who
SAT playing ut the faro tables.
Fleet said corby TO the boss OF
the plant, who sat ut his desk like "A
man carved out OF stone. come over
here To mc--a-runnin'.'
Fleet got up from his desk In hur 4.
rs and walked over close To Corby at
a pretty nifty pace.
That's near enough said Corby.
stlll tanning his guns so as 10 keep
this I'm a-hearin' about your messin'
UP that dude brother o. miner
lie lost his coin and made beef
said Fleet. with n bad look In his eye.
Then, when he got muSsy, he was
dropped out OF the window.
who done the droppln'?' inquired
Corby, not looking at Fleet, but watch-
Ing every move OF the lookouts.
Fleet hesitated, until Corby's blood
shot, rc-spitting eyes pinned him.
II did he replied then.
So l heard said CoTby. quietly.
.ken In voice that could be heard
a block. he gave his commands:
All hands sashay To the corner
over yonder.' indicating by nod OF his
head the corner OF the room where
there was the most space. The men In
front OF and behind those tables knew
that IL was lottery as To who'd get IL
first IL the order wasn't instantly obey
ed. They rose rs one man, dealers.
lookouts and players, and glldcd into
the corner.
Fleet said corby. never taking his
eyes OFT the crowd in the corner. you
are more different kinds OF skunk
tinhorn and four-flush than I've got
hairs on my head-ain't your
Yes, replied Fleet, swallowing n
gulp. A man who looks into pair
OF fiickcring gun muZzles will agree to
any old proposition.
And you don't want 10 80 no more
brace work In this yere camp. do you p
said Corby. still talking quietly.
No. answered Fleet.
We'll said Silver Wire Jim. that
bein' the case, you kin jes' pick up
them four tables, one by one, and
chuck EN- out o. that window that you
dropped my dude brother from
Fleet wheeled. with n curse. and
picked up the faro table nearest the
window. II landed on the plank side
walk below with "A crash. Gold and
silver and paper money, chips and
cards and box went with Il.
The next one said Corby, who
stood there waving his guns. as IL he
wasn't In danger OF instant death from
the men huddled In the corner.
Fleet threw the next nearest table
out. with all on top OF IL. Then he
tossed the third and fourth tables out.
for Corby had him impaled with his
eye and covered with one OF his guns.
Now said silver Wire Jim. after
Fleet had thrown the last table out OF
the window and stood regarding Corby
for all the world like a grizzly with a
whole fore-quarter In trap, you fol-
low your layout
"Corby was half head shorter In
stature and weighed fully forty pounds
less than Fleet. who was a giant. But
he suddenly Jabbed his guns into his
belt, the gang Ia the corner never max
Ing move, and In two bounds he had
Fleet around the middle. Fleet. before
oeing grabbed In that way. had made