Omaha daily bee., 1905-12-03

last to see the change The old-time char
acters are all dying off and in a few years
they will all be gone. Buckskin Jim, who
was well known as a government trans
port man, died a year ago and when Jim
died the old west lost another of its most
picturesque characters Then there was
Calamity Jane. She's gone over the divide
with the rest of EN- Calamity was
great gal in her day, but from all l know
she was all right, except that she loved TO
drink and fight Why, I've seen her come
into barroom and order his nibs behind
the bar TO set up the drinks like the best
Of EN-.
Then with the disappearance Of the
characters that made the west famous
some years ago has gone the big game. 1t
amt very long ago when We could take
a rife and go out after buffalo. But
where do you find 'em now? Only in ZOOS
and in Yellowstone park. The rest OF the
game has almost gone, too. The game is
being driven TO the SUBMITS Of the noun
tHins. The railroads have cut up the coun-
try so much that the hunting grounds are
smaller and the game is taking to the
woods, as they say in the city.
Where are the old-time bad men? Well,
they've taken to the high timbers, too.
don't know whether it was the railroads
or the wire fences or the generous use Of
hemp that scared that class of men out
Of the west, but they're gone anyhow. Once
in awhile one turns up. Sorter drops in
from Mars to pay his respects, and then
IL he does anything bad a painful duty
falls upon the good citizens, and one bad
man Eas gone to join the thousands that
have gone before. But even in the old days
the bad man had pretty rough road to
travel and never envied any OF EN-.
'Of course. those were rough days and
the dancers used to see lots Of shooting
out another mans lights, but the better
! element were generally In the lead. and
anything that looked real dirty was looked
into. II two men, fully armed, met and
had a difference and went at It like men
| and one got potted. it was all right That
/ was fair Some poet said something about
! gun fighting once. He said:
| "'He had sand In his craw, but was slow
! on the draw.
! SO we buried him under the daisies
4 That's the way II was In them days as
| long as things were anyhow fair. But
] when It was deliberate case Of assassna-
/ ton or murder. then the better citizens
/ took hand, with the result that there
would be a little hanging. and Justice be-
/ ing done. the incident was forgotten Yes,
there were bad men IN plenty. but they
began to see their finish before long. The
American people are a good people, bat
/ they are not a nation OF killers.
Finished the Bad Men.
! The disturbing element in the old days
was generally made up OF gamblers. bad
| men and cheap sports. Sometimes a LOT
OF EN- would get together and then they
would make a hell on earth for the fellows
| that tried 10 be ANYWAY decent Al BIS.
msrek one time they had bunch OF about
fifty bad men, but before the better fel
lows got through with them there were
| thirty-three dead bad men. Then there
was another section in the old days thai
had a wondrous growth OF the bad men
They got so bad that they sorter though
they owned the earth, and murders go
| to be right common.
Well, there was a meeting OF Grove
OF good citizens one night. As result
! OF the meeting a judge was chosen,
jury, a prosecuting attorney and an at
| torney for the defense. The sheriff wal
instructed 20 bring in the bad men. II,
got plenty OF deputies and soon the cOur
had q lot OF business on hand Well. afte
they had got about siXty-two bad men anC
had hanged mostly all OF EN-, things be
gan TO clear up a spell IN that territory
one Of the fellows that was brouEh
20 trial was one OF the worst bad mel
that bad ncvrishsd for = LONG tins. Il di,